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Every Tuesday, we drop by a nearby Vietnamese eatery known for its pho—that wonderfully aromatic broth filled with silky rice noodles, delicate slices of meat, fresh herbs, lime wedges, and chilies. Occasionally, I prepare pho at home as well, often opting for a quick version like this one, but sometimes I invest the effort to craft Pho Ga, or chicken pho.
Chicken pho features a lovely, translucent broth infused with ginger, shallots, and warm spices. Parboiling the chicken for five minutes before simmering the stock and maintaining a gentle heat helps keep the broth crystal clear, resulting in a stunning golden liquid that’s also deeply savory. This soup works wonderfully for dinner, but it’s especially comforting as a breakfast dish.
The Goodness of Broth
Rich and aromatic, chicken broth has long held a cherished place in kitchens around the world. Writings from 10th- and 12th-century physicians praise its virtues, and some of the earliest cookbooks dedicate entire sections to healing foods, which invariably include broths intended as first meals for infants or to restore the sick and recovering. Traditionally made bone broths are revered as nourishing staples.
When my family catches a cold—sniffling and sneezing—I simmer a pot of chicken broth for them to sip and enjoy. As their spirits and bodies heal, I turn that broth into this chicken pho, a dish that remains a favorite even when we’re perfectly healthy. I ladle the steaming liquid over bowls of hot rice noodles and thinly sliced white and green onions. Everyone tops their bowl with lime, herbs, a few jalapeño slices, and we all feel better.
| | | | | Pho Ga (Vietnamese-Style Chicken Noodle Soup) | | Print |
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Author: Jenny
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 2 hours
Total time: 2 hours 15 mins
Serves: 6 servings
Infused with the heady scent of ginger, coriander, and star anise, this Vietnamese-style chicken noodle soup is deeply aromatic and wonderfully comforting. Serve it over tender rice noodles, topped with plenty of fresh herbs and chilies.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- 2 chicken feet, if available
- 1 (4-inch) hand ginger
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 2 large shallots
- 8 large green onions
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 2 star anise pods
- 2 cloves
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce (I like this brand)
- 1 (8-ounce) package traditional flat rice noodles (find organic rice noodles here)
- 1 white onion, thinly sliced
- 2 jalapeno peppers, sliced about ⅛-inch thick
- 2 limes, quartered
- Mung bean sprouts
- Hoisin (I use this brand.), for the table
- Sriracha (I use this brand.) or homemade fermented hot chile sauce, for the table
Instructions
- Begin by parboiling the whole chicken and chicken feet: place them in a stockpot and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then let the chicken boil for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, pour out the liquid, and rinse off any foam or impurities from the chicken. Clean the pot, then return the chicken and feet to it.
- Slice the ginger crosswise. Remove the stems from the cilantro, keeping both stems and leaves separate. Halve the shallots lengthwise. Separate the white and light-green parts of the green onions from the dark-green parts.
- Add the ginger, cilantro stems, shallots, and the root ends of the green onions to the pot with the chicken. Drop in the coriander seeds, star anise, and cloves. Pour in enough water to cover the chicken by two inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 30 minutes, then remove the chicken from the pot. Cut the chicken breasts off the bone, slice them thinly, and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Return the rest of the chicken to the pot and continue simmering for another 2 hours. Strain the broth, discarding all solids. Wipe out the stockpot, return the strained broth to it, and keep warm over low heat while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Soak the flat rice noodles in hot water for 10 minutes. While they soak, bring a separate pot of water to a boil. Briefly plunge the soaked noodles into the boiling water for 20 to 30 seconds, until tender, then drain. Finely chop the dark green parts of the green onions.
- Divide the noodles, sliced chicken breast, sliced green onions, and sliced white onion among serving bowls.
- Arrange the sliced jalapeño, mung bean sprouts, and remaining herbs on a platter.
- When ready to serve, ladle the hot broth over the contents of each bowl. At the table, let guests add extra herbs, a squeeze of lime, hoisin, or sriracha as they prefer.
Notes
Yes, you can prepare the broth in advance. Simply store it in the refrigerator or freezer until needed.
Using a premade broth saves time. If you prefer, you can use a traditional, long-simmered premade chicken bone broth (like this one). Just simmer the cilantro stems, spices, ginger, shallot, and green onions in the broth for about 20 minutes before straining and serving.
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Where to Find Sustainably-Grown, Organic Rice Noodles
Rice is one of the most water-intensive and methane-producing crops, accounting for roughly 20% of human-related emissions. As with meat, how rice is grown greatly affects its environmental footprint. Rice cultivated using SRI (System of Rice Intensification) sees a significant increase in yields while cutting water use by 50% and, consequently, methane production. Lotus Foods employs SRI in their growing methods, and I purchase their noodles for pho from a local natural foods market; you can also buy them online here.
Other Vibrantly Flavored Soups
We eat a lot of soup in our home. You can find many recipes in the cookbook Broth and Stock, as well as all of Nourished Kitchen’s soups and stews here, but below you’ll find some of our family’s favorites.
This Easy Beef Pho is a favorite for weeknight dinners.
Bo Ko is a Vietnamese-style beef stew that is packed with flavor.
Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup is positively lovely, and deeply nourishing.
We love this Yucatan-style Lime Soup, especially when it’s topped with fresh cilantro and avocados.
This Thai-Style Chicken Soup is made by simmering fragrant herbs like lemongrass and lime leaf in chicken stock, before dropping in chicken and chiles and swirling it altogether with coconut milk.
