Chicken Pho (Pho Ga)
This chicken pho recipe delivers a deeply fragrant, soul-warming broth built on charred aromatics, toasted whole spices, and a gentle simmer that coaxes every bit of flavor from the chicken. It's lighter than beef pho, surprisingly approachable for home cooks, and completely customizable with fresh toppings.
Equipment
- Large stockpot - at least 6 to 8 quarts (5.7 to 7.5 liters)
- Sheet pan or cast iron skillet - for charring aromatics
- Fine-mesh strainer
- Spice bags or cheesecloth - to contain whole spices
- Tongs - for handling chicken
- Large mixing bowl - for ice bath
- Medium saucepan - for cooking noodles
- Deep serving bowls - 4 to 6, ideally wide and deep
- Sharp kitchen knife and cutting board
- Ladle - for serving
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken - about 3.5 to 4 lbs / 1.6 to 1.8 kg, or equivalent bone-in, skin-on pieces
- 3 medium yellow onions - halved, skin-on
- 1 piece fresh ginger - about 3 inches / 7.5 cm, halved lengthwise
- 3 pods star anise
- 1 stick cinnamon - about 3 inches / 7.5 cm
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 pod black cardamom - optional but traditional
- 12 cups water - 2.8 liters
- 1.5 tablespoons fish sauce - plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon sugar - rock sugar preferred, granulated works fine
- 1.5 teaspoons salt - adjust to taste
For Serving
- 14 oz dried flat rice noodles - banh pho, 400g, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch wide
- reserved shredded chicken - from the broth
- 2 green onions - thinly sliced
- 1 small bunch fresh cilantro - roughly chopped
- 1 small yellow onion - thinly sliced, optional garnish
- freshly ground black pepper - to taste
For the Garnish Plate
- 2 cups fresh bean sprouts - 150g
- 1 small bunch Thai basil
- 2 limes - cut into wedges
- 2-3 fresh red or green chilies - sliced
- hoisin sauce - for serving
- sriracha - for serving
Instructions
- Char the ginger and onion under the broiler or in a dry cast iron skillet until deeply browned and blackened in spots, about 8 to 12 minutes.
- Toast star anise, cinnamon, coriander, fennel, cloves, and black cardamom in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to a spice bag or cheesecloth.
- Blanch the chicken by covering with cold water, boiling for 5 minutes, then draining and rinsing the chicken and pot clean.
- Return chicken to the clean pot with charred onions, ginger, spice bag, and 12 cups cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook 1 to 1.5 hours.
- Remove chicken, let cool, then shred the meat, discarding skin and bones. Keep the broth simmering.
- Strain broth through a fine mesh strainer, return to pot, and season with fish sauce, sugar, and salt. Keep warm over low heat.
- Cook rice noodles in boiling water for 30 to 90 seconds until tender but chewy, then drain and divide among serving bowls.
- Top noodles with shredded chicken, sliced onion, green onion, cilantro, and black pepper. Ladle boiling broth over each bowl and serve immediately with garnish plate.
Notes
- Char aggressively: Real blackened spots on ginger and onion give the broth its signature smoky-sweet flavor. Don't stop at light browning.
- Never boil hard: Keep the broth at the gentlest simmer to maintain clarity. A hard boil makes the broth cloudy and greasy.
- Season salty: The broth should taste noticeably seasoned in the pot since it mellows when combined with noodles, sprouts, and lime juice.
- Cook noodles fresh: Pre-cooked noodles become waterlogged and break apart. Cook them fresh in batches right before serving.
- Toast spices fresh: Pre-ground or old whole spices produce a dull broth. Toast whole spices in a dry pan for 2 minutes to release oils.
- Use bone-in, skin-on chicken: Collagen and fat from bones and skin give pho its silky, satisfying body. Boneless breasts alone won't produce the same richness.
- Make ahead: Broth and shredded chicken keep well separately in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Cook fresh noodles when serving.
- Storage: Store broth and chicken separately in airtight containers. Noodles are best cooked fresh, but can be kept for up to 2 days with a little oil drizzled to prevent sticking.
- Freezing: Freeze broth in quart-sized portions for up to 3 months. Reheat to a rolling boil before assembling bowls.
- Variations: Use the Instant Pot for a quick 30-minute version, the slow cooker for a 6-8 hour mellow broth, or add dried Thai chilies for spice.