Vietnamese Chicken Pho Noodle Soup – Pho Ga

This is how I cook my pho ga, just like the way my elders taught me. The family loves it, husband and toddler loves slurping the broth too!

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 90-120 minutes

Serving size: I cooked this pho ga in a 10-quart pot.

Ingredients:

Broth:

1 whole free-range chicken (brown rooster / ga di bo)

1 yellow onion

3 shallots

2 chunky ginger roots about 3 inches long

1 bag of 5 oz. Pho Bac spices (Hieu Ong Gai Que Huong brand)

42 oz. or one large can of chicken broth

7 quart water + 1 quart

3 Tbsp salt

6 Tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 Tbsp ginger powder (optional)

1/2 Tbsp garlic powder (optional)

6-8 chicken wings (optional)

Serve with:

2-3 bags of fresh pho noodle

culantro

Thai basil

beansprouts

yellow onion

lime

chili peppers

Spiracha

Hoisin sauce

cilantro (optional)

Directions:

1. Roast one yellow onion, peeled ginger pieces, and shallots. I airfried it for 10 minutes on 400 degrees F. This can be toasted in the regular toaster oven for 10 minutes or you can stick a bamboo skew threw the items and grill it over the gas stove for a few minutes.

Smash the ginger pieces.

2. Separate the chicken feet, neck, and head. Chop the free-range chicken body in halves.

3. In a 10-quart pot, pour in 7-quart of water. Add in the roasted yellow onion, ginger, and shallots. (I forgot the shallots and had to add it in later so just pretend the shallots are in the pot as well.) Anyway, attach the bag of pho spices to the handle.

If you have this deep mesh thingy, use it to hold the pho bag of spices and clip it to the rim of the pot. I forgot how to do that so I tied the spice bag to the handle. Whatever you do, do NOT let the raw spices leak out into the pot. We don’t eat the spices.

4. Put the free-range chicken in. Turn heat to high. Set timer for 60 minutes.

5. In a little bowl, mix seasoning with the following and pour it into the pot. Once broth boils, turn heat to medium so broth is constantly boiling LIGHTLY. (#7 on my stove) Continue to discard scum to make the broth clear.

1/2 Tbsp garlic powder (optional)
1/2 Tbsp ginger powder (optional)
3 Tbsp salt
6 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp black pepper

6. During this time, prep the herbs and vegetables. Cut the limes into wedges. Slice a yellow or red onion into thin pieces. Wash the beansprouts, culantro, and Thai basil. If you have Thai chili peppers or jalepeno peppers, slice them.

7. Remember to continue to continue to discard the scum. After about 45 minutes of light boiling the broth, take out the free-range chicken. (I leave the chicken’s feet and head in the pot.) Set it aside to cool and shred the chicken later.

8. Slit the chicken wings at the joint so it can spread out and put it into the pho pot. Pour in one quart of water. Turn heat on high to a hard boil and then down to medium low for 20 minutes. This step is optional. Little foodie loves chicken wings so I added this for her.

9. While cooking the chicken wings, prep the fresh pho noodle. Empty the noodle into a big big bowl and soak it in hot water for about 5 minutes. Strain.

10. Shred the free-range chicken meat.

11. Once chicken wings are cooked, pho ga is read to be served but continue to set pot over lowest heat setting until the yellow onion bulb is soft. Discard the ginger, spice bag, onion, and shallots once onion is soft. Freeze pho broth in quart size containers if you want once it is cooled.