Phở Gà Recipe For Dogs

Cooper recently turned 3 years old (October 15) and as a special treat for his birthday, I made him phở gà (chicken rice noodle soup). For the last 2 years, he had steak on his birthday but I wanted something healthier and a little bit Vietnamese since that's what I am.

When it comes to making phở, the process typically takes 4-8 hours depending what flavors you want. Chicken phở takes about 4 hours and beef/ox-tail phở takes up to 8 hours (or longer). Often with phở, there are a few necessary ingredients needed such as star anise, charred onions, fennel seeds, etc. However, this is supposed to be a dog-friendly take on a popular Vietnamese dish so I made it super simple for Cooper without any spices or seasoning.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, all ingredients are dog-friendly. Cooper absolutely LOVED it and licked the bowl completely clean! It even got a sealed of approval from Cooper's grandmaw, who is a master at making authentic homemade phở.

Materials:

2 Pots
1 Colander (Strainer)
1 Ladle
Cutting Board
1 Sharp Knife
1 Bowl

Ingredients:

A Whole Chicken
Rice Noodle (Bánh Phở)
Mint Leaves
Baby Spinach
Mung Bean Sprouts

Steps:

1. Boil water in a pot, make sure pot can fit the whole chicken.
2. Run the whole chicken under cold water to clean.
3. Place the whole chicken in the pot once the water comes to a boil. You're making chicken broth with just chicken and water really.
4. Lower the heat to medium and let it simmer for 1 hour.
5. While the chicken is simmering in the pot of water, take the ladle and scoop out foam into a disposable container. Do this until there are less to no foam.
6. In the meantime, take the 2nd pot and boil water again.
7. Grab the rice noodle (bánh phở) and start cooking it in the boiling water. Take the rice noodles out once it finished cooking. You can tell it's cooked when the noodles are firm. Strain the noodles and run it under cold water to stop the cooking process.
8. Chop up the spinach and mint leaves, this will be the garnish.
9. Take the whole chicken out after the hour is up and start shredding the chicken into strips once it cools down.
10. Take a handful of bean sprouts and place it as the first thing in the bowl. Place shredded chicken on top of the bean sprouts and to right side. Take the rice noodles and filled the left side of the bowl next to the chicken. Pour in the chicken broth, don't overspill. Take your chopped up mint and spinach to garnish.
11. Bon(e) Appétit!

Notes & Tips:

Adjust portion size depending on your dog and their weight. This is under your discretion. Cooper weighs 26lbs, I put in 1/3 cup of rice noodles, 1/2 cup of chicken, 1/2 cup of bean sprouts, and about 1 1/3 cup of chicken broth.
With leftover chicken, broth, and garnish, you can make frozen treats for your dog. Just fill an ice-cube tray with the broth, chicken pieces, and garnish (mint/spinach). Then pop it in the freezer overnight for more delicious frozen treat!
Or add some seasoning/spices to the chicken broth and make your own human chicken phở. Don't let it go to waste!

Thank you for reading! Let us know if you end up making this for your four legged friend. Enjoy the phở!

Disclaimer: This dish is not meant to replace a dog's regular meal and should only be treated as a type of treat/snack for special occasions. When giving to your dog, please monitor closely to make sure they're not eating too fast. This recipe is made without any seasoning. The broth is purely from the chicken and all other ingredients are safe for dogs to consume. Don't give this recipe to your dog(s) if they have any allergies from the ingredients listed.