This recipe for Instant Pot Vietnamese Chicken Pho is an easy, short-cut style noodle soup using leftover rotisserie chicken bones. The result is a clear, lightly spiced broth that is comforting and delicious.
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Why you'll love this recipe
It's an easy way to make use of those leftover chicken bones, whether they be from rotisserie chicken or otherwise.
Pressure cooking the chicken bones extracts and releases flavour in a shorter period of time.
This recipe is really easy to make, much more simplified than the beef version.
Ingredients you'll need
For the chicken broth:
- carcass of 1 whole rotisserie chicken: or any chicken bones you've got, raw or cooked
- large onion: charred, white or yellow onion
- ginger: charred
- star anise: shaped like stars, has a licorice flavour
- coriander seed: are from the cilantro plant and are round and beige in colour
- cloves: are tiny and black in colour; from the flower buds of a tree and has a strong aroma
- fennel seed: appears as light green/beige small oval seeds; also has a licorice flavour
- green cardamom seeds: appear as pods and are very aromatic, used commonly in Indian cuisine
- sea salt: flavours the soup
- granulated sugar: or rock sugar, adds a touch of sweetness
- fish sauce: adds a salty flavour to the soup
- water: to cover the aromatics and bones
For serving:
- rice noodles: thin; cooked according to the package directions
- chicken breast: sliced or shredded
- bean sprouts: lightly blanched
- green onions: or white onion, thinly sliced
- lime
- sriracha: chili sauce, optional
- hoisin: a sweet bean paste that is dark brown in colour; used in Chinese dishes such as Steamed BBQ Pork Buns (Char Siu Bao)
- basil
- mint
You can find the spices in Indian and Asian grocery stores.
How to make it
Make the chicken broth:
Add the chicken carcass to the Instant Pot liner.
In a dry frying pan over medium heat, lightly toast the cinnamon sticks, star anise, coriander seed, cloves, fennel seed, and cardamom pods, a few minutes.
Once aromatic, add the spices to a cheesecloth and tie it up with kitchen twine.
Drop the cheesecloth bundle into the pot.
Using the same dry frying pan, turn up the heat to high and add the halved onion and ginger and char until blackened.
Transfer the charred onion and ginger to the pot.
Add in sea salt, sugar, fish sauce and cover with water.
Place the lid on, set the vent to SEAL and press the SOUP function -- 45 minutes at HIGH PRESSURE.
Let the pressure naturally release.
Remove the lid and take out the spice bundle and bones.
Strain the broth through a sieve into a large pot and skim off any fat.
Give the soup a taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
Poach the chicken breast:
Place raw chicken breast in the cooled chicken broth.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, and then reduce the heat to a simmer for 10 minutes, with the lid partially covered.
Turn off the heat and cover with the lid. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes undisturbed, with the lid on.
Remove the cooked chicken from the broth and cover. Let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing or shredding.
Assemble:
Bring the chicken broth up to a simmer.
Place noodles into a bowl.
Add shredded or slices of chicken and onion.
Ladle the soup over top of the noodles and garnish with bean sprouts, cilantro, lime and fresh herbs.
Enjoy immediately.
How to store
Assembled Chicken Pho should be consumed right away.
Store the Chicken Pho broth in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Alternatively, you can freeze the pho broth in freezer-safe containers (allowing enough headspace for expansion) for up to 3 months.
Defrost the broth over night in the fridge and heat up it up in a pot on the stove prior to serving.
How to use
If you have extra Chicken Pho broth on hand, try adding it to rice to make extra flavourful rice congee.
Add some in some dumplings and wheat noodles for a different spin on noodle soup.
Other recipes you may like
Be sure to try out these recipes:
Instant Pot Vietnamese Beef Pho
Bun Bo Hue (Spicy Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup - Instant Pot)
Vietnamese Rice Vermicelli Noodles with Spring Rolls (Bun Cha Gio)
Preserved Century Egg Pork Congee
Cold Cut Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwich)
Taiwanese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup (Instant Pot)
Let me know if you try out this recipe -- tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below!
Instant Pot Vietnamese Chicken Pho (Pho Ga)
Equipment
- 1 pressure cooker
For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.
Ingredients
Chicken soup broth:
- 1 whole rotisserie chicken carcass/bones
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 star anise
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 4 cloves
- 1 tablespoon fennel seed
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 1 large onion halved
- 1" piece ginger
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or to your taste
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar or rock sugar or to your taste
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce or to your taste
- 10 C water
For serving:
- 1 pkg (1 lb) rice noodles cooked
- 1 large cooked chicken breast sliced or shredded
- green onions or white onion thinly sliced
- bean sprouts
- lime
- sriracha
- hoisin
- basil
- mint
Instructions
Make the chicken soup:
- Add the chicken carcass/bones to the Instant Pot liner.
- In a dry frying pan over medium heat, lightly toast the cinnamon sticks, star anise, coriander seed, cloves, fennel seed, and cardamom pods, a few minutes.
- Once aromatic, add the spices to a cheesecloth and tie it up with kitchen twine.
- Drop the cheesecloth bundle into the pot.
- Using the same dry frying pan, turn up the heat to high and add the halved onion and ginger and char until blackened.
- Transfer the charred onion and ginger to the pot.
- Add in sea salt, sugar, fish sauce and cover with water.
- Place the lid on, set the vent to SEAL and press the SOUP function -- 45 minutes at HIGH PRESSURE.
- Let the pressure naturally release.
- Remove the lid and take out the spice bundle and bones.
- Strain the broth through a sieve into a large pot and skim off any fat.
- Give the soup a taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
Poach the chicken breast:
- Place raw chicken breast in the cooled chicken broth.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, and then reduce the heat to a simmer for 10 minutes, with the lid partially covered.
- Turn off the heat and cover with the lid. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes undisturbed, with the lid on.
- Remove the cooked chicken from the broth and cover. Let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Assemble:
- Bring the chicken broth up to a simmer.
- Place noodles into a bowl.
- Add slices of chicken and onion.
- Ladle the soup over top of the noodles and garnish with bean sprouts, cilantro, lime and fresh herbs.
- Enjoy immediately.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.
David @ Spiced
This sounds like awesome comfort food for a cold day - we just got a *surprise* snow storm yesterday, so I could really use a nice warm bowl of this one! Looks delicious, Michelle!
Michelle
Thanks David, indeed this would be great on a super cold snowy day!
Martin adler
David, I am on a sodium restricted diet. Some ok, not I try and stay belo 1500 a day… any thoughts on reducing sodium from 700 to 350. I do not see anything on the amount of salt. Marty
Michelle
Hi Martin, feel free to adjust/reduce the salt and fish sauce to your taste.
Raymund | angsarap.net
Such a nice clear yet flavourful soup! Love how neat this is.