Vietnamese Chicken Pho- “Pho Ga” Restaurant Style Recipe

See our Pho Ga Trailer below:

Restaurant Style Vietnamese Chicken Pho- aka “Pho Ga”

+PLUS 5 tips for a richer and more flavorful pho broth.

Aunt Trang’s Restaurant style pho. She’s been working at the same Vietnamese restaurant in Seattle for over 9 years! She taught me how to get that super fragrant restaurant style chicken pho broth.

Did you know many Vietnamese restaurants use beef broth even for chicken pho for that deeper, richer broth? 🤯

TIPS:

1. Use daikon radish to add a bit of natural sweetness but add it later (not in the beginning). Adding the white onions will also add a touch of sweetness as well!

2. Use a whole organic free range chicken for a more rich & flavorful broth

3. Add fish sauce at the very end- this provides more complexity and depth of flavor than using just salt in the broth (Add it last right before serving).

4. After your chicken broth gets a nice boil, lower to a simmer immediately for a nice clear broth. 

5. Broth should be slightly on the saltier side so when you ladle it over the noodles it’ll all balance out. 

6. Test chicken meat after 25-30 min.  Cooking it too long will result in dry and chewy chicken.

7. For a deeper, more velvety broth, add beef oxtail at the same time you add chicken, remove chicken after it’s done, and leave oxtail in until it cooked through and tender.

INGREDIENTS:
- 3 to 4 liters water (I used 4)
- 1 whole organic/free range chicken (our chicken was about 3.5 lbs, and we added an entire breast as well)
- 1 very large piece ginger root- peeled
- 2 white onions- outer skin peeled, halved
- 1 xl large piece of daikon root peeled and cut into 2” chunks

4 tbs White sugar
2 tbs Vegetable powder
2 tbs Kosher salt

DRIED SPICE BAG
(Use store bought spice bag or make your own below):

• 3 pieces (small 2" pieces)- asian cinnamon stick cracked in quarters or smashed (Chinese cassia bark)

• 1 thao quo: Chinese black cardamon

• 2 tbs fennel seed

• 3 tbs coriander seed

• Six white peppercorns

• Six black peppercorns

• Five Ding Huong (Clove buds)

• 3-5 whole anise stars

- 1 shallot onion - outer skin peeled & chopped fine

- 2 pounds pho noodles

GARNISHES:
- Black pepper
- 1 pound bean sprouts (washed and drained)
- 1 bunch green onion (washed and thinly minced)
- 1 bunch cilantro minced (rinsed and loosely chopped)
- 1 bunch Thai basil (rinsed and drained)
- 1 small red onion (peeled and thinly sliced)
- 1 small yellow onion (peeled and thinly sliced)
- 1 lime (washed and cubed or quartered)
- Red chili’s or jalepeno’s (washed and thinly/diagonally sliced)

CONDIMENTS:

Hoison
Siracha
Premium fish sauce (Red Boat, or 3 Crab…)

PREPARATION

1. Wash chicken, scrub with salt, remove any excess fat (washing chicken is something my parents always do for a clearer broth), pat dry and set aside.
2. In a large pot bring water to a boil for the pho broth.
3. Roast aromatics in a small sauce pan for about 2 min over medium heat, don’t let them smoke or burn, then remove from burner and place into a tea or spice bag.
4. Bring pot of water to boil and add your white onion and ginger and let it boil for 10 min with the onion and ginger.
5. Add broth seasonings: salt, veggie powder, sugar. Let pho come to a slight boil and then turn down heat immediately with a light simmer with lid off.
6. Keep an eye on the broth and skim all the foam off the top.
7. Check chicken after 25-30 min to see if chicken is cooked through. When chicken is cooked through (poke with chopsticks and if no blood comes out, it’s done), then add your daikon and spice bag for 10 min at a simmer).
8. After 10 min, remove the chicken and discard the onions and ginger and spice bag.
9. Add the chopped shallot onion.
10. Taste pho broth, add sugar / salt and/or vegetable powder (we added about 2 tbs extra of vegetable powder, sugar and salt). You can also add a little fish sauce to taste at this point as well. I like our broth on the saltier side so when it’s paired with the noodles it balances out better.
11. Prep your chicken by cutting and de-boning chicken for easier eating for your guests.
12. In a separate pot, cook pho noodles per instructions, rinse and set aside (make sure noodles are drained well or it will dilute your pho broth)
13. Build your pho bowl by adding a generous portion of noodles, daikon, some chicken meat, and ladle a few spoons of chicken broth.
12. Top it with some fresh cracked black pepper, red onion / sweet or yellow onion slices, green onions, cilantro, Thai basil, bean sprouts, chili pepper slices and enjoy!