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Vietnamese

Phở gà

Non-vegetarian

A clear, gently spiced chicken broth perfumed with charred ginger, onion and star anise, poured over flat rice noodles and shredded chicken with spring onion and herbs.

Phở gà is a Vietnamese soup, ready in about 1 hour 50 minutes and made with chicken pieces, skin-on, fresh ginger and rice noodles. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Close-up of a steaming bowl of Vietnamese pho with noodles and herbs.
Photo: Lan Yao / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
20 min
Cook
1 h 30 min
Total
1 h 50 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
811

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Char the onion (opens in a new tab) and ginger directly over a flame or under a grill until blackened in spots; rinse off loose char.

    Food cooking over a grill
    How it looks · Photo: Malte Luk on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Put the chicken in a pot with the water, bring to a boil and skim well. Add the onion (opens in a new tab), ginger and the spices (in a muslin bag) and poach gently until the chicken is cooked, about 35 minutes. Lift out the chicken, cool and shred the meat.

    Food safety: Cook chicken until no pink remains and the juices run clear (74 °C in the thickest part).

  3. Step 3

    Return the bones to the pot and simmer 40 minutes more. Strain and season with fish sauce (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt.

    • 40 min
    • low heat
    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Soak and cook the noodles, drain and divide among bowls. Top with chicken, ladle over boiling broth and finish with spring onion (opens in a new tab), coriander and lime (opens in a new tab) leaf. Serve with sprouts, lime and chilli.

    • 8 min
    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Hanoi, Vietnam · Well documentedChicken pho became widespread in Hanoi in the mid-20th century alongside the original beef pho.More food from Vietnam
Dish
Breakfast · Lunch · Soups · Noodles
Cooking method
Simmered, Poached
Taste
aromatic / warmly spiced, savoury, mild, fresh
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead
Cook more with
Chicken pieces, skin-on · Fresh ginger · Rice noodles · Onion · Star anise / anise · Cinnamon
Techniques
Broiling · Boiling · Simmering · Poaching · Slow-cooked gravy

Allergens

  • Contains: Fishfrom fish sauce
  • May contain: Crustaceansfrom fish sauce

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

811 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 1119 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 24%
  • Carbohydrate 36%
  • Fat 39%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy811 kcal73 kcal
Protein48.1 g4.3 g
Carbohydrate72 g6.4 g
Net carbohydrate68.6 g6.1 g
Sugars3.1 g0.3 g
Added sugars1 g0.1 g
Fibre3.4 g0.3 g
Fat34.8 g3.1 g
Saturated fat9.9 g0.9 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol169 mg15 mg
Sodium1458 mg130 mg
Salt equivalent3.6 g0.3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
624 mg
Calcium
157 mg
Iron
3.4 mg
Magnesium
100 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
111 µg
Vitamin C
10 mg
Vitamin D
0.5 µg
Vitamin B12
0.7 µg
Folate (DFE)
36 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: makrut lime leaves, bean sprouts, lime, fresh red chilli.
  • Star anise / anise: Anise seed (FDC 171316) used as a stand-in for star anise.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Poaching gently rather than boiling keeps the broth crystal clear and the chicken silky.

Common mistakes

  • Over-spicing: chicken pho is lighter than beef pho, so go easy on the star anise and cinnamon.

Serve with

  • Hanoians eat it with a squeeze of lime and a little chilli vinegar.

Storage

  • Broth keeps 3 days refrigerated or 3 months frozen; store noodles and chicken separately.

Reheating

  • Bring the broth to a rolling boil before serving.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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