Pho Ga | Vietnamese Style Chicken Noodle Soup

Gluten-free | Sugar-free | Dairy-free | Grain-free 

Serves: Makes enough for 4-6 portions 

This traditional style Vietnamese chicken noodle soup is a delight of flavours and aromatics. Made from a full flavoured chicken broth filled with spices, you'll love the depth of character and light, bright flavours that come from a big helping of fresh green herbs. 

Perfect as a winter warmer and just as good as a light dinner or lunch meal in the sun, nothing beats a bowl packed full of goodness. 

This recipe is free from gluten, grain, dairy, sugar and is made by masterfully cooking a pot full of chicken drums to tender perfection. 

Hints, Tips & Tricks

There are a couple of components required to make this soup. You can start it the night or day before by making the broth and allowing it to cool overnight, making the soup creation easy and quick. 

This recipe requires Bridget's Sticky Sauce, a healthy cooking sauce I use in many of my recipes. It's simple, healthy and packs a lot of flavour without adding unnecessary calories. If you need the recipe, you can get it here.

Before you start, you’ll need to prepare my Kombu Water. Kombu water is my healthy broth alternative and one of my favourite foundation recipes. If you need the recipe, you can find it here.

To help add a sweet taste without adding refined sugar, I use my Zero as Sugar Pure Erythritol. You’ll find this ingredient in many reduced-calorie and sugar-free foods and drinks. If you want to purchase my Zero as Sugar Pure Erythritol, which is 100% natural, has zero calories, and registers zero on the glycemic index, you can find out more here.

To ensure this recipe stays sugar-free, you will also need to make my Sugar-free Sweet Chilli Sauce. However, this is an optional extra. 

Broth base 

• 3 tbsp Bridget's Sticky Sauce
• 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced in half
• 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) chicken drums 
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 5 cardamom pods, smashed open
• 2 star anise
• 8 whole cloves
• 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
• 300ml (10.5 oz)  Kombu Water

Soup

• 1 - 1.5 lt (2- 2 ½ pints) Kombu Water
• 2-4 tbsp Bridget's Sticky Sauce
• 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
• 1-2 tbsp good quality fish sauce 
• Mineral salt and pepper
• 3-4 handfuls of the cooked shredded chicken meat, chopped if needed
• ½ tbsp Zero as Sugar Pure Erythritol, optional

Soup filling and topping per portion 

• 1 large handful of well-drained and rinsed konjac or kelp noodles
• 1 large handful of bean sprouts
• 1 large handful of fresh mint, Thai basil, Vietnamese mint or common basil 
• 1 lemon wedge
• 1 tsp of thinly sliced fresh red chillies, optional
• 1 tbsp Sugar-free Sweet Chilli Sauce per portion, optional
• 1-2 tsp Bridget's Happy Hot Sauce, optional (Recipe in Bridget's Healthy Kitchen Cookbook)

Method 

1. Firstly, prepare the broth by heating a frying pan on medium heat and spoon one tablespoon of the sticky sauce onto the cut sides of the onion. Place the onion cut side down into the frying pan and fry for 20-30 minutes or until the onion is well caramelized and very dark. The darker, the better, as this helps with flavouring the broth. 
2. In the last couple of minutes of cooking the onion, add the cinnamon, cardamom, star anise and cloves to the pan and dry fry to improve the flavour in the spices. 
3. Add the onion and all the remaining broth base ingredients into a slow cooker, pressure cooker or heavy-bottomed pot and stir to combine. Cook in the slow cooker on high for 3 hours, in a pot set on a very low heat for 2- 3 hours, or until the chicken meat is tender to the bone. 
4. If using a pressure cooker, cook on medium heat for 40 minutes. 
5. Note: If using a pot on the stove, check the pot often to make sure the liquid level is not evaporating. You may need to top up with more kombu water if it appears to be a bit dry. 
6. Allow the chicken to cool before stripping the meat from the drums. Set aside. 
7. Strain the broth through a sieve to remove the spices and onions and pour the broth into a large pot. 
8. To make the soup, place the broth back on to the heat and top up with enough kombu water to make about 1.5 lts (3 pints) of soup. Add 2 tbsp sticky sauce, a tablespoon of fish sauce, ginger, garlic and season with salt and pepper. 
9. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer and taste for flavour, adding more sticky sauce, fish sauce or seasoning to taste and then add the chicken meat. Allow it to come back to the simmer and taste again for flavour, adding more seasoning elements if you deem it necessary. 
10. If you want to balance the flavours, you can also add some zero as sugar pure erythritol to help give a hint of sweet balance. 
11. When you are happy with the taste of your broth which should be well-bodied and flavoursome, you can begin to assemble your soup! 
12. Note. At this stage, your soup will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. Make sure to store it in a sealed jug or container. 
13. To assemble the soup, set some boiling water in a bowl and submerge the konjac or kelp noodles for 30-60 seconds to heat them through. I like to put them in a sieve and drop the sieve into the hot water, so it's easy to take the hot noodles out and drain them. 
14. Place the noodles into a deep soup bowl and spoon over some of the hot broth and chicken. Top with bean sprouts, fresh herbs and any chilli you are adding for spice. Serve immediately with a lemon wedge or two and enjoy steaming hot with a spoon and chopsticks for picking up and slurping the noodles.