Chicken Pho (Pho Ga) – the little sister of famous Beef Pho, equally delicious but much easier to make! I call it the Vietnamese version of homemade chicken noodle soup made from scratch. Except – dare I say it – so much more exciting!
Ready to take a virtual trip to Saigon??
Chicken Pho soup
Chicken Pho – called Pho Ga in Vietnamese – is the chicken version of Beef Pho, Vietnam’s most famous food export.
The magic of Pho is that while the broth looks completely unassuming, it’s actually full of complex-yet-delicate spice infused flavours. That special something-something that makes it unforgettable, and you just can’t stop eating it.
If you’re a Pho fan, you will love this chicken version because it’s easier to make than Beef Pho – no need to hunt down specific bones, just use chicken pieces!
This magical Pho soup broth is made the traditional Vietnamese way, using chicken pieces and infused with spices. Using store bought stock just isn’t the same!
Chicken Pho Soup broth
We’re making this Chicken Pho from scratch today – no cheating with store bought broth!
Here’s what you need:
-
Chicken – I use chicken thighs for convenience (easier than man handling a whole chicken) but you can use a whole chicken too. Do not sub with breast – we need to use dark meat here, and we need skin to maximise flavour into the broth!
-
Leftover chicken – We use some chicken to top the soup, but you will have leftovers – and it will be infused with lovely flavour! See bottom of post for things to use it for;
-
Spices – cloves, fennel, star anise, coriander (fresh and seeds) and cinnamon – infuse the broth with the distinct Pho fragrance that you know and love so well!
-
Onion and ginger – these are aromatics that are charred first to add a hint of smokiness to the broth. A traditional and mandatory inclusion!
-
Fish sauce – this provides more complexity and depth of flavour than soy sauce, as well as salt in the broth;
-
Sugar – Pho broth is actually a bit sweet. Most people don’t realise it because it’s subtle! But it’s there – and if you don’t use enough sugar, you will notice something lacking in the broth;
Desperately need a speedy version??
I get it! I’ve been there…. so I’ve popped a shortcut version starting with store bought chicken stock in the recipe notes.
Chicken Pho Toppings
Pho is a dish that is the sum of its parts. It wouldn’t be Pho if you didn’t have the toppings – especially fresh herbs, a signature of Vietnamese food!
What is Thai Basil?
Thai Basil is the Asian version of standard Italian basil. It has a similar flavour with the addition of a subtle aniseed flavour. Though called Thai Basil, it’s used across South East Asia. It’s used in popular dishes such as Pad Kee Mao (Thai Drunken Noodles), Thai Red Curry and Thai Basil Chicken.
Sold at large grocery stores in Australia, but normal basil can be substituted in a pinch so don’t stress if you can’t find it!
Can’t get all the herbs?
Don’t worry if you don’t have ALL the herbs. At least 2 of 3, and you still have a near authentic experience. If you can only get one, make it coriander!
How to make Chicken Pho from scratch
Here’s how to make it. Little more than a plonk-and-simmer job!
Essentially, there’s 3 steps:
-
Char onion and ginger – this provides a subtle smokey fragrance to the broth that is a signature feature of Pho. So char them well!
-
Simmer everything gently for 1.5 hrs to infuse the water with all those incredible broth flavourings; and
-
Strain, shred chicken, serve with Toppings!
See how clear the soup broth is? Beautiful! (And if only you could smell it…. those spices! It’s intoxicating!)
Chicken Pho making tips
I really wasn’t exaggerating when I said that Chicken Pho is straightforward. So I don’t actually have many tips to share! But here are a few:
-
Char well – Burn that onion and ginger well! Burn, baby, burn – you want that flavour in your broth!
-
Do not use an enamel cast iron pot – the charring may require you to scrub the base, and if you scrub an enamel pot, the enamel will come off and the pot will start rusting;
-
BIG POT is essential – 6 litres/quarts is ideal. If yours is a bit smaller, that’s ok, you can hold back some of the water and add it as the chicken shrinks / liquid evaporates (water reduces by 25%). Also, water level can be very close to the top because we simmer very gently, so spillage risk is very low;
-
Simmer GENTLY – this is the key to a clear broth;
-
Broth slightly on the salty side – the saltiness of the broth dilutes slightly once you ladle it over the noodles (which are cooked separately instead of in the broth). Beansprouts are also a watery vegetable. The combination of both of these means that if the broth tastes just right when it’s on the stove, then it will seem a little under seasoned once served with the noodles etc. So if it seems a bit too salty when the broth is in the pot, then it will be perfect once served! I’ve been very specific with my fish sauce and salt measurements in this recipe; and
-
Prepare noodles JUST before serving – so they are hot and fresh, and also so they don’t break (rice noodles tend to be prone to breaking if left sitting out for ages).
How to eat Pho the traditional Vietnamese way!
Really, there’s no rules. But if you’d like to eat Pho like a pro (read: traditional Vietnamese way), here’s how it goes down:
-
Arrival – The bowl comes to you with noodles, chicken, broth and scattered with green onions;
-
Take a small sip of the broth by itself, just so you can appreciate its pure, unadulterated perfection;
-
Help yourself to herbs, beansprouts, squeeze of lime, fresh chilli slices. You can add more beansprouts and herbs later as you progress through the bowl;
-
Dollop hoisin and sriracha onto the MEAT (and/or beansprouts).The sauces are not intended to flavour the broth, they are for the meat. In fact, you’ll find some Vietnamese Pho stalls provide little side dishes to put the sauces in so you can dunk the meat in. This makes the flavour quite full-on, so I prefer the alternative of dolloping directly into the bowl – better sauce dispersion. Also, it really is totally fine for some sauce to end up in the broth. Just don’t deliberately squirt directly into the broth and vigorously mix it in (Pho stall owners would look on with horror and be thoroughly insulted if you did that!!😂)
-
Inhale – Lean over the bowl and inhale the incredible smell with all those fresh herbs (I am not kidding!!);
-
Swish your chopsticks in the broth where you plan to attack first, to mix up the lime juice. Don’t deliberately push the chicken with the Hoisin on it into the broth – it’s fine if it happens naturally, but don’t taint the broth deliberately;
-
The perfect bite – use your chopsticks to pick up some noodles with chicken, beansprouts and herbs. Devour, then follow with a slurp of soup using the spoon; and
-
Repeat, until noodles are finished. Then pick up the bowl and drink every last drop of that beautiful broth!
More Vietnamese recipes
That was a lot more writing than I anticipated….. I hope I didn’t put you off, thinking that it’s an overly complicated recipe because it’s NOT! It does take time, but it’s really just a plonk-and-simmer job.
And it’s certainly easier than Beef Pho which calls for hunting down specific types of recommended beef bones.
I really hope you are inspired to try this Chicken Pho, it’s truly incredible! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Vietnamese Chicken Pho soup (Pho Ga)
Ingredients
Charred aromatics:
- 1 tbsp oil , vegetable or canola (or other plain oil)
- 2 onions , halved (skin on fine)
- 5cm/ 2" piece of ginger , sliced 0.75cm / 1/3" thick (unpeeled)
Pho Soup Broth:
- 2 litres / 2 quarts water
- 1.5 kg / 3 lb chicken thighs, bone in skin on (Note 1)
- 1 small bunch coriander/cilantro (Note 2)
- 5 star anise pods (was short in photo & video!)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 8 tsp fish sauce
- 6 tsp white sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt (Cooking/kosher salt, or 1/2 tsp table salt)
Noodle Bowls:
- 360g / 13 oz dried rice noodles , thin flat (or 600g fresh)
- 2 green onions stems , finely sliced
Toppings - help yourself
- 3 cups bean sprouts (Note 3)
- 1 small bunch EACH Thai Basil, min, coriander/cilantro (Note 4)
- 2 limes , cut into 4 wedges
- Hoisin sauce
- Sriracha
- Red chillies , finely sliced (optional)
Instructions
BROTH:
- Char onion & ginger - Heat oil in a 6 litre / 6 quart pot (Note 5) over high heat. Place ginger and onion facedown, leave undisturbed for 2 minutes until they blacken. Turn and leave for another 2 minutes.
- Put everything in pot - Add water and remaining Broth ingredients EXCEPT salt. Bring it a simmer, then lower heat so it's simmering VERY gently with the lid on, but open a crack (Note 6).
- Simmer gently 1.5 hours. Scoop off scum (dirty foam) that rises to surface once or twice during the simmering.
- Strain & measure - Remove chicken, then strain broth into a clean pot - you should have 1.5 litres / 1.5 quarts. If you have more, simmer to reduce. If less, top it up with water.
- Salt broth - Add salt, bring broth to a gentle simmer. Broth should be slightly on the salty side - it dilutes when you add the noodles.
- Keep broth warm until ready to serve
- Shred chicken meat, discard bones and skin. (Note 6 Leftover Chicken ideas)
ASSEMBLING:
- Place Toppings out on the table.
- Reheat chicken (can briefly dunk in broth!).
- Prepare noodles per packet directions, just prior to serving. Drain very well (excess water dilutes broth).
- Place noodle in bowls. Top with chicken, ladle over 375ml / 1.5 cups broth. Sprinkle with green onion.
- Pile on Toppings of choice, add a squeeze of lime into the broth. Consume immediately!
Recipe Notes:
- Do not use thighs, use 500g/1lb chicken breast instead
- Use 6 cups low sodium chicken stock + 1 cup water (instead of just water)
- Reduce fish sauce to 3 tsp, use NO salt
- Char onion & ginger per recipe
- Put all spices, stock and water in pot with breast. Simmer 10 min until breast cooked, remove and shred
- Simmer remaining liquid for 30 min with lid open ajar, reduce to 1.5L/1.5Qt. Strain, proceed with recipe (except NO extra salt in broth).
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
On this very wet, cold day, all I can think about is Chicken Pho.
All Dozer can think about is why he isn’t allowed outside to play!
I’m curious, why no garlic ?
Delicious! Super easy and rivals any restaurant Pho. The broth is killer and you can add any meat/veggies you want once cooked.
The finished product was outstanding! When I finished making the broth I worried it wasn’t quite right, as it seemed a bit oily and less “chickeny” than I’d expected; however, when everything was included, the herbs and lime provided a wonderfully bright enhancement that combined with the hoisin, red peppers (I used Fresno peppers), and Sriracha to make it absolutely delicious with the subtle flavors in the broth being enhanced somehow. I may try the quick version next time to see if I have a preference…I’m planning to use the leftover chicken to make Nagi’s Chinese corn soup with chicken…
Update to prior post…Have now made the quick version listed in the notes and we like it even better than the from-scratch version. The spices in the broth all come through beautifully still; but for us the broth has a cleaner, lighter, and slightly more “chickeny” taste (and is faster/easier). And then when everything is combined it’s about the same as the base recipe (delicious)…you can’t go wrong with either…
I have been to Vietnam once, this recipe gives you a very authentic result. My girlfriend also likes the soup. The cilantro, chili, spring onion and lime are very important. I used chinese 5 spices mix as a cheaper substitute for the fancy fresh spices. I used whole chicken quarters for this and I replaced the fish sauce for squid sauce. I did not use the basil and mint however they might be an interesting adition. I would like to know if your chicken skin also comes out so brown when you take it out of the pot like it is shown in the video.
To conclude, we liked this soup as a main dish, i think it tastes very authentic and I would like to cook this occasionaly as a nice addition to my recipe library.
Hi Nagi, I love your recipes and am very excited to try this one too! Just wondering if it’s possible to only use chicken carcasses? I have about four of them that I’ve cut the normal cuts off and am left with the ribcage basically and was wanting to make into a soup so that the remaining meat on them can just boil off the bone. Would this be possible in this recipe?
I recently visited Vietnam and wanted to learn to make pho when I came back ! This recipe was fantastic !! Will definitely try others from this site
You are wonderful! Thank you. I’ve been craving Pho with the weather cooling, still deciding which local pho restaurants I like best, had never made it before, but decided to try. This is one of the best recipe layouts I’ve seen! Ingredients, recipe, tips, video, alternate options, links to related meals to use the leftovers! I made the recipe. I did make some alterations for my needs and items I had on hand (eg added shitake mushrooms, used slightly roasted chicken, yet finished boiling in the stock as noted in the quick version) So TASTY! I couldn’t find the recipe video on Instagram to tag you, but am follower now and will share your info.
We have a Vietnamese restaurant in walking distance we’ve been going to for years and it felt a little wrong to make this at home but wow! Absolutely loved it and as someone who does not like repeating recipes a lot I can’t wait to make this again! Thanks for sharing!
Crazy good!!!! The aromatics really come through. I finished with some Thai Basil in the bowl, which really made the Pho sing. (Well, also some mint and cilantro – because you just can’t have enough herbs. But you don’t need them if you have Thai Basil.) Also, I put some chicken feet in the broth and cooked it most of the day. The broth had a really nice mouthfeel.
I am allergic to coriander so usually substitute parsley. Is there anything more suitable as a substitute in this recipe as it is the one thing you said shouldn’t be left out?
This was INCREDIBLE. I used a rotisserie chicken carcass instead of chicken thighs, and just added some of the shredded meat on top and it was some of the best pho I’ve ever had. Thank you!
Made this two days in a row 😅. Thank you for sharing!
Tried many pho recipes but they have always lacked depth of flavour. This one oozes yumminess. I added sliced pak choi and limes to the toppings and it was a big hit with all the family. Super easy and cheap!
I’ve never even tasted pho before so have no comparison, but really enjoyed this. My entire family loved it too, so will be making it again. Everyone went back for seconds and thirds. Might need to double the broth quantity for next time.
Amazing recipe, could not be better! I was afraid to make it, but your instructions were great. It’s no exaggeration to say that this soup was one of the most complex recipes I’ve made. Thank you for making the recipe so thorough and accessible. It tasted out of this world and inspires me to try more complex and unusual recipes. Thank you so very much!!!!
As always another superb recipe. How is it that every single recipe of yours is so good? My whole family use your recipes, my son, daughter, sister all love them. Thank you so much.
I can’t find the words to describe how delicious and soulful and perfect this recipe is! 😍 My husband is Lao, and in our nearly 17 years of marriage I have never made pho because I was scared of not living up to the expectations of this meal which is such a beautiful part of his culture. He was sick a few months ago, and I knew that a dish like pho would warm his body and heart ❤️ With your guiding hand, I took a deep breath and set to work. So simple, so easy! And the smell of the broth as it simmered away…heavenly! 🤤 My husband had to keep getting off the couch to stick his face in the pot and drink in all those unbearably delicious aromas! And the end result? He said it was the best pho he’d ever had. Ever 🥺 When pho is practically running through his veins, I can’t tell you what a compliment that is! I make your pho almost every week now (my teenage son finished his bowl, and promptly makes himself a couple of sandwiches with the extra chicken! 😅 It is all SO good!) Thank you for the love and care you put into each and every recipe, Nagi. Your food brings so much joy into my home 💕 xx
We love it 🥰 We have it almost every week❤️Any thoughts on frozen chicken verses fresh?
Thawed chicken thighs will work just as well in this as fresh ones for making the stock Angela! N x
One of the nicest and most flavoursome Pho I have tried to make. The charring of the onion and ginger was a lovely touch . Everyone in my family really enjoyed it and we will be having it again
if i was to add the broth aromatics to raw chicken carcass in a slow cooker( that I normally use to make plain chicken stock in a long process) how do you think it would turn out ?
thanks