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Pho Ga served with rice noodles, fresh herbs and lime slices
Steaming bowl of clear broth with rice noodles, shredded chicken, and fresh herbs

Pho Ga (Vietnamese chicken noodle soup)

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Soups
Pho Ga is not merely a chicken soup, but a harmony of pure flavours. According to Vietnamese cuisine philosophy, the soul of the soup is the crystal clear, yet flavour-rich stock. Unlike the beef version (Pho Bo), this is lighter, fresher, and dominated by ginger. The charred onion and ginger provide that deep, smoky base that distinguishes it from an average meat soup.
🕒 Prep Time 30 mins
🍳 Cook Time 2 hrs
⌛ Total Time 2 hrs 30 mins
🍽️ Servings 4 servings
🔥 Calories 480 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Vietnamese

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Large pot (at least 5 litres)
  • Frying pan or open flame (for charring vegetables)
  • Fine sieve
  • Ladle
  • Serving bowls

Allergen Information

⚠️ Fish (fish sauce)

Instructions

1 ✓

Roasting aromatics: Cut ginger in half lengthways, leave onions whole. Char them in a dry pan (or over gas flame) until the outside is black and charred, and inside softens.

Tip: Don't fear the black colour! Sugar caramelises under the charred layer, giving the soup its golden brown colour and deep flavour.
2 ✓

Cleansing boil: Put chicken in a pot, cover with water, boil hard for 3-5 minutes. You will see grey scum rise.

Tip: Pour this water away! This step removes blood and protein residue, making the final soup clear.
3 ✓

Cooking soup: Wash chicken and pot with cold water. Return chicken, pour in 3.5 litres clean water. Throw in charred ginger, onion, sugar and salt. Bring to boil then reduce heat to lowest.

Tip: The soup should only just be moving (simmering).
4 ✓

Spicing: Heat cinnamon, star anise and coriander seeds in a dry pan until fragrant, then add to soup (can use spice ball).

Tip: Heating spices activates essential oils.
5 ✓

Removing meat: After approx 40-50 mins when chicken is tender, remove. Place in ice water so skin stays crunchy. When cool, strip off meat, put bones BACK in soup to cook for another 1 hour.

Tip: Gelatin and flavour only dissolve from bones over a long time.
6 ✓

Finishing: Strain soup through fine sieve. Now add fish sauce. Taste: it needs to be more intense than you'd like, as noodles will dull it.

Tip: Never cook fish sauce for long as it loses delicate aroma and only smell remains.
7 ✓

Serving: Soak rice noodles, then cook briefly in hot water. Place in bowl, pile on torn chicken, thinly sliced spring onion, coriander. Pour over piping hot soup.

Tip: The hot liquid 'brings to life' the fresh herbs in the bowl.

Recipe FAQ

The soup turned cloudy.
It probably boiled too hard. Pho must only be simmered so fat and proteins don't emulsify in the liquid.
The noodles have no taste.
Rice noodles are tasteless, so the soup needs to be slightly saltier than usual.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 kg Whole free-range chicken
  • 3.5 l Cold water
  • 50 g Fresh ginger
  • 2 units Onions
  • 1 unit Whole cinnamon stick
  • 3 units Star anise
  • 1 tsp Whole coriander seeds
  • 4 tbsp Fish sauce (good quality)
  • 1 tbsp Granulated sugar (or rock sugar)
  • 1 tbsp Salt
  • 400 g Rice noodles (flat, 'banh pho')
  • 1 bunch Fresh coriander
  • 3 stalks Spring onions
  • 100 g Bean sprouts
  • 1 unit Lime
  • 1 unit Fresh chilli