Pho Ga Vietnamese Chicken Soup

A rustic and fragrant Pho Ga Vietnamese Chicken Soup recipe that hits all the flavor high notes. The aromatic broth is sweet, savory, and a little spicy!

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If you’ve ever eaten pho you know it’s one of the tastiest soups on earth. It is basically the pinnacle of the soup world. Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup that’s full of meat, herbs, spices, and broth. It’s all about the broth. Pho is usually made using beef – beef bones and oxtail are stewed for many hours to create a silky aromatic broth that basically melts in your mouth. Pho ga is a variation on this – pho ga is prepared with chicken instead of beef. The same basic concept still applies but I have simplified it here for weeknight home cooking purposes. I would love to spend hours boiling beef bones and creating a broth so good that I want to swim in it but I don’t have that kind of time. And I’m guessing you don’t either. So I tinkered a bit and did my best to develop that deep flavor we all know and love and to be able to eat it within the hour. Get ready to up your chicken soup game. Get ready for this Pho Ga Vietnamese Chicken Soup!

There are some steps to creating this soup. It might seem daunting at first but I assure you it’s not. Follow these steps and you are on your way to a bowl of hot steamy goodness. The first step is to toast the spices. Toasting the spices releases the oils and makes them more fragrant (no joke – your house will smell so good). I have a small cast iron skillet that I reserve for toasting nuts and spices but any pan will do. The spices used in this recipe include 1 tsp. crushed coriander seeds, 3-4 pieces of star anise, and 1 tsp. of Vietnamese cinnamon. Place the coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle and crush them before toasting. Once the seeds are crushed heat the pan to medium/low. Place each of the spices in the pan and toast for about 5 minutes. Toss them around a little bit to prevent them from burning. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

The next step is to chop all of the aromatics that are going to give the soup so much flavor. The nice thing about this recipe is that the aromatics can be cut into chunks and do not need to be minced (major time saver)! Simply peel 6 cloves of garlic, peel and chop a 1 inch portion of ginger into chunks, dice a jalapeno pepper into chunks (remove seeds), and chop 1 white onion into large chunks. I like to add carrots to my pho ga. This is not traditional but I like recipes with lots of vegetables so I add them. Chop 5-6 carrots (about 2 cups) of carrots into pieces.

Now it’s time for the chicken. Heat a Dutch oven or your favorite soup pan to medium/high heat and add 1 Tbsp. of vegetable oil. I like to use chicken thighs for this recipe. Chicken thighs are fattier and give the broth that rich silky texture you find in a traditional pho recipe. This recipe calls for 1-1 1/2 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. You can use bone-in chicken thighs as well. Place the chicken thighs in the pan and sear for 3-4 minutes on each side. Sprinkle each side with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. You will get a nice sear on both sides and lock in that delicious flavor. The chicken may need to be cooked in batches depending on how many chicken thighs you are using. Once seared, remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

There will probably be some brown bits and fat on the bottom of the pan after the chicken is seared – leave them! Brown bits and fat=flavor. Add another Tbsp. or so of vegetable oil and add the aromatics to the pan. This includes the garlic cloves, ginger, onion, and jalapeno. Saute the aromatic for 5 minutes or so, stirring often. The aromatics will start to caramelize a bit. The smells these aromatics create is out of this world. After these ingredients have browned up a bit, add the chopped carrots and saute for another 5 minutes, stirring often. Add another pinch of salt and pepper. Deglaze the pan with a little chicken broth if the carrots start to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Once the aromatics and the carrots are sauteed, return the seared chicken to the pan and add 4 cups of low-sodium chicken broth. Add the spices you toasted earlier to the pan, cover, and bring to a boil. Once the soup has reached a boil, bring the heat down to medium and cook the soup on a medium/low boil for 20-25 minutes.

You can’t eat pho ga without noodles so prepare a package of thin rice noodles according to package instructions and drain. Set the noodles aside until it’s time to serve. After the soup has cooked for 20-25 minutes the chicken and vegetables should be nice and tender. Remove the chicken from the pot, shred it, and return it to the soup. The last steps include adding 2 Tbsp. of fish sauce and 1 Tbsp. of brown sugar to the soup. The fish sauce gives it that quintessential pho flavor and the brown sugar adds a little sweetness. Remove the garlic cloves, ginger chunks, and pieces of star anise before serving. Star anise looks pretty and provides nice flavor but it’s not something you want to eat! The onion and jalapeno will have cooked down by this point.

Pho ga is best (in my opinion) served with lots of garnishes. These garnishes include scallions, cilantro, limes, hoisin, and Sriracha. Place some of the rice noodles in a soup bowl and ladle the soup on top of the noodles. Make sure you plenty of chicken, carrots, and broth. Add a Tbsp. or so of hoisin sauce, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, some Sriracha, chopped scallions, and a handful of cilantro. The garnishes are not necessary but will give you an added boost of flavor. And that’s what this soup is all about – flavor!

5 from 1 vote

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Pho Ga Vietnamese Chicken Soup

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

40 mins

Total Time

1 hrs

 

A rustic and fragrant Pho Ga Vietnamese Chicken Soup recipe that hits all the flavor high notes. The aromatic broth is sweet, savory, and a little spicy!

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Servings: 5

Calories: 253 kcal

Author: Christine Rooney

Ingredients

• 3-4 Pieces Star Anise
• 1 Tsp. Coriander Seeds Crush seeds with mortar and pestle
• 1 Tsp. Vietnamese Cinnamon
• 6 Cloves Garlic
• 1 Inch Ginger
• 1 Jalapeno Remove seeds
• 1 White onion
• 2 Cups Chopped Carrots
• 2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
• 4 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1-1 1/2 Lbs. Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
• 2 Tbsp. Fish Sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
• 1 Package Rice Noodles
• Salt and Pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Crush coriander seeds with mortar and pestle.

2. Heat small pan to medium low and add crushed coriander seeds, star anise, and Vietnamese cinnamon. Toast for 5-6 minutes or until fragrant. Remove pan from heat.

3. Peel garlic and ginger. Cut ginger into chunks. Remove seeds from jalapeno and cut into chunks. Cut onion into chunks.

4. Cut 5-6 carrots into pieces.

5. Heat soup pan to medium and add vegetable oil. Once heated, add chicken thighs and sear for 3-4 minutes per side. Season each side with generous pinch of salt and pepper. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

6. Add another Tbsp. of vegetable oil to pan and add garlic, ginger, jalapeno, and onion. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring often.

7. Add carrots to the pan along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute for another 5 minutes, stirring often. Deglaze pan with chicken stock if necessary.

8. Add chicken back to the pan along with 4 cups of low-sodium chicken broth. Add the toasted spices and stir everything together. Cover and bring to a boil.

9. Once the soup has reached a boil, reduce to a low boil. Cook for 20-25 minutes with cover on.

10. Once chicken and carrots are tender, remove the chicken and shred. Return to pan.

11. Remove and discard chunks of garlic, ginger, and pieces of star anise.

12. Add fish sauce and brown sugar. Stir the soup together.

13. Prepare package of thin rice noodles according to instructions. Drain and set aside.

14. To serve the soup place a portion of cooked noodles in bowl. Ladle soup on top of noodles. Garnish with favorite toppings.

15. Topping ideas: Hoisin sauce, Sriracha sauce, fresh limes, scallions, cilantro, jalapeno peppers

Recipe Notes

You can substitute regular cinnamon for Vietnamese cinnamon if necessary.

Nutrition Facts

Pho Ga Vietnamese Chicken Soup

Amount Per Serving

Calories 253

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.