This Easy Instant Pot Chicken Pho (known as Pho Ga in Vietnamese) tastes just like comfort in a bowl and is super easy to make, especially during busy weeknights. The aromatic broth and tender chicken is made in an Instant Pot (you can also make in a regular pot) without the long hours of simmering. All you have to do is grill all the aromatics in the pot, and then add all the ingredients and press the button for delicious chicken pho!
Why You Will Love This Easy Chicken Pho Recipe
- Authentic taste: The same ingredients are used to make chicken pho, so it will taste just like the restaurant. Love delicious soups? Check out my favorite 20 Minute Thai Curry Noodle Soup or this Instant Pot Beef Pho.
- Time-saving: Traditionally it takes 12+ hours to make pho broth. The Instant Pot significantly reduces the cooking time, allowing you to enjoy a flavorful chicken pho with fall apart tender meat in under an hour.
- Great for leftovers: The recipe yields a large batch, making it ideal for enjoying throughout the week or freezing for future meals, giving you a delicious, ready-made option on busy days.
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Ingredients
Here’s a look at what you need to make this Instant Pot Chicken Pho at home. The highlights are here but the full ingredient list and quantities of each are in the recipe card.
- Chicken thighs and drumsticks – bone-in is required so we can make delicious chicken pho ga broth
- Aromatics – onion, shallot, ginger, garlic will be grilled or cooked on the ‘saute’ button until it’s brown to release it’s aroma. You can even leave the skin of the aromatics on, to give the soup more flavor. We will take it out of the broth before eating.
- Spices – star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, coriander, and fennel are the most common spices used in pho. Once the spices are toasted and boiled, they give the soup a fragrant and authentic Vietnamese pho broth taste. I recommend using a tea bag to keep the spices together so it’s easier to take out later.
- Seasoning – simple seasoning like sugar and salt will be used. Fish sauce makes the sauce taste aromatic and umami, you can’t omit it! Restaurants use MSG for authentic flavor, you can add a pinch if you like!
Garnish
Vietnamese pho is always paired with lots of fresh veggies and herbs. Add these at the end with hot chicken broth so the herbs don’t wilt. Here’s the traditional list:
- rice noodles or pho noodles – you can buy these noodles in the dry noodle section of asian grocery stores. They also make fresh rice noodles that you can find in the refrigerated section of Korean or Chinese grocery stores.
- thinly sliced green onions and white onions
- bean sprouts
- cilantro
- jalapeno (thinly sliced)
- thai basil
- lime
- shredded chicken
- sriracha and hoisin sauce
How to Make the Chicken Pho (Pho Ga)
Step 1: Cut onions, ginger, shallots and garlic. Feel free to leave the skin because we will ladle it out later.
Step 2: Turn on Instant Pot on Custom Setting on High Temperature.
Step 3: Saute onions, ginger, shallots, garlic and cinnamon stick for 5 minutes until brown (you can add oil if you like!). If you don’t have an instant pot, follow my pot instructions in the next section ‘Stovetop Instructions’ below.
Step 4: Turn settings to pressure cook on low for 30 minutes (custom setting). Press start button.
Step 5: Place coriander, fennel, star anise, 2 bay leaves in a cheese cloth or strainer to ensure that the spices stay in one place. Add spices, chicken and water in the instant pot.
Step 6: Once your chicken pho is done, start making your rice noodles according to package directions. For mine, I soak them in boiling water for 5 minutes and strain. Then, I set the noodles aside. This ensures that your noodles stay al dente and not too mushy versus putting the noodles in the pot while cooking the broth.
Step 7: Your soup is ready! Open the pot and take out all the onions, garlic, corriander, fennel and spice bag. Spoon or skim the top of the soup to get rid of the oil and chicken skum.
Step 8: Add the following seasoning to the pot (adjust to your own seasoning level): 3 tablespoons fish sauce (adjust to your liking), 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt.
Step 9: Serve the chicken soup with your desired herbs like cilantro, jalapenos thai basil, bean sprouts, noodles.
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, here are alternative cooking instructions:
I understand that not everyone has an Instant Pot, so some of us might use pots to cook the chicken pho broth. If that is you, get a large pot ready. Follow the instructions below and you can make Chicken Pho (Vietnamese Pho Ga).
- Heat pot to medium and saute onions, ginger, shallots, garlic and cinnamon stick for 5 minutes until brown.
- Place coriander, fennel, star anise, 2 bay leaves in a cheese cloth or strainer to ensure that the spices stay in one place. Add chicken and water in the pot.
- Cook for 30 minutes on medium-high heat with the lid covered. Then, turn the heat to low with the lid covered and cook for 30 more minutes. This will get the chicken tender.
- Once the chicken is tender is done, you can scoop out the scum at the surface of the soup. This will make the soup taste extra clean.
- Strain all the onions, garlic, coriander, etc.
- Add the following seasoning to pot (adjust to your own seasoning level): 3 tablespoons fish sauce (adjust to your liking), 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt. Keep in mind the soup will be on the savory side (not too salty) so when we add the bean sprouts and noodles, it tastes perfectly salted.
FAQs
You will need to store the fresh herbs, noodles and soup with chicken in seperate containers. the herbs will stay fresh within a closed container with a paper towel. Keep the noodles and broth separately so the noodles don’t get soggy and mushy. To reheat, you can place the soup in a pot and cook until boiling or microwave until hot. Then, add your noodles and herbs in the hot soup.
I recommend to use Vietnamese branded dry pho noodles. I choose the medium width and find that the noodles don’t soak up the broth too much and aren’t too thin. You can also purchase fresh rice noodles and place them in the broth (this will be northern style pho).
Chicken Pho or traditional Vietnamese Pho Ga is usually served as a main dish as it has broth, vegetables and protein. If you wish to add more protein, you can make Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken. You can also serve with a delicious appetizer like these Korean Crab Omelette.
Expert Tips
- Use bone-in chicken thighs or dark meat if possible. Since the meat will be pressure cooked, chicken breast can be tough. Also the chicken bones give the broth extra collagen, nutrition and most importantly lots of flavor!
- Adding herbs like cilantro, bean sprouts, thai basil and onions make the soup taste extra delicious. At them at the end so it’s vibrant and not wilted but still gives the soup lots of flavor.
- Get a good fish sauce! Fish sauce is one of the primary flavors in the chicken broth. It gives a salty, umami and sweet flavor. I recommend the three crabs fish sauce to ensure that the soup tastes just like a Vietnamese grandma made it ◡̈
More Delicious Chicken Recipes
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Easy Instant Pot Chicken Pho (Vietnamese Pho Ga)
Ingredients
- 8 cups water
- 8 drumsticks or 2 pounds chicken thighs bone-in required
- 1 small onion
- 1 shallot
- 4 inch ginger
- 12 cloves of garlic or 1 bulb
- 6 pieces star anise
- 2 bay leaves
- small cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon coriander and fennel
- 3 tablespoon fish sauce adjust to your salt preferences
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
garnish (all highly recommended)
- rice or pho noodles
- thinly sliced green onions and white onions
- bean sprouts
- cilantro
- jalapeno
- thai basil
- lime
- shredded chicken (from the instant pot)
- sriracha and hoisin sauce
Instructions
- Cut onions, ginger, shallots and garlic. Feel free to leave the skin because we will ladle it out later.
- Turn on Instant Pot on Custom Setting on High Temperature. Saute onions, ginger, shallots, garlic and cinnamon stick for 5 minutes until brown. If you don’t have an instant pot, follow my pot instructions in the next section ‘Stovetop Instructions’ below.
- Place coriander, fennel, star anise, 2 bay leaves in a cheese cloth or strainer to ensure that the spices stay in one place. Add chicken, spice bag, and water in the instant pot.
- Turn settings to pressure cook on low for 30 minutes (custom setting). Press start button.
- Once your chicken pho is done, start making your rice noodles. Soak them in boiling water for 5 minutes and strain. Set noodles aside. This ensures that your noodles stay al dente and not too mushy versus putting the noodles in the pot while cooking the broth.
- Your soup is ready! Open the pot and take out all the onions, garlic, corriander, fennel and spice bag. Spoon or skim the top of the soup to get rid of the oil and chicken skum.
- Add the following seasoning to pot (adjust to your own seasoning level): 3 tablespoons fish sauce (adjust to your liking), 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Serve the chicken soup with your desired herbs like cilantro, jalapenos thai basil, bean sprouts, noodles.
Notes
- use bone-in chicken thighs or dark meat if possible. Since the meat will be pressure cooked, chicken breast can be tough. Also the chicken bones give the broth extra collagen, nutrition and most importantly lots of flavor!
- adding herbs like cilantro, bean sprouts, thai basil and onions make the soup taste extra delicious. At them at the end so it’s vibrant and not wilted but still gives the soup lots of flavor.
- get a good fish sauce! Fish sauce is one of the primary flavors in the chicken broth. It gives a salty, umami and sweet flavor. I recommend the three crabs fish sauce to ensure that the soup tastes just like a Vietnamese grandma made it ◡̈
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