You probably know phở bò and phở gà- the beef and chicken versions of the most famous Vietnamese noodle soup. But did you know that phở (more specifically bánh phở) is actually the name of the noodles and they can be used in several other dishes?
There’s phở xào which is sautéed, phở bò kho with braised beef, phở áp chảo: crispy fried phở usually served with beef and veggies, and more!
This recipe is for the best phở dish when you need to cool down: phở gà trộn. The name of this dish tells you exactly what it is: phở = phở rice noodles + gà = chicken + trộn = mix/mixed, so the name literally translates to mix/mixed chicken phở
This dish is light and refreshing, but still super flavorful and delicious . If you’re like me and you enjoy dishes with a mix of different textures, you’ll love this dish. It has the best mix of textures: the tender noodles and chicken- with a bit of a fatty chewiness from the skin, different types of crunchiness from the veggies, peanuts, and shallots. The combination of flavors from all those ingredients, along with the sweet/savory/acidic sauce and the umami bowl of broth served on the side, is also incredible- every bite will be slightly different, you definitely won’t be bored.
INGREDIENTS FOR PHỞ GÀ TRỘN
- Chicken - Gà: My preferred cut for this is bone-in skin-on chicken thighs. This cut is the most flavorful and tender, and the fatty skin is an important part of the combination of textures. That being said, you can use any cut you prefer.
- Phở noodles - Bánh phở: Make sure you buy the flat wide phở noodles for this recipe, not the small square type used for southern phở or hủ tiếu.
- Carrot - Cà rốt
- Green papaya- Đu đủ xanh: substitute with kohlrabi, radish or cucumber
- Mung bean sprouts - Giá đỗ
- Ginger - Gừng
- Shallot - Hành khô/hành tím
- White onion - Hành tây trắng
- Green onion- Hành lá
- Lime leaves - Lá chanh
- Herbs of choice - Rau sống/rau thơm: e.g. cilantro, Vietnamese coriander, Viet/Thai basil, mint
- Roasted unsalted peanuts - Lạc/đậu phộng rang
- Garlic - Tỏi
- Fish sauce - Nước mắm: arguably the most important seasoning sauce in Vietnamese cuisine. Made from fermented anchovies, it is salty and incredibly umami. Non-vegan Vietnamese recipes without fish sauce are very rare. The best nước mắm comes from Phú Quốc or surrounding islands off the coast- Southwest of mainland Vietnam. Our favorite brand available outside of Vietnam is Red Boat (U.S.).
- Salt - Muối
- Ground black pepper - Tiêu đen xay
- Vegetable oil- Dầu thực vật
- Soy sauce - Nước tương
- White granulated sugar - Đường cát trắng
- Lime juice - Nước chanh
DIRECTIONS FOR PHỞ GÀ TRỘN
Cook the chicken & broth
- Cut half an onion in halves.
- Rinse ginger well to remove any dirt, then cut into slices.
- Clean chicken however you prefer, then add to a pot with water along with the salt, onion, and ginger slices.
- Bring to boil on medium high, skim off any impurities, then reduce heat to medium low (4/10) and let simmer for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Prepare toppings & noodles
- In the meantime, peel and shred or julienne carrot(s).
- Peel and shred green papaya. You can either:1. Cut the papaya into small pieces, then shred/julienne in the same way as the carrot, or2. Hold the papaya vertically in one hand and a knife in the other. In a hammering motion, make vertical cuts on the papaya. When you have enough cuts that are close enough together to create small strips, turn your knife horizontal and hold it parallel to the surface of the papaya. Cut along the papaya from one end to the other. You should now have strips of papaya.
- Cut to separate the white and green parts of green onions. Chop the green part and set aside to add to the broth later on. Cut the white parts into 3-4 cm lengths, then cut lengthwise into thin strips. Optional: add these strips to a bowl of ice water to make them curl up (this is visually appealing), crunchier, and taste less strong.
- Rinse the herbs, pick the leaves off the stems, then chop or slice into ribbons.Recommendation for each herb type:Ngò rí/cilantro - choppedRau răm/Vietnamese coriander - ribbonsRau húng quế/Viet-Thai basil - ribbonsBạc hà/mint - ribbons
- Cut along the spine of lime leaves to remove the spine (optional). Layer up the leaves and slice into ribbons as thinly as you can.
- Roughly crush peanuts in a mortar and pestle, or chop with a knife.
- Mince garlic.
- Make fried shallots (skip if using pre-made)Peel and thinly slice shallots.Add shallot and oil to a cold sauce pan.Turn heat to medium (5/10).Fry the shallot, stirring continuously for about 4 minutes, until you start seeing the first bits turn golden.Reduce heat to low (2/10) and continue frying until most of the shallot has turned lightly golden. NOTE: pull the shallot earlier than you think you should, it can burn quickly.Pour over a strainer placed over a bowl.Pour shallot on a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside for assembly.Save this super fragrant shallot oil in a clean jar. We’ll use a bit of it for the sauce. The rest, you can use add extra flavors to whatever you cook!
- Cook the phở noodles according to package instructions, rinse with cold water, then strain.
Prepare the chicken & broth
- Once the chicken is cooked through, remove the pieces to a bowl of ice water. This stops the cooking and firms up the skin.
- Leave the broth on the stove but reduce heat down to a minimum to keep warm.
- Season to taste with fish sauce, add ground black pepper and green onion greens.
- Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, place it skin-side down on a cutting board and use the tip of a knife to cut around the bone and remove it from the thigh.
- Turn the chicken thigh over skin-side up, cut into thin slices, parallel to where the bone was.
Make the sauce
- Heat a sauce pan on medium and add oil. If you made your own fried shallot, use the shallot oil. If not, use regular vegetable oil.
- Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant.
- Add in the amount of broth called for in the Sauce section, along with the soy sauce and sugar.
- Stir until the sugar fully dissolves.
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- Once cool, stir in the lime juice.
Assemble
- Add a portion of noodles to a bowl, top with carrot, papaya, bean sprouts, chicken, peanuts, fried shallot, white parts of green onions, herbs, and lime leaves.
- Ladle the broth into individual bowls.
- Divide the sauce into individual sauce bowls.
- To eat: Pour some or all of the broth into the main bowl (this is up to personal preference- I like add a bit of the broth to the bowl but sip on the rest as I eat, others like to pour everything in), along with the sauce. Mix everything up and enjoy!
