Chicken Pho (Phở Gà): Vietnamese Noodle Soup

Ingredients and substitutions

Choosing your ingredients

A whole chicken makes the best broth because the bones, skin and meat all go into the pot. Wikipedia notes that chicken pho uses the chicken's meat and bones with the same spices as beef pho. If you buy parts, choose bone-in, skin-on thighs and drumsticks with a few wings. Boneless breast alone gives a thin, dull broth.

Charring gives pho its sweet, smoky depth. Wikipedia describes careful cooks roasting ginger and onion over an open flame before they go in the stock. The same article says the charred ginger can be left out of chicken pho, since in beef pho it tones down the beef smell. This recipe keeps a small piece for aroma, but you can drop it.

Buy whole spices and toast them. Ground spices turn the broth muddy. Star anise and cinnamon are strong, so measure them. A spice bag, tea ball or square of cheesecloth tied with string keeps them from floating and makes them easy to remove.

Bánh phở noodles come in several widths. Medium-wide is typical. Cook them in a separate pot so the broth stays clear. Fish sauce goes in near the end, as Wikipedia describes, so its flavor stays bright.

Possible substitutions

• Whole chicken: 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg) bone-in thighs, drumsticks and wings, skin on. Cook until the thickest piece reaches 165°F (74°C).
• Rock sugar: The same amount of granulated sugar. Add it in pinches and taste.
• Black cardamom: Leave it out. The broth is still good without it.
• Thai basil: Regular basil with a few mint leaves, or only cilantro and green onion for a plainer northern-style bowl.
• Dried rice noodles: About 1 pound (450 g) fresh flat rice noodles, loosened and dipped in boiling water for 15 to 30 seconds.

Step-by-step method

1. Char the onion and ginger. Heat the broiler, or a gas burner on medium-high. Set the onion halves and ginger cut side up on a foil-lined pan under the broiler, or hold them with tongs over the flame. Cook for 8 to 12 minutes, turning once, until the skins blister and blacken in spots and the onion smells sweet and smoky. Rinse off loose char and peel the onion.
2. Toast the spices. Put the star anise, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, fennel and cardamom in a dry skillet over medium-low heat. Stir for 2 to 3 minutes, until the seeds darken slightly and smell warm and sweet. Lift the pan off the heat if you see smoke, since burnt spice turns the broth bitter. Tie the spices in a spice bag or cheesecloth.
3. Boil the chicken and skim. Put the chicken in an 8-quart (7.6 L) pot with the cold water and bring it to a boil over high heat, which takes 15 to 20 minutes. Gray foam will rise. Skim it off with a spoon for the first 10 minutes. Skimming is the main step that keeps the broth clear, so do not stir.
4. Simmer the chicken until cooked. Add the onion, ginger, spice bag and salt, then lower the heat until only a few bubbles break the surface. A hard boil clouds the broth. Partly cover and cook for 45 to 60 minutes. The chicken is done when the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F (74°C) and the juices run clear.
5. Pull the meat and return the bones. Lift the chicken onto a board and cool it for 15 to 20 minutes. Pull the meat off in large pieces and cover it. Return the skin and bones to the pot and simmer on low for 60 to 90 minutes. The broth should turn pale gold and taste savory. Pull the spice bag early if the cinnamon begins to dominate.
6. Strain and season. Lift out the bones and aromatics. Pour the broth through a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth into a clean pot, about 5 minutes. Skim most of the fat but leave a thin shimmer. Stir in the fish sauce and sugar, then add salt a pinch at a time until the broth tastes rounded. Keep it at a gentle simmer.
7. Cook the noodles and set out the garnishes. Boil the noodles in a separate pot, following the package, usually 3 to 6 minutes. They are done when tender with a slight chew and no hard white core. Drain and rinse under warm water. Meanwhile, arrange the sprouts, basil, cilantro, green onion, lime and chiles on a plate, and shred the chicken.
8. Assemble the bowls. Bring the broth to a full boil for 1 to 2 minutes until steaming hard. Divide the noodles among four deep bowls, top with chicken and green onion, and ladle about 2 cups (480 ml) of boiling broth into each. Serve at once, with the garnish plate, lime and sauces on the side. Take care, as the bowls are very hot.

Storage and reheating

Cool the broth fast. Within two hours of cooking, or within one hour if the kitchen is above 90°F (32°C), pour it into shallow containers and refrigerate. Keep it for 3 to 4 days, or freeze it for about 3 months. Store the chicken separately for the same time.

Keep cooked noodles apart from the broth, since they turn soft and swollen in it. Cool them quickly and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Bring the broth to a full boil before serving, and heat leftover chicken to 165°F (74°C).

Common mistakes

• Boiling the broth hard. A rolling boil stirs fat and bits into the liquid and clouds it. After the first skim, keep the surface barely moving.
• Over-spicing the pot. Too much cinnamon, clove or star anise makes the broth taste like potpourri. Measure the spices and pull the bag if needed.
• Cooking the noodles in the broth. Noodle starch clouds the soup, and the noodles go soft while you wait. Cook them separately and rinse them.
• Serving lukewarm broth. Noodles and chicken cool the bowl fast. Bring the broth to a full boil just before ladling.