Making traditional Vietnamese Chicken Pho Soup is easier than you think! Rich and flavorful pho broth loaded with shredded chicken, fresh herbs, noodles and your favorite toppings. Make this popular soup dish in the comfort of your own home!
CHICKEN PHO SOUP RECIPE
This traditional Chicken pho soup recipe is so easy to follow, and the results are amazing! It features shredded rotisserie chicken, fresh herbs, and noodles all swimming in a rich, flavorful pho broth base. Take a trip to your nearest Asian market for some ingredients, grab a rotisserie chicken, and let’s make this pho soup!
WHAT IS PHO SOUP?
Pho is a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup that is popular for its aromatic broth, rice noodles, meat and toppings. The soup is typically served with fresh herbs, hoisin sauce, bean sprouts and hot sauce.
WHAT YOU NEED-
PHO BROTH
- Rotisserie Chicken– Using fresh or leftover rotisserie chicken for this pho soup is what makes this recipe so easy!
- Water– The base of this pho soup is water; all the bones and seasonings will turn it into a flavorful broth.
- Onion & Ginger– You can use ether yellow onion, white onion, and red onion. The onions and ginger add additional flavors to this pho soup broth.
- Pho Spices– The key to achieving the traditional pho flavors is to use this pho spices pack! You can find it at most of the Asian marketplaces or buy it on Amazon.
- Additional Seasonings– This chicken pho also calls for salt, granulated sugar, and chicken bouillon powder.
- Fish Sauce– For additional flavors, this soup also calls for fish sauce. Do not worry, it will not give this soup a fishy taste, it just adds additional notes to the flavors.
PHO SOUP TOPPING
- Noodles– The authentic noodles that go in this soup are banh pho, which is rice stick noodle. You can buy either fresh pho noodles or dried noodles. Fresh noodles only need to be submerged in boiling water for about 10-30 seconds. While dried noodles need to be cooked according to the package instructions.
- Herbs– Use fresh green onion, cilantro, and Thai basil leaves to add in your soup. Although the cilantro and Thai basil is optional, I recommend that you add the finely chopped green onions.
- Onion– Finely sliced red onion or yellow onion will work. Although adding the sliced onions is traditional, you don’t necessarily have to.
- Heat– If you love heat then don’t be shy when it comes to adding Sriracha hot sauce and chili oil! I love adding both, but you can use either.
- Hoisin Sauce– Adding hoisin sauce to this chicken pho soup is a must! It adds so much flavor; I like the Lee Kum Kee Hoisin Sauce.
- Beansprouts– Bean sprouts are young sprouts steps of beans; they are crunchy and go great with savory pho! You can typically find bean sprouts at your local Asian market.
- Limes– Freshly squeezed lime adds a kick of tang to the flavorful broth.
- Jalapeno– You can add either sliced jalapeno or chili peppers to this soup for an extra kick of spice.
HOW TO MAKE PHO BROTH
So many people are too intimidated to make homemade pho, but it’s not as hard as it may seem! With just a few steps, you can have the pho broth simmering.
- Remove and shred the meat off the rotisserie chicken and set the meat aside. Add all the bones, skin, discard and any juices leftover and add to a large Dutch oven.
- In a dry skillet, toast the pho spices just until toasted, do not burn. Carefully transfer to the baggie it comes with and tie tightly to avoid the seasonings from falling out and add to the pot.
- In the same skillet, toast the onion and ginger until charred all around, then transfer to the pot.
- Fill the pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the chicken bouillon powder, salt, fish sauce, and sugar to the pot.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 45-75 minutes. (Clean the foamy discard as the broth simmers.)
- At the 45-minute simmer mark carefully remove the bag of pho spices. (You can taste the broth to see if the flavor is strong enough for you, I prefer it stronger so I leave my spice bag in the entire hour. Its based on preference.)
- After about an hour, with a strainer, remove everything from the broth, so you only have broth left. (You can also pour the broth through a fine strainer for a smooth, clear broth.)
- Once you’re left with a clear broth, taste the broth and adjust the seasonings and fish sauce to desired taste.
- The pho broth is done, and you are ready to assemble your chicken pho soup bowls!
| Effortless Tip- While your broth is simmering for 45-75 minutes, prepare all your toppings so when the broth is done, you are ready to assemble! Lay everything out buffet style! |
HOW TO COOK PHO NOODLES
I recommend that you use fresh banh pho noodles, they are so much easier to prepare!
- Bring a pot of water to boil on medium high heat. Once boiling, add a handful of noodles to the boiling water and mix to separate the noodles.
- Cook for about 10-15 seconds. (Cooked noodles will be translucent.)
- With a large strainer or tongs, take out the noodles and add to your soup bowl, fluffing into a nestlike shape.
| These instructions are for single serving of noodles, do the same for a lot of noodles, just don’t overcrowd the pot. |
HOW TO ASSEMBLE CHICKEN PHO SOUP
Once the broth is done, it’s time to assemble your soup and enjoy!
- Add the cooked noodles to a deep bowl, along with some warm shredded rotisserie chicken (that you set aside earlier), chopped green onions, and finely sliced onions.
- Carefully, ladle the chicken pho broth over the ingredients, filling the bowl.
- Enjoy immediately with desired toppings. Add hoisin sauce, sriracha sauce, Thai basil, cilantro, beansprouts, freshly squeezed lime juice, and some jalapeno slices for the ultimate authentic experience.
MAKING AHEAD OF TIME & STORING
Since this recipe makes a large pot of pho soup, you can have it for several days! When storing leftovers, you want to be sure that you store all the ingredients for this soup separately.
- Pho Broth– The pho broth, once strained and cooled, can be in the fridge for up to 5-7days! This broth also freezes greatly, add to a freezer safe container or bag and freeze for 3-4 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat it!
- Noodles-You want to make fresh batches of noodles every time, right before enjoying pho soup. When using fresh noodles, it only takes 1 minute. Leftover noodles don’t last long until they get mushy.
- Chicken– Store the shredded rotisserie chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Toppings– Be sure to keep all the toppings separately when storing.
REHEATING HOMEMADE PHO SOUP-
- Place the desired amount of leftover broth to a saucepan or pot and heat on medium high heat, bring it to a boil. Turn off the heat.
- While the broth is heating, warm the shredded chicken in the microwave or air fryer.
- Prepare the noodles, according to regular instructions.
- Add the cooked noodles to a bowl along with the warmed chicken, shredded green onions and sliced onions.
- Ladle the broth over the ingredients. Top with your favorite prepared garnish and serve immediately.
| What if I can’t finish my assembled bowls of soup? Don’t throw it out! Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for 1-2 days. Reheat and enjoy. All the flavors enhance as it sits, giving you the ultimate leftovers. |
QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE:
I love using rotisserie chicken, since it provides meat and bones already and it is so easy! But you can also use chicken thighs and drumsticks with the skin and bones and add them raw into the pot. When you remove everything from the broth, shred that chicken for your meat.
No, if you watch how much sauce you add, it should not give you an overpowering fishy taste. Instead, it adds additional flavors.
If you can’t find the packaged pho spices, make your own blend! Use 2-star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 cardamom pod, ½ tsp cloves, 1 Tbsp fennel seeds and 1 Tbsp coriander seeds and use a cheesecloth bag for them.
When assembling the soup, you want to use the ratio of about 1 part noodles to 3 parts pho broth. So about 4-6 oz noodles and 2 ½ – 3 cups broth.
No, the actual pho broth is not spicy. But when adding your toppings and sauces, the spice level is based on your preference, you control that!
Yes, you can use a combination of meat bones like short rib, beef shank, bones with marrow and boil for about 4-5 hours, the longer it simmers the deeper the flavor. Then for the meat, use your favorite cuts that are thin slices.
I recommend that you warm the shredded chicken.
OTHER SOUP RECIPES-
Try these other delicious soup recipes:
Easy Chicken Pho Soup Recipe
Ingredients
Chicken Pho Broth-
- 1 whole rotisserie chicken
- 15 cups water
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 knob ginger
- 1.5 oz Old Man Que Huong Pho Spices 1 package
- 3 tsp salt
- 1/2 Tbsp granulate sugar
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Chicken bullion powder
For Serving-
- 16 oz fresh Pho noodles
- chopped green onion
- chopped cilantro
- thinly sliced onions
- Sriracha hot sauce
- hoisin sauce
- chili oil
- Thai basil leaves
- Beansprouts
- limes sliced
- Jalapenos sliced
Instructions
Make the Pho Broth-
- Take the full rotisserie chicken and remove the meat from the bones, add the meat into a separate plate. Take all the discard, bones, skin, and juices and transfer to a large Dutch oven or pot. (Be sure that the pot is 5 quarts or larger.)
- In a dry skillet, add the pho spices and toast on medium high heat for about 2-3 minutes.
- Carefully place the toasted spices into the baggie that came with the spices and tie the bag tight. Add the bag to the pot.
- In the same skillet, add the halved onion and cut up ginger to the skillet and toast until slightly charred and toasted. Transfer the charred onion and ginger to the pot.
- Fill the pot with water and add the chicken bouillon powder, salt, sugar, and fish sauce.
- Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 45 minutes. Cleaning the foamy discard as it simmers.
- At the 45-minute simmer mark carefully remove the bag of pho spices. (Taste the broth and if you want the broth to taste strong, leave the spice bag in longer. It is based on desired taste.)
- Continue simmering the pho broth for about 15-25 minutes, no longer than 2 hours. I like to keep it simmering for 1 hour.
- Carefully remove and discard everything from the broth. (You can also pour the broth through a fine strainer for a smooth, clear broth.)
- Once everything is removed from the broth, adjust the seasoning if need be. (Taste and adjust the seasonings to desired taste preference.)
- Turn off the heat and assemble your pho.
Prepare Chicken Pho Bowls-
- Prepare all your toppings: Add your basil, cilantro, and bean sprouts to a plate.
- Finely chop the green onion and thinly slice the onion.
- Shred the chicken meat from the rotisserie chicken into small pieces. (Reheat the chicken before assembling bowls.)
- Bring a pot of water to boil on medium high heat. Once boiling, add a handful of pho noodles to the pot, mix and cook for about 60-80 seconds and then remove from the water. (Follow the package instructions, cook time will vary depending on the brand.)
Assemble Chicken Pho Soup-
- Add a fistful of the cooked pho noodles to your serving bowl. (You can add as many noodles as you prefer to your bowl.)
- Top the noodles with some shredded chicken, freshly chopped green onion, cilantro and sliced onions.
- Ladle in the pho broth to the bowl, covering the ingredients. (Pour the desired amount of broth into your bowl.)
- Pile on your choice of toppings and enjoy immediately while it is still hot.
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