What is Chicken Pho?

Chicken pho, or phở gà, is a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup known for its fragrant, clear broth. Made by simmering chicken with spices like star anise, cinnamon, and cardamom, it’s a flavorful yet light dish that’s often served with fresh herbs, lime, and bean sprouts. The dish is both nourishing and versatile, making it a staple in Vietnamese cuisine.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

• Ease of Preparation: Quick and easy to make with simple steps and ingredients.
• Rich Flavor Profile: Rich, aromatic broth infused with warm spices for a comforting meal.
• Customization Options: Customizable toppings let you create your perfect bowl.
• Healthier Alternative: A healthier, lighter alternative to beef pho.
• Family-Friendly and Meal Prep-Friendly: Perfect for meal prep or a family-friendly dinner.

Ingredients:

• Whole Chicken: Provides the base flavor for the broth and tender shredded meat for the soup.
• Water: Creates the broth, allowing all the ingredients to simmer together and develop rich flavors.
• White Onions: Adds sweetness and depth to the broth, especially when charred.
• Ginger: Enhances the broth with its subtle warmth and aroma.
• Pho Spice Sachet: A blend of traditional spices (star anise, cinnamon, fennel, cloves, coriander, cardamom) that give pho its signature flavor.
• Rock Sugar: Balances the salty and savory elements of the broth with a touch of sweetness.
• Fish Sauce: Adds umami and depth, essential for authentic pho flavor.
• Salt: Adjusts the seasoning of the broth to your taste.
• Vermicelli Noodles: The base of the soup, these rice noodles soak up the broth beautifully.
• Bean Sprouts, Green Onions, Cilantro, and Limes: Fresh garnishes that add crunch, brightness, and a zesty finish.

How to Make Easy Vietnamese Chicken Pho:

1. Prepare the Aromatics

Turn on the broiler and place the halved onions and ginger on a sheet pan. Broil for 10 minutes until the outsides are nicely charred. This step deepens the flavor of the broth.

2. Simmer the Broth

Quickly rinse the chicken and remove any giblets from the cavity. In a large stockpot, bring 14 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the whole chicken, charred onion, ginger, pho spice sachet, rock sugar, and fish sauce. Bring the water back to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let it cook gently for 1.5 hours. Add salt to taste.

3. Shred the Chicken

Carefully remove the cooked chicken from the pot. Let it cool slightly, then remove the meat from the bones. Shred the meat and set it aside. Discard the bones.

4. Cook the Noodles

Prepare the vermicelli noodles according to the package instructions. Once cooked, drain and divide into serving bowls.

5. Assemble the Pho

Pour the hot broth over the noodles in each bowl. Top with shredded chicken and your choice of garnishes, such as bean sprouts, green onions, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.

Storage:

Chicken pho is best enjoyed fresh, but leftover broth and chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat before serving.

Tips:

• Enhance Broth Flavor: Char the onion and ginger well to maximize the broth’s flavor.
• Achieve Clear Broth: For clearer broth, skim off any foam or impurities that rise to the surface while simmering.
• Customize Your Bowl: Customize your garnishes to suit your taste—add chili slices for heat or extra lime for tanginess.

Easy Vietnamese Chicken Pho

Print

Serves: 2-3 Prep Time: 20 Mins Cooking Time: 1 Hour 30 Mins 1 Hour 30 Mins

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 3 voted )

Ingredients

Broth

• 1 whole chicken (about 5lbs)
• 14 cups water
• 2 white onions, halved
• 1 large chunk of ginger (about 2 oz.), skin removed
• 1 sachet of pre-made pho spices*
• 1 small chunk rock sugar (or 1-2 Tbsp sugar)
• 4 Tbsp fish sauce
• Salt to taste

Noodles and Garnishes

• Vermicelli noodles
• Bean sprouts
• Green onions
• Cilantro
• Limes

*Note: if you can’t find pre-made spice sachet, you can make your own by combining the below:

• 6 whole star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1.5 Tbsp fennel seed
• 10 cloves
• 3 Tbsp coriander seed
• 1 black cardamom

Instructions

1. Turn on the broiler. Add onion and ginger to a sheet pan. Broil for 10 mins until the outside is charred
2. Rinse chicken quickly then remove giblets inside cavity.
3. In a large stockpot, bring water to a boil. Once boiling, add chicken, onion, ginger, sachet of pho spices, rock sugar, and fish sauce to the pot. Bring water back to boil then turn down the heat to a simmer for 1.5 hours, checking the broth and stirring occassionally. Add salt to taste.
4. Carefully remove the whole chicken and remove the meat from the bones. Shred the meat and discard the bones.
5. Cook vermicelli noodles according to the package. Pour hot broth over noodles and add shredded chicken and desired garnishes.

The post Easy Vietnamese Chicken Pho first appeared on Herman at Home.

What is Gochujang?

Gochujang paste is like the MVP of Korean cooking. It’s this thick, spicy-sweet chili paste made from fermented soybeans, rice, and red chili powder. You’ll find it in a lot of Korean dishes, adding that delicious kick and depth of flavor. It’s basically a must-have in your pantry if you’re into Korean cooking or just want to spice up your meals with something delicious.

Why you’ll love this recipe

If you love Gochujang paste or Korean food, this is for you. These little bites are easy to make and perfect to serve as appetizers at a small party. They come out crispy on the outside but soft and flavorful inside.

Ingredients

• Chicken thighs – chicken thighs are perfect for this recipe because they are fatter and juicer but feel free to use chicken breast instead
• Garlic – adds the depth of flavor and aroma
• Gochujang – as mentioned above, this paste is a thick, spicey-sweet chili paste popular in Korean dishes. This is the star of the dish!
• Gochugaru (korean hot pepper powder) – another key component of this recipe and popular in Korean dishes. It isn’t as spicy as it sounds but packs a punch in flavor.
• Soy sauce – for umami and savory notes
• Brown sugar – used for sweetness to balance the savory
• Sesame oil – a lot of nutty aroma and flavor so a little goes a long way
• Rice paper – make sure to double wrap each dumpling and pan fry for that extra crispness
• Vermicelli rice noodles – I like using the thinner vermicelli rice noodles as it compliments the chicken well
• Olive oil – I used olive oil but use any oil of your choice to make the dumplings super crispy!

How to make Gochujang Chicken in Crispy Rice Paper

1. In a bowl, add chicken thighs, garlic, gochujang, gochugaru, light soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and salt. Marinate at least 1 hour or overnight preferred.
2. Preheat air fryer for a few mins. Add chicken thighs and air fry at 425F for 10-12 mins, flipping halfway, until browned and cooked through.
3. To assemble, dip rice paper in warm water to rehydrate. Place about 2-3 slices of chicken then a small bunch of rice noodles and a few pieces of kimchi on top. Wrap the sides, then fold from the bottom to the top until you get a pillow shape. Double wrap each bite with a second piece of hydrated rice paper.
4. In a pan, add 2 Tbsp of oil and pan fry each crispy rice paper bite for 5 mins until golden brown on all sides. Remove from heat and serve while fresh.

Tips

1. Double wrap the bites with two layers of rice paper so they can crisp up better and the filling doesn’t burst out
2. The rice paper hardens as it gets cold so it is best eaten fresh!

Storage

I recommend eating this as fresh as possible. However, if you’d like, you can prep each bite then wrap it in a wet towel to keep it moist and shallow fry them in a pan at a later time. Even with this method, I only recommend prepping a few hours ahead of time and not the night before.

Gochujang Chicken in Crispy Rice Paper

Print

Serves: 2-3 Prep Time: 1 Hour Cooking Time: 20 Mins 20 Mins

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 3 voted )

Ingredients

Gochujang Chicken

1 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs

3 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp gochujang

1 tsp gochugaru (korean hot pepper powder)

1.5 Tbsp light soy sauce

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp sesame oil

salt to taste

10-12 rice paper

5 oz. vermicelli rice noodles, cooked according to package instructions

Neutral oil of your choice

Gochujang Dipping Sauce:

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp gochujang

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp sesame oil

2 Tbsp water

Instructions

1. In a bowl, add chicken thighs, garlic, gochujang, gochugaru, light soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and salt. Marinate at least 1 hour or overnight preferred.

2. Preheat air fryer for a few mins. Add chicken thighs and air fry at 425F for 10-12 mins, flipping halfway, until browned and cooked through.

3. To assemble, dip rice paper in warm water to rehydrate. Place about 2-3 slices of chicken then a small bunch of rice noodles and a few pieces of kimchi on top. Wrap the sides, then fold from the bottom to the top until you get a pillow shape. Double wrap each bite with a second piece of hydrated rice paper.

4. In a pan, add 2 Tbsp of oil and pan fry each crispy rice paper bite for 5 mins until golden brown on all sides. Remove from heat and serve while fresh.

The post Gochujang Chicken in Crispy Rice Paper first appeared on Herman at Home.