Pho Ga, Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup (48g Protein)

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This pho ga has about 48 grams of protein per serving. Two chicken breasts, poached right in the broth, get shredded over rice noodles for two big bowls.

Pho ga is the lighter, faster cousin of beef pho. The broth is clear and gingery, and it needs under an hour instead of an afternoon. It also happens to be one of the leanest high-protein soups I make: around 570 calories and 9 grams of fat per bowl.

Why this works

Charring the onion and ginger gives the broth its smoky sweetness, and it is the one step I would not skip. Store-bought stock does the heavy lifting here, so those blackened aromatics and the whole spices are what make it taste like pho rather than chicken noodle soup.

Poaching the breast in the broth, at a bare simmer, keeps it tender and lets the chicken flavor the liquid at the same time. A hard boil does two bad things: it clouds the broth and it squeezes the meat dry. Pull the chicken as soon as it hits 74C / 165F, and it will shred into juicy strands.

Ingredient notes

Noodles: Look for dried banh pho, labeled “rice sticks” in most US supermarkets. Fresh pho noodles work too, just blanch them for 10 seconds. Fish sauce: Use a good one such as Red Boat or Three Crabs. Cheap fish sauce is saltier and flatter, so add it in stages. Chicken: Thighs are tastier but add fat, and the protein drops to about 42 grams per bowl if you swap them in. Spices: Toast the star anise, cinnamon and cloves in the dry pot for 1 minute before adding liquid if you want a deeper aroma.

Pho Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup)

Clear, gingery chicken pho with a lot of poached chicken breast. About 48 grams of protein per serving, ready in 50 minutes with one pot.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Servings: 2 servings

Calories: 570

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 1 large yellow onion halved, cut side charred
• 1 thumb ginger (about 60 g) halved lengthwise, charred
• 1.2 litres low-sodium chicken stock plus 500 ml water
• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 whole cloves
• 450 g boneless skinless chicken breast about 2 breasts
• 2 tbsp fish sauce adjust to taste
• 1 tsp rock sugar or white sugar
• 150 g dried flat rice noodles banh pho, 3 mm wide
• 100 g bean sprouts
• 2 scallions thinly sliced
• 1/4 small onion sliced paper thin, rinsed in cold water
• 1 handful cilantro and Thai basil leaves picked
• 1 lime cut into wedges
• 1 red chili sliced, optional

Method

 

1. Char the onion halves and ginger directly over a gas flame, or under a hot broiler, for 5 to 6 minutes until blackened in spots. Rinse off any loose burnt bits.
2. Add the stock, water, charred onion and ginger, star anise, cinnamon and cloves to a large pot. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
3. Slide in the chicken breasts. Keep the broth at barely a simmer (small bubbles at the edge only) and poach for 15 to 18 minutes, until the thickest part reads 74C / 165F. Do not let it boil hard, or the broth turns cloudy and the chicken tightens.
4. Lift the chicken onto a plate and let it cool for 5 minutes. Keep the broth simmering with the lid off for another 15 minutes so the spices keep working. Shred the chicken with two forks.
5. Meanwhile, soak the rice noodles in hot tap water for 15 to 20 minutes (or follow the packet), until pliable. Drain, then dunk in a pot of boiling water for 15 to 30 seconds until just tender. Divide between two deep bowls.
6. Strain the broth through a sieve, discarding the solids. Season with fish sauce and sugar, taste, and adjust. It should taste slightly too salty on its own, because the noodles will dilute it.
7. Pile the shredded chicken over the noodles, add the scallions and the sliced raw onion, and ladle over the boiling-hot broth. Serve with bean sprouts, herbs, lime and chili on the side.

Tips and storage

Store the broth, shredded chicken and noodles separately. The broth and chicken keep 4 days in the fridge (or the broth freezes for 2 months), and the noodles turn gummy if they sit in liquid. To reheat, bring the broth to a boil, then pour it over cold chicken and freshly blanched noodles. The nutrition covers the chicken, noodles, stock, sprouts and seasoning.

If you want a beef version, our Quick Beef Pho uses the same charred-aromatics method. For another chicken soup with a very different personality, try the Soto Ayam, or serve this alongside the Goi Ga if you want a bigger Vietnamese chicken meal.