Phở Gà

Name: Phở Gà
Cook time: 65 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 1040g Whole Chicken; 3.5 l Water; 2 large Onions, halved and charred; 1 large piece of Fresh Ginger, split lengthwise and charred; 4 Star Anises; 1 stick of Cinnamon Stick (Cassia); 1 tbsp Coriander Seeds; 4 Whole Cloves; 1 Black Cardamom Pod, optional; 25g Yellow Rock Sugar; 4 tbsp Fish Sauce; 2 tsp Fine Sea Salt; 400g Dried Flat Rice Noodles (Bánh Phở); 4 Scallions, thinly sliced; 1 bunch of Cilantro, chopped; 1 bunch of Sawtooth Herb (Ngò Gai), thinly sliced; 1 small White Onion, very thinly sliced and soaked in cold water; 2 Limes, cut into wedges; 2 1/2 Bird's Eye Chilies, thinly sliced

A comforting bowl of Phở Gà — fragrant, clear chicken broth poured over tender rice noodles and shredded poached chicken, finished with bright herbs, lime and chiles. The broth simmers slowly with charred aromatics and warm spices for a delicate, savory depth that makes every spoonful soothing and addictive.

A comforting bowl of Phở Gà — fragrant, clear chicken broth poured over tender rice noodles and shredded poached chicken, finished... Show more

Traditional Vietnamese Recipe

Health Grade

C+ · Balanced

Rating

4.5

Time

1 hr

Price

2,17 €

Calories

679 kcal

one pot

high protein

low carb

low fat

Method

Wash the garnishes

Rinse the scallion, cilantro, sawtooth herb, white onion, lime, and bird's eye chilies under cool running water. Pat everything dry so the herbs stay fresh and the sliced garnishes do not water down the finished soup.

Slice the garnishes

Thinly slice the scallion, roughly chop the cilantro, and thinly slice the sawtooth herb. Slice the white onion as thinly as you can and place it in a bowl of cold water while you cook so it loses some of its sharp bite. Cut the lime into wedges and thinly slice the chilies, then set all the garnishes aside.

Char aromatics

Heat a dry heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Place the cut side of the onion and the cut sides of the fresh ginger onto the hot surface and char them for 3 to 5 minutes, turning as needed, until they are deeply browned with a few blackened spots and smell sweet and smoky.

Toast the spices

In the same dry skillet, toast the star anise, cinnamon stick, coriander seeds, whole cloves, and the black cardamom pod, if using, for 1 to 2 minutes, shaking the pan often, until very fragrant. They should smell warm and sweet, not scorched.

Simmer the chicken

Place the whole chicken in a heavy pot and pour in the water. Add the charred onion and ginger along with the toasted spices. Bring everything to a boil over medium-high heat, skim off any gray foam that rises, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil. Cook for 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the broth is lightly golden and fragrant.

Shred the chicken

Lift the chicken out onto a plate and let it cool just until you can handle it comfortably. Pull the meat from the bones in bite-size pieces or thin shreds, discarding the skin and bones if you like, and keep the meat loosely covered so it stays moist.

Strain the broth

Pour the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean pot, pressing lightly on the solids to get all the liquid out, then discard the aromatics and spices. You should be left with a clear, fragrant broth.

Season the broth

Stir the yellow rock sugar, fish sauce, and fine sea salt into the strained broth. Bring it back to a gentle simmer for 2 minutes, then taste; it should be savory, lightly sweet, and a touch stronger than you want in the bowl because the noodles will soften the flavor.

Soak the noodles

While the broth cooks, place the dried flat rice noodles in a bowl and cover them with very warm water. Let them soak for 20 minutes until flexible but not fully soft, then drain them.

Blanch the noodles

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the soaked rice noodles. Cook for 1 minute, just until tender with a little chew left, then drain well and divide them between serving bowls.

Assemble and serve

Top the noodles with the shredded chicken, then ladle the very hot broth over everything. Drain the sliced white onion and scatter it over the bowls with the scallion, cilantro, sawtooth herb, and sliced chilies. Serve right away with lime wedges on the side so everyone can brighten their bowl to taste.