Miến Gà is a traditional Vietnamese soup packed with fresh and savoury flavours. It's a clear, light chicken broth with aromatics and chewy cellophane glass noodles. It's a perfect comforting dish for cold days!

bowl of homemade vietnamese mien ga with juicy mushrooms, clear broth, and chew glass noodles

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What is Miến Gà?
What are Vietnamese glass noodles?
How to make the broth
What is the difference between pho gà and miến gà?
Are glass noodles healthier than rice?
What herbs to serve with miến gà?
What Vietnamese drinks pair well?
Miến gà recipe
One response to “Miến Gà Recipe (Viet Chicken Soup and Glass Noodles)”

What is Miến Gà?

Miến Gà is a Vietnamese noodle soup that has a light chicken broth with chewy cellophane (glass) noodles. It's topped with juicy shreds of chicken and often served with mint, cilantro, green onions, and shitake mushrooms. Like Bún Riêu, Miến Gà is a Vietnamese dish that's not as commonly known about!

What are Vietnamese glass noodles?

Glass noodles are a key ingredient. If you don't know what it is, it's a type of rice vermicelli (rice noodle). You can buy glass noodles at ANY Asian grocery store or often found in the oriental section of non-Asian grocery stores.

Please note that glass noodles are a special kind of vermicelli made with mostly mung beans, making them clear in colour (like glass) compared to normal vermicelli used in pho or bun rieu. This is why glass noodles are also called mung bean noodles. In comparison, normal vermicelli is a solid white colour. Learn my FOOLPROOF method to cook vermicelli here!

As well, glass noodles taste chewy and slippery but not heavy at all. This is why Miến Gà is a great soup for hot summer days.

How to make the broth

Rub kosher salt on the skin of a free-range organic chicken to exfoliate the skin
Rinse the chicken
On a roiling boil, cook chicken for 5 minutes to clean the chicken from impurities
Rinse chicken with cold water and replace water in pot with fresh tap water
Resume cooking chicken on a simmer with some onion, ginger, and fish sauce (save the broth!)
Scoop up any impurities while broth develops
Immediately transfer the chicken to an ice bath to stop the cooking and tighten the chicken skin
When chicken is cooled, gently tear into bite-sized shreds for serving

What is the difference between pho gà and miến gà?

Pho gà has similarities to miến gà but is a totally different dish. Pho gà uses normal white vermicelli noodles (chewier) while miến gà uses glass noodles (slippery).

Pho gà also uses a ton more of aromatics (e.g. charred ginger, star anise, cinnamon) while miến gà uses less, making miến gà a less labour-intensive dish.

Miến gà is one of those dishes that is truly an understated meal made in Vietnamese homes - you usually won't find this in any Viet restaurants in North America unless you're lucky.

Are glass noodles healthier than rice?

Yes, glass noodles are healthier than rice. Glass noodles have higher water content, meaning it contains less carbs and less calories. This means it has a lower risk of spiking insulin levels. This is good for anybody with diabetes or just trying to eat a lower carb diet.

What herbs to serve with miến gà?

Sliced green onion and cilantro are staple herbs to go with this soup. Thinly sliced red onions are also a classic addition. I also suggest a side of lime wedges, black pepper, and additional fish sauce if you really want to impress your Viet family!

What Vietnamese drinks pair well?

Vietnamese iced coffee (can't go wrong with this icon)
The classic Viet limemade (so refreshing and zingy!)
Cream avocado shake (it's like healthy ice cream - yup, really)

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