This is about as simple as pho can get. To the best of my ability I tried to stay as authentic as possible with this recipe without overwhelming. This is an undeniably delicious soup – only second to Beef Pho, which I am still trying to master. Beef pho is one that takes time and wayyyy more ingredients. But so worth the effort. For now, I wanted to share this Chicken Pho (Pho Ga) recipe. We had Chicken or Beef Pho every day when we were in Vietnam. I have to say, while every bowl was toe-curling delicious, they all varied slightly in flavor. They all had the distinct flavor of anise and ginger and were slightly sweet. But some didn’t have much cinnamon and some were served with more greens. I would eat any one of them every day. Our favorite bowls were from our hotel in Ninh Binh, the Tam Coc La Montagne Resort & Spa. Seriously the best. The flavor of freshly harvested chicken and delicate, but glistening, slightly fatty broth was heaven. This is as close as I could come to those sips. Hope you enjoy it!
Serves 4-5 big deep bowls
INGREDIENTS
- 8 medium shallots or 3 medium to large white onions, skin on / cut in half
- 3” piece of fresh ginger, skin on / sliced in half lengthwise
- 1 whole organic chicken (approx 3.5 to 4.5 pounds), no liver or gizzards
- 4 whole star anise
- 1 T fennel seeds
- 1 T Kosher salt or sea salt
- 1 T brown sugar
- 2 T fish sauce
- 2 lbs rice noodles
Condiments to include for serving:
- fresh bean sprouts (2 cups)
- cilantro (1 cup), rough chopped
- sliced white onion (one whole onion sliced thin will do)
- lime wedges (2 limes)
- sliced red chilis and/or sliced jalapeños (1 or two)
- hoisin sauce
- sriracha (or other chili sauce or sambal)
In a cast iron pan on medium heat, dry roast the shallots (or onions) and ginger. Roast until the shallots begin to blacken and the ginger becomes fragrant and slightly blackened. To the same pan, add star anise and fennel seed and cook for several more minutes until toasted. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to add to pho stock.
In a large stock pot on medium high heat, add the whole chicken and cover with cold water (about 3 quarts should do). Add in dry-roasted shallots and ginger, toasted star anise and fennel seeds, salt, sugar and fish sauce. Bring stock to a simmer for 10 minutes, periodically scooping foam off the stock surface. After 10 minutes, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for an additional 60-70 minutes. Continue to remove foam.
Remove chicken onto a cutting board and insert a skewer into the thigh. If the juices run clear, it’s completely cooked. If juices are not clear, return chicken to the stock and continue simmering for 15-20 minutes. Once done, place onto a clean cutting board to cool. Cut meat from the bones (discard bones) and slice chicken into strips easy to grab with chopsticks or big soup spoons.
With a strainer lined with cheesecloth, strain chicken broth into another clean stock pot. Place pot of strained broth on medium heat, taste for seasoning (adding salt, sugar or fish sauce as needed). Cook noodles according to directions (until tender, but not mushy). Strain and divide into large deep soup bowls. Top noodles with sliced chicken, bean sprouts, cilantro and sliced onion. Ladle broth over the top and serve with lime wedges, hoisin sauce, sriracha or other chili sauce.
COOK’S NOTES:
- An authentic addition to the flavor profile is cinnamon. I didn’t include it in this recipe, merely because I didn’t have a cinnamon stick. However, if you choose to include it in your cooking, one stick is recommended for this quantity.
- It’s important to use deep bowls for this soup, as opposed to pasta bowls. The aromatics linger in the depth of the bowl and the soup stays hot longer than if in a shallow, wide bowl.
- Thai basil if often served with pho in the U.S.. Although, not once we were served Thai basil with our soups in Vietnam. I do love it, so I think it’s a nice addition.