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–+ servings
Pho Ga in a bowl with chopsticks and salad

Pho Ga

Dao!
Make your own Pho Ga? YES! This homemade broth is absolutely incredible and the end result will be the most slurp-able Vietnamese Chicken Soup ever!
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 4 hours 45 minutes
Plus overnight resting time for the broth 16 hours
Total Time 21 hours 45 minutes
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine vietnamese
Servings 6 servings

Equipment

  • Tea strainer or cheesecloth (to contain the spices)
  • 8 qt stock pot
  • Cast iron pan (not mandatory but preferable for charring the onion and ginger)

Ingredients
  

  • 4.5-5 lb whole chicken
  • salt to wash the chicken
  • water
  • 1 onion peeled and quartered or halved
  • 3 inch ginger
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • 3 whole star anise
  • 5 whole cloves
  • 1 ts fennel seeds
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 3.5 tablespoon chicken bouillon I used Lee Kim Kee
  • 3.5 tablespoon fish sauce I used Three Crabs Brand
  • 2 tablespoon rock candy
  • .5 lb rice sticks pho noodles
  • mung bean sprouts recommended garnish
  • cilantro recommended garnish
  • Thai basil recommended garnish
  • lime recommended garnish

Instructions
 

  • Turn up heat to high on your stove, and char the onion and ginger on a cast iron pan. Leave aside.
    Charred Onion
  • Remove the chicken from it's plastic and remove all innards. Cover the chicken with salt. Rub the salt into the skin, and then rinse and pat dry.
    Chicken with salt on it
  • Place the chicken, charred onion and ginger into the 8 qt stockpot. Add water so that water reaches ¾ to the top of the stockpot.
    Whole chicken in a stock pot with water, charred onion, and ginger
  • Bring to the boil, and using a slotted spoon skim off the scum that rises to the surface.
    Pho Ga in a stock pot and skimming off scum with a slotted spoon
  • Once the scum has been removed, lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 2 hrs.
  • After 2 hrs, remove the chicken and allow it to cool a bit. You can speed up the cooling process by breaking up the chicken using some kitchen utensils. The broth will continue simmering during this time. Once the chicken has cooled and you can handle it, separate the meat from the skin and bones. Add the bones and skin back to the broth. You most likely will need to add some additional water at this time (keep the water level at ¾ height of the stock pot) and continue simmering for 2 hours (covered).
    Chicken meat in a cast iron skillet and chicken bones on a white plate
  • After the broth has simmered with the bones and skin for 2 hrs, remove from the heat. Allow to cool, and then remove all solids from the broth (use a strainer or slotted spoon). Once completely cooled, place the broth (and the chicken) in your fridge to rest overnight.
  • The next day, remove the broth from the fridge, and remove some of the fat solids that you see. I recommend leaving some of it though for extra flavor! Set it on your stove on a medium heat. Dry fry the whole cloves, cinnamon stick, star anise, and coriander seeds on a medium low heat until the spices are fragrant and highly aromatic.
    Coriander seed, cinnamon stick, star anise and cloves in a frying pan
  • Place the spices in cheesecloth or a tea strainer. Add this to your broth, and bring to the boil. Lower to a simmer, and simmer for around 35 minutes.
    Tea strainer filled with spices in a pho ga broth in a stockpot
  • Remove the spices, and begin to add your spices. Add 3.5 tablespoon chicken bouillon, 3.5 tablespoon fish sauce, and 2 tablespoon rock candy. Stir well. Taste, and then begin to add additional chicken bouillon and fish sauce to taste.
    Rock Candy, Fish Sauce, Chicken Bouillon
  • Meanwhile, cook the rice noodles according to package directions. Once finished, add the noodles and as much of the chicken as would you like back to the broth.
    Rice Sticks for Pho
  • VERY IMPORTANT: Once the noodles and chicken have been added, be sure to taste the broth again! The noodles will soak up a lot of the flavor. So add additional bouillon and fish sauce to compensate for this. The end result of the broth is that it should be salty.
    Pho ga in a bowl with chopsticks, a salad, and garnishes
  • Dish it up now into HUGE bowls and garnish to your hearts content!
    Pho Ga in a bowl with chopsticks and garnished with fresh herbs

Notes

Absolutely enjoy this amazing dish, one of the TOP FOODS OF THE WORLD!  Cooked with love and care, this will be an incredible treat that you will look forward to making and eating time and time again!  Garnish with as many fresh herbs as you would like including cilantro, and Thai basil.  Other recommended garnishes are bean sprouts, chilis, limes, and the ever delicious Sriracha Sauce!
Keyword chicken noodle soup, pho
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