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This Chicken Pho Recipe (pho ga) is made with a savory broth, chewy rice noodles and tender slices of chicken. It’s like the Vietnamese version of chicken noodle soup!
If you love pho as much as I do, give this Shrimp Pho Noodle Soup a try next time.
You will love this Easy Pho Recipe
If you have never had or made Pho before, you are in for a treat! Pho is refreshing, fragrant, delicious…and with this recipe, easy to make! There’s truly nothing better than a big bowl of pho on a cold winter day.
This Vietnamese dish is a staple in their cuisine and is perfect to serve any time of year, but it’s the best for those cold months when you want to warm your soul.
This quick version of pho soup is not an authentic recipe. I make this as a quick fix when I’m craving one of my favorite soups and don’t have a lot of time or feel like going to one of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants.
What is Pho?
Vietnamese pho, pronounced FUH not FO is a Vietnamese noodle soup consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs, and meat. Pho is a very popular dish in Vietnam and considered the national dish of the country.
Traditional pho broth is simmered for hours, sometimes even days. The broth is make from scratch using beef bones or chicken bones, and allowing it to simmer over a long period of time is what helps develop such depth to make the most flavorful broth.
In this recipe, we make a simple pho broth with chicken stock and a few spices. If you like to make your own homemade beef broth, or chicken broth, feel free to use that instead!
What Does Pho Taste Like?
Pho soup tastes like a really nice chicken stock packed with so much flavor from fresh herbs, and spices.
Chicken Pho Ingredients List
If you usually don’t cook Asian cuisine, you may not have some of these ingredients on hand. However, you can definitely find them at your local grocery store!
- Chicken: I used a rotisserie chicken from my local grocery store. This little secret cut down the prep and cook time.
- Noodles: this Pho calls for flat rice noodles, but any thin rice noodles will do. You can even buy pho noodles if you like. Check the International aisle of your local grocery store or your local Asian specialty store.
- Pepper: a jalapeño pepper adds the perfect little kick to this recipe. If you really want to kick up the heat, us a serrano pepper.
- Wet ingredients: chicken stock (you can use beef stock if you prefer), fish sauce, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and lime juice.
- Spices: star anise, garlic, and ginger.
- Pro tip: you can use ginger paste instead of fresh ginger.
- Optional toppings: some of my favorite toppings for this soup: lime wedges, cilantro, Thai basil, green onion, and bean sprouts. The toppings are the best part!
- Tip: cooked baby bok choy and shiitake mushrooms are great additions to pho!
More herbs and spices you can add to make your savory broth more flavorful:
- Black pepper
- Fennel seeds
- Coriander seeds
- Cinnamon sticks
If using these spices, I suggest using whole spices rather than ground. Whole spices typically have more flavor because they have a longer shelf life.
How to Make Chicken Pho
1. Prepare the broth. Heat the sesame oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the star anise, garlic, and ginger; heat until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds.
Pour in the stock, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, jalapeño pepper, and chicken. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes uncovered.
2. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Divide them between four serving bowls and ladle the hot broth over the noodles.
3. Garnish and serve. Garnish with lime, cilantro, Thai basil, and bean sprouts as desired.
How to serve this Pho Soup Recipe
To serve, I like to divide the noodles between bowls and then pour the hot broth on top. Then I top each bowl with a fresh lime wedge, cilantro, Thai basil, and bean sprouts.
Pho Recipe Easy storage
To store pho, you’ll want to store the broth and noodles separately in airtight containers. I like to toss the noodles in a little bit of oil to keep them from sticking together. They can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
FAQs for this Pho Recipe (Chicken)
Yes! Chicken Pho (also known as Pho Ga) is packed with nutritious ingredients and is in high protein. However, Pho can also be high in sodium and calories, so portion control is important.
If you’re trying to cut back on sodium, you can use bone broth instead of chicken stock and substitute soy sauce with coconut aminos.
Pho broth is definitely healthier. Ramen broth is typically packed with sodium and MSG. Rice noodles are also a healthier alternative to ramen noodles which are made of wheat and egg.
Rice noodles are compliant with a gluten free diet.
Chicken pho generally has the least amount of fat and is a good source of lean protein.
Looking for a side dish to serve with pho? Try this simple Bok Choy recipe!
While both chicken broth and pho broth serve as flavorful bases for dishes, pho broth is notably more complex in flavor and is specially crafted for the classic Vietnamese noodle soup, pho. It features distinct spices and ingredients that give it its rich, unique taste.
The broth in this recipe offers more complex flavors than standard chicken broth, but is not meant to be a traditional pho broth. It’s meant to provide a quick weeknight solution.
Of course! The broth is a fundamental part of the whole pho experience and should absolutely be eaten and enjoyed.
More Soup Recipes You Might Like
- Mexican Street Corn White Chicken Chili
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Lemon Orzo Chicken Soup
- Creamy Bacon Corn Chowder
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Easy Pho Recipe (Chicken)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- 3 star anise
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger or ginger paste
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2-3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- juice from 1 lime
- 1 jalapeño pepper sliced
- 1 rotisserie chicken thinly sliced or shredded
- 8 ounces flat rice noodles
- Optional toppings: lime wedges, cilantro, Thai basil, bean sprouts
Instructions
- Heat the sesame oil in a large pot set over medium heat. Add the star anise, garlic, and ginger; heat until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds. Pour in the stock, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, jalapeño pepper, and chicken. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes uncovered.
- Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Divide them between 4 bowls and ladle the soup over the noodles.
- Garnish with lime, cilantro, Thai basil, and bean sprouts as desired.
Video
Notes
- Leftover rice noodles that have already been soaked or cooked should be kept in a shallow airtight container, or a resealable plastic food bag, in the fridge.
- The noodles will keep for 3-4 days.
- To reheat, bring the broth to a boil and pour over the noodles.
- You may add extra jalapeño if you want more spice.
- Use a chili pepper instead of the jalapeño for added heat.
I love Pho but had never made it at home because it seemed too difficult. This shortcut version makes it so simple!
This was so great and perfect for my family! I can’t wait to make it again!
My husband always orders this if it’s on the menu when we go out so I surprised him tonight for dinner. He loved it!
We love making pho at home! It’s such a fun dish to enjoy family style! This was soo good.
I would lie to know if you chopped the garlic, or sliced them.i will try to cook this soup today.
Hi Maria – I minced the garlic for this recipe. Hope you enjoy!
Great recipe thank you for sharing! This was my first time trying this. I followed the instructions as stated and it turned out great for me. I definitely recommend!
So satisfying and comforting! Love the flavors and how easy this is to make. And it’s so fun to assemble the bowls!
Garnishing the bowls is my favorite part!
Oh my gosh this was incredible. Loved all the flavors and that it’s easier to make than I thought. Can’t wait to dig into a big bowl of this Chicken pho again!
Soooo flavorful with a kick of heat! The shredded chicken was superb. Thank you!
Such a great use of rotisserie chicken! The flavors were fantastic and so so comforting. Yum!
This pho was so fresh and so tasty. I loved the broth the best and the bite of the rice noodles was wonderful.
To me, too much soya. This version didn’t taste like the one from resto.
Fast and flavorful recipe for when the craving hits! I will definitely make this one again. I boiled two chicken breasts in a separate pot while the broth cooked, then shredded them – success! Thanks for sharing this.
Excellent and easy!! Loved it, my kids loved it and I’ve made it multiple times!!
I love pho! I made this twice in the same week and it came out better the 2nd time. I had to improvise to make a smaller batch. Great recipe and great taste!
This was SO good!! We smoked a spatchcock chicken, made chicken broth in the crockpot overnight. Used the leftover chicken and added some carrots and red bell pepper to the mix. Thank you!!
I love pho and this was a wonderful home substitute and a great way to use left over rotisserree chicken!
yum! rain day here,this is perfect!
I used a small chicken and seasoning it well with s&p and paprika. Chicken in microwave sac baker, in the microwave for 30 minutes. The best substitute for rotisserie chick ever. The pho recipe is awesome! Best I’ve tried.
Very tasty recipe! It was a big hit in our home and simple to make. Thanks for sharing!
This was so delicious! Tasted like it was from a restaurant
Wow! What a huge compliment, thank you so much. While this surely isn’t cooked at the same level as a true Vietnamese restaurant, I did aim to provide enough flavors that it would satisfy any home cook’s craving for pho while allowing them to make it at home quickly.