Vietnamese Chicken Glass Noodle Soup (Miến Gà)

Name: Vietnamese Chicken Glass Noodle Soup (Miến Gà)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 3 pounds whole chicken; 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon; 2 shallots, peeled and whole; 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled; 300 grams glass noodles; 1 tablespoon fish sauce; 1 tablespoon salt; 2 teaspoons sugar; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon MSG (optional); 1 tablespoon shallots, minced; 1 bunch cilantro, torn into small pieces; 2 green onions, thinly sliced (green parts only); lime wedges; chili peppers, thinly sliced; fried shallots, to taste (optional)

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Easy to make and super cozy, this Vietnamese chicken glass noodle soup (miến gà) is sure to leave you feeling satisfied. The broth is savoury and flavourful with a wonderful aroma; featuring shallots, ginger, green onions, and cilantro. And it is loaded with tender chicken and delightfully chewy, silky glass noodles. The result is a light, delicious, and very nutritious meal that comes together quickly.

A bowl of Vietnamese glass noodle soup (miến gà) garnished with various toppings.

This simple dish is commonly enjoyed during Tết, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. It is also often served at celebratory banquets. It is a go-to, comforting meal for cold weather or for those feeling under the weather. But, because it is so tasty and easy to make this dish can be enjoyed year-round. And you can easily tweak the flavours to make it exactly how you like it!

Make sure to check out my other soup recipes for more delicious and cozy meal ideas.

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Ingredients
Substitutions
Variations
Instructions
Storage
Tips for Success
FAQ
Related
Pairing
📖 Recipe

Ingredients

Chicken (gà)- Using a whole chicken will give you the best flavoured broth. However, you can use cuts of chicken if you prefer; just use bone-in and skin-on whenever possible. You can use a smaller chicken if you want less meat.
Chicken bouillon
Aromatics - Fresh ginger and shallots add delicious aroma and flavour to the broth.
Glass noodles (miến) - Also called cellophane noodles, mung bean noodles/threads, or bean thread noodles. These thin noodles become translucent when cooked (like glass). They have a lightly chewy texture and take on the flavour of the broth they are cooked in. This recipe requires noodles made primarily from mung bean starch. Make sure to check packaging as not all cellophane noodles are made from mung beans. These are different from Korean glass noodles (sweet potato starch) or vermicelli (rice flour).
Fish sauce - Made from salt fermented small fish, this sauce adds a special umami flavour to Southeast Asian dishes. A pleasant briny sweetness accompanies a light ocean/fish flavour. There is no real substitute for it. A good quality one will be reddish-brown and clear with no sediment.
Seasonings - Sugar, salt, ground black pepper, and msg (msg is completely optional).
Greens - Cilantro and green onion.
Optional garnishes - Minced shallots, fried shallots, thinly sliced chilis, and lime wedges. I used a bird's eye chili (very spicy). You can add as many or as few of these as you like, customizing your Vietnamese chicken glass noodle soup to be exactly how you like it.

See the recipe card below for quantities.

glass noodles

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fish sauce

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Substitutions

Chicken - You can substitute chicken with pork ribs, or do a blend of both.
Glass noodles - Miến gà is almost identical to another Vietnamese soup, súp nui gà. To make this soup instead, simply replace the glass noodles with regular elbow macaroni pasta. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
Shallots - You can substitute with a yellow onion for this broth aromatic.
Fish sauce - There is no flavour substitution for fish sauce. I don't recommend that you omit it from this recipe.
Sugar - I used regular granulated sugar, however, a popular alternative is rock sugar. Rock sugar is a bit less sweet so you may wish to add more. You simply add it into the broth in lumps.
Cilantro - If you can get your hands on it, Vietnamese coriander (rau răm) can be used instead. It has a strong coriander flavour; herbal, musky, and lemony, with a peppery zing.

Variations

Meatless - For a meatless version of this soup, replace half of the water with store-bought chicken stock.
Non-spicy - If you want to make this soup not spicy at all, simply omit the chili garnish.
Mushrooms - Some people like to add dried mushrooms to this soup; the most common being dry wood ear mushrooms and dry shiitake mushrooms. This addition is popular in Northern-style miến gà. Be careful to not use too many or the flavour will overwhelm your dish.

Instructions

Bring 12 cups (2.8 litres) of water a large pot or dutch oven to a boil.

Add the chicken, chicken bouillon, shallots, and ginger. Return pot to a boil then reduce the heat to maintain a strong simmer. Cook for about 45 minutes until chicken is cooked through. (A whole chicken will float so flip it half way through)

Once cooked through (at least 165°F / 74°C at the thickest part), turn off the heat. Take the chicken out and rest it for 20-30 minutes to cool. (Optional: You can give the chicken an ice bath to help stop the cooking process.)

Glass noodles soaking in a bowl of water.

Meanwhile, place glass noodles in a large bowl of very warm (not hot) water to soak.

Remove the shallots and ginger from the pot, and any scum that has collected on the surface. Season the broth with fish sauce, salt, sugar, black pepper, and msg (if using).

Prepare the garnishes and put individually into small bowls. Shred the chicken by hand. Return the soup pot to a boil.

Glass noodles cooking in hot broth in a bowl.

Drain the noodles and divide them into serving bowls, followed by ladling boiling hot broth on top. This will cook the noodles.

Top bowls with chicken and garnishes. Each person can choose their garnishes as they please to customize their miến gà to their own preference.

Chopsticks lifting glass noodles out of a bowl of Vietnamese chicken glass noodle soup.

Storage

Store the chicken and the broth separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. They can be separately frozen as well, for up to 2-3 months for best quality.

Note: Glass noodles do not keep well in broth as they will become mushy. Remove any remaining noodles before storing leftovers. You can make a fresh batch of noodles when reheating, if desired.

Tips for Success

Be careful to not overcook the chicken for the best flavour and texture. You will find a food thermometer to come in handy in this recipe to know exactly when the chicken is done without over or under cooking it.
Enjoy Vietnamese chicken glass noodle soup immediately. If the glass noodles sit in the broth for too long they will lose their pleasant texture.

FAQ

What is the difference between phở gà and miến gà?

Both of these are kinds of Vietnamese chicken noodles soups. Phở gà takes at least a couple of hours to make, is heavier, and is served with rice noodles. On the other hand, miến gà is relatively quick to make, lighter, and is served with glass noodles made from mung beans.

Are glass noodles gluten-free?

Glass noodles are usually gluten-free, but always check packaging to ensure that they were made in a gluten-free facility.

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