Vietnamese Chicken Pho is a warm, aromatic embrace in a bowl. This Vietnamese Chicken Pho features a clear, golden broth simmered with spices like star anise and cinnamon, poured over silky rice noodles and tender chicken. Making it at home is incredibly rewarding and fills your kitchen with an incredible fragrance.
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Why You’ll Love This Vietnamese Chicken Pho
- Hug in a bowl: The deeply aromatic, savory broth is both comforting and invigorating.
- Fresh & customizable: Build your perfect bowl with herbs, chili, and lime.
- Transformative aroma: The scent of toasting spices is pure, fragrant therapy.
- Make-ahead magic: The broth freezes beautifully for quick future meals.
Ingredients & Tools
- 1 whole chicken (about 1.5 kg / 3-4 lbs), or 1.5 kg chicken pieces (a mix of bones, wings, and thighs is ideal)
- 2 large onions, halved and unpeeled
- 1 large hand of ginger, halved lengthwise
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 star anise pods
- 4 cloves
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 cardamom pod (optional, but lovely)
- 1/4 cup fish sauce, plus more for serving
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp salt
- 400 g dried flat rice noodles (banh pho)
- For serving: fresh Thai basil, cilantro, mint, bean sprouts, lime wedges, sliced chili, hoisin sauce, and sriracha
Tools: A large stockpot (at least 8 quarts / 8 liters), a fine-mesh skimmer or slotted spoon, a fine-mesh strainer, and tongs.
Notes: Don’t be shy with the chicken bones—they are the foundation of your broth. And charring the onion and ginger is non-negotiable; it adds a smoky depth that defines a great pho.
Nutrition (per serving)
| Calories: | 450 kcal |
| Protein: | 35 g |
| Fat: | 10 g |
| Carbs: | 55 g |
| Fiber: | 3 g |
Serves: 6 | Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 3 hours | Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Before You Start: Tips & Ingredient Notes
- Why char the onion and ginger? This step is crucial. It’s not just about blackening the skins; it’s about caramelizing the natural sugars and infusing the broth with a deep, smoky sweetness that you simply can’t get from raw aromatics.
- Can I use a different cut of chicken? Absolutely. Using a whole chicken gives you both flavorful broth and versatile meat, but a mix of bony pieces (like wings and backs) for the broth and boneless thighs for the meat works wonderfully too.
- Don’t skip the fish sauce. I know it can smell potent straight from the bottle, but once it simmers in the broth, it transforms into an essential layer of savory, umami depth. It’s the soul of the seasoning.
- What about the spice bag? If you have cheesecloth and kitchen twine, tying your spices into a sachet makes for a much clearer, easier-to-strain broth. If not, a fine-mesh strainer will still do the job perfectly.
How to Make Vietnamese Chicken Pho
Step 1: First, let’s char our aromatics. Place your halved, unpeeled onions and ginger cut-side down on a baking sheet. Broil on high for about 10-15 minutes, or use tongs to hold them over a gas flame, until the surfaces are nicely blackened and blistered. Don’t worry, you’ll peel off the charred skin later—it’s all about that smoky flavor penetrating the flesh.
Step 2: While the aromatics are charring, give your chicken a quick rinse under cold water. Place it in your large stockpot and cover it completely with cold water—about 4-5 quarts. Bring it to a rolling boil over high heat. You’ll see some foam and impurities rise to the top; this is normal. Skim this scum off with a fine-mesh skimmer for a clearer, cleaner-tasting broth.
Step 3: Once the scum is skimmed, reduce the heat to a gentle, steady simmer. Now, add your charred onions and ginger (just peel off the loose, blackened skins first), along with the cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, coriander seeds, and cardamom pod if using. Stir in the fish sauce, sugar, and salt. Let this all simmer gently, partially covered, for about 2.5 to 3 hours. The low-and-slow simmer is key—a rolling boil will make the broth cloudy.
Step 4: About 30 minutes before the broth is done, carefully remove the whole chicken from the pot using tongs. Place it in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. This keeps the meat incredibly tender and juicy. Once it’s cool enough to handle, shred all the meat from the bones and set it aside. You can return the carcass to the pot to continue simmering and extracting even more flavor.
Step 5: While the chicken cools, prepare your rice noodles according to the package instructions. Usually, this involves soaking them in hot water until they’re pliable but still have a slight chew. Drain them well and divide them among your serving bowls. Top each bowl with a generous amount of the shredded chicken.
Step 6: Now, the final act. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean pot. You should be left with a beautifully clear, golden liquid. Discard the solids. Taste the broth—it should be deeply savory, aromatic, and perfectly seasoned. Adjust with more fish sauce or salt if needed. Bring it back to a roaring boil.
Step 7: Ladle the piping hot broth directly over the noodles and chicken in each bowl. You’ll hear a satisfying sizzle as it hits the cool ingredients. Serve immediately, letting everyone pile on their own fresh herbs, bean sprouts, a squeeze of lime, and a dash of chili and sauces. The magic is in that first steamy, fragrant sip.
Storage & Freshness Guide
- Fridge: Store broth, noodles, chicken, and garnishes separately for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Freeze broth in airtight containers for up to 3 months.
- Reviving: Reheat broth to boiling; refresh noodles in hot water before assembling.
Serving Suggestions
Complementary Dishes
- Fresh Summer Rolls (Goi Cuon) — Their cool, soft rice paper wrappers and fresh shrimp and herb filling provide a lovely textural and temperature contrast to the hot soup.
- Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad (Goi Du Du) — The bright, tangy, and slightly spicy flavors of this salad cut through the richness of the broth beautifully, cleansing the palate between slurps.
Drinks
- Iced Vietnamese Coffee (Ca Phe Sua Da) — The strong, dark roast coffee balanced with sweet condensed milk is the classic, unbeatable partner to a bowl of pho, both during the meal and after.
- Jasmine Iced Tea — A light, floral, and unsweetened tea is a refreshing and palate-cleansing choice that doesn’t compete with the complex flavors of the soup.
Something Sweet
- Che Ba Mau (Three Color Dessert) — This delightful dessert with layers of beans, jelly, and coconut cream is light, sweet, and offers a wonderful end note to the savory meal.
- Mango Sticky Rice — The creamy, sweet coconut milk and ripe mango are a tropical, comforting finish that feels both familiar and
Vietnamese Chicken Pho
Learn how to make authentic Vietnamese Chicken Pho at home with this easy recipe. Aromatic broth, tender chicken & rice noodles. Get the recipe now!
Ingredients
For the Broth:
-
1 whole chicken (about 1.5 kg / 3-4 lbs, or 1.5 kg chicken pieces (a mix of bones, wings, and thighs is ideal))
-
2 large onions (halved and unpeeled)
-
1 large hand ginger (halved lengthwise)
-
2 cinnamon sticks
-
4 star anise pods
-
4 cloves
-
1 tbsp coriander seeds
-
1 pod cardamom (optional, but lovely)
-
1/4 cup fish sauce (plus more for serving)
-
1 tbsp granulated sugar
-
1 tbsp salt
For the Noodles and Serving:
-
400 g dried flat rice noodles (banh pho)
-
fresh Thai basil, cilantro, mint, bean sprouts, lime wedges, sliced chili, hoisin sauce, and sriracha
Instructions
-
First, let's char our aromatics. Place your halved, unpeeled onions and ginger cut-side down on a baking sheet. Broil on high for about 10-15 minutes, or use tongs to hold them over a gas flame, until the surfaces are nicely blackened and blistered. Don’t worry, you’ll peel off the charred skin later—it’s all about that smoky flavor penetrating the flesh.01
-
While the aromatics are charring, give your chicken a quick rinse under cold water. Place it in your large stockpot and cover it completely with cold water—about 4-5 quarts. Bring it to a rolling boil over high heat. You’ll see some foam and impurities rise to the top; this is normal. Skim this scum off with a fine-mesh skimmer for a clearer, cleaner-tasting broth.02
-
Once the scum is skimmed, reduce the heat to a gentle, steady simmer. Now, add your charred onions and ginger (just peel off the loose, blackened skins first), along with the cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, coriander seeds, and cardamom pod if using. Stir in the fish sauce, sugar, and salt. Let this all simmer gently, partially covered, for about 2.5 to 3 hours. The low-and-slow simmer is key—a rolling boil will make the broth cloudy.03
-
About 30 minutes before the broth is done, carefully remove the whole chicken from the pot using tongs. Place it in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. This keeps the meat incredibly tender and juicy. Once it’s cool enough to handle, shred all the meat from the bones and set it aside. You can return the carcass to the pot to continue simmering and extracting even more flavor.04
-
While the chicken cools, prepare your rice noodles according to the package instructions. Usually, this involves soaking them in hot water until they’re pliable but still have a slight chew. Drain them well and divide them among your serving bowls. Top each bowl with a generous amount of the shredded chicken.05
-
Now, the final act. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean pot. You should be left with a beautifully clear, golden liquid. Discard the solids. Taste the broth—it should be deeply savory, aromatic, and perfectly seasoned. Adjust with more fish sauce or salt if needed. Bring it back to a roaring boil.06
-
Ladle the piping hot broth directly over the noodles and chicken in each bowl. You’ll hear a satisfying sizzle as it hits the cool ingredients. Serve immediately, letting everyone pile on their own fresh herbs, bean sprouts, a squeeze of lime, and a dash of chili and sauces. The magic is in that first steamy, fragrant sip.07
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