Chicken Pho

Pho gai or chicken pho is one of the top three soups in my rotation, pho-real. For those of us who don’t eat red meat often, this recipe satisfies a pho craving without having to touch briskets or tripe. The best part is that I can make this soup, serving 6-8, for $20 or less. So, it’s budget friendly too.

It embodies the classic warm and aromatic pho broth, served with fresh herbs, lime, and other accompaniments.

Notes:

Spices – I always have a pho spice kit in the pantry. The brand doesn’t matter. I find that using the whole package can be overpowering in the broth, often times, I’d open the bag, pick out what I’ll use for this batch, and seal the packet back up for a future batch of pho. This helps stretch the budget too.

Pho Spice Kits are also available on Amazon.

Dry Roasting – dry roasting the spices and vegetables helps release their oils and intensify the flavor. It takes only a few minutes extra, but adds so much, but if you do not have time for these steps, you can skip them. Bundle the spices and them straight into the stock pot with the vegetables.

Accompaniments – are suggested and can be customized or substituted for your favorite items. You may have noticed in the photos, I have fried onions and white pepper too. One of my favorite sauces for accompaniments is the original sriracha sauce. Not the rooster brand, but the original vinegary heat sriracha sauce.

Noodles – I use fresh rice stick noodles that can be found in the refrigerator section at the Asian market. Dry noodles can be used. They require soaking time to soften them up a bit before the quick cook.

Chicken Pho

Yields: 6-8 large bowls
Time: 2 hours

Spice Sachet:
1.5 oz (42g) fresh ginger
1 tablespoon (~16) peppercorns
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick, halved to fit the sachet
5-6 cloves
1 black cardamom pod

Broth:
4.5 lbs (~2 kg) chicken (young chicken)
1 medium (~200g) onion, quartered
2 stalks of celery (~140g), cut in halves
1 tablespoon (18g) salt
1 tablespoon (12.5g) sugar
3 tablespoons (45 ml) fish sauce
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
½ teaspoon MSG (optional)
4 quarts (16 cups/ 3.78 liters) water

Noodles:
2 (8 oz) packages Fresh or frozen or 1/2 (14 oz) dried rice stick noodles (if using dried noodles, you’ll need to soak in warm water for 15-30 minutes or until it is soft)
Garnishes:
Cilantro
Scallions
Thinly sliced onion

Accompaniments:
Lime wedges
Basil
Jalapeños
Bean sprouts
Sriracha
Hoisin sauce

1. Dry roast spices (including ginger) over medium heat until aromatic. Bundle the spices in a cheesecloth and secure the sachet tightly with a cotton twine.
2. Roast the onion and celery until charred. Set aside.
3. In a large stock pot, add chicken, celery, onion, spice sachet, water, salt, sugar, fish sauce, chicken bouillon, and MSG (if using). Bring pot to a boil and let it cook for 1 hour to 1 ½ hour. Making sure to skim off the impurities.
4. Prepare the herb/garnishes and accompaniments while you wait for broth to cook.
5. Remove chicken, vegetables, and spice sachet from the broth. Let the chicken cool slightly, then shred with 2 forks or using your hands. Add some of the shredded chicken back to the broth pot and set the rest aside to top the soup.
6. For the noodles, bring a small pot of water to boil. Cook noodle using a strainer in boiling water for 30 seconds to a minute, depending on the size of noodles. This doesn’t take long and the noodles will continue to cook in the broth once assembled.
7. Assemble by adding noodles, broth, shredded chicken and herbs. Serve with accompaniments. Enjoy!