Chicken Pho (Pho Ga)

Name: Chicken Pho (Pho Ga)
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 2 yellow onions, (about 1 pound total, unpeeled); Chubby 4-inch section fresh ginger (unpeeled); 1 chicken ((4 pounds), excess fat and tail removed); 3 pounds chicken backs, (necks, or other bony chicken parts); 5 quarts water; 1 1/2 tablespoons salt; 3 tablespoons fish sauce; 1- inch chunk rock sugar ((about 1 ounce(; see Notes); 2 tablespoons coriander seeds, (toasted in a dry skillet for about 1 minute until fragrant); 4 whole cloves; 1 small or 1/2 large bunch cilantro ((bound stems about 1 inch in diameter)); 1 1/2 to 2 pounds small flat rice noodles ((bánh phở), dried or fresh); Cooked chicken, (at room temperature); 1 yellow onion, (sliced paper-thin, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes and drained); 3 or 4 scallions, (green part only, thinly sliced); 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, (leafy tops only); Black pepper; 3 cups bean sprouts, (about 1/2 pound); 10 to 12 sprigs mint ((húng), or 10 to 12 sprigs Thai basil* (húng quế)); 12 to 15 fresh culantro ((ngò gai leaves)); 2 or 3 Thai or serrano chiles, (thinly sliced); 2 or 3 limes, (cut into wedges)

Instructions

For high-protein pho, add boiled egg. Use my egg steaming timing tips to dial in your boiled egg perfection. This recipe was originally published in my book, Into the Vietnamese Kitchen (Ten Speed Press, 2006).

Updated at: Sun, 23 Aug 2026 01:50:51 GMT