Fernando introduced me to Vietnamese Pho when we started dating 8 years ago. I’m a little shy to admit that I had never had Pho before, or even Sriracha or Hoisin sauce. But fast forward a few years, and I’ve learned how to make the most delicious 45-minute chicken Pho.
Discovering Vietnamese Pho
He picked up chicken pho from a Vietnamese place he raved about. I watched him take out a large bowl of broth and chicken, a container with dried rice noodles, and a bag with lots of other items: lime, bean sprouts, basil leaves and a bunch of sauces. I had no idea how to assemble it all. To his, he added lots of spice and sauce. He had even requested extra packets of spicy sriracha and Hoisin sauce, squeezed every bit of lime into the broth, and used ever Thai Basil leaf available to add flavor. At first, I thought I might prefer mine plain, but as soon as I took a sip of his, I was hooked.
Making it at home
Fast forward 8 years, and we were ordering chicken pho every other week, UNTIL I learned how easy it is to make from home. Fernando’s co-worker’s wife, who trained in culinary school and cooks for her three kids and husband every day, posted a recipe for 45- minute Chicken Pho on instagram (@whatsfordinnerkids) that looked so easy. So I thought I’d give it a shot.
Star Anise: A Key Ingredient
Her recipe calls for very few ingredients, but it requires a spice called Star Anise (which I had never used before). So I went searching for it at Whole Foods. A little sweet, a little spicy, a bit similar to licorice, this brown star is key to building amazing flavor.
Garnishes and Sauces: For Kids and Adults
I made a couple little adjustments to her recipe, but it’s thanks to her that I felt confident enough to try it. I now make chicken pho just about every other week. Fernando and I happen to think it tastes just as good, (if not better) than the restaurant version! The kids love it too. They skip the spicy Sriracha, but they love the sweet Hoisin and all the fun toppings. Even Evelyn, who typically leans vegetarian, gobbles up the chicken. Both the girls happily slurp their rice noodles. They love toppings: squeezing the lime, and sprinkling the scallions, cilantro, bean sports and radishes. And hubby and I slather ours with all the delicious toppings and sauces, and we even add in jalapeños for extra kick.
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45-minute chicken Pho
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Soup
- Method: One-Pot
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
- Diet: Low Calorie
Description
Homemade Chicken Pho that’s easy to make and just as good (if not better) than what you get at the restaurant.
Ingredients
Chicken and Broth
2 lbs chicken (I like thighs but you can use a whole chicken or any part of it)
Salt to taste
1 star anise
1 onion, halved
fresh ginger (1 inch, peeled and sliced)
2 scallions, finely chopped
1 handful cilantro
12 cups water
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 pack rice noodles
Garnishes
2 scallions, chopped
3 radishes, sliced
1 cup bean sprouts
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 lime
1 jalapeño, sliced (for extra kick)
Sriracha sauce to taste
Hoisin sauce to taste
Instructions
1. Pat chicken dry and season with salt.
2. Coat a Dutch Oven with olive oil and sear chicken on medium high heat until golden (about 6 minutes on each side). If you don’t have a Dutch Oven, sear the chicken in a large skillet.
3. In a separate small skillet, over medium high heat, toast two onion halves and a star anise about 4 minutes. The onion should lightly blacken.
4. If you seared your chicken in a skillet, transfer to a large pot. Add 12 cups of hot water to the Dutch Oven or large pot. Also add the charred onion, star anise, freshly chopped cilantro, sliced ginger, and 1 chopped scallion.
5. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered.
6. While chicken cooks, prepare garnishes. Chop scallion, radishes, jalapeños, additional cilantro, bean sprouts and lime.
7. In a separate pot, bring water to boil and cook rice noodles per package instructions. It only takes a few minutes for these to cook, so I like to wait until the chicken has been cooking for at least 20 minutes.
8. Once the chicken has cooked in broth for 30 minutes, transfer it to a plate. Using two forks, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces and place it back in the broth. Discard the bones and remove the onion and star anise.
9. Season the broth with 3 tablespoons of fish sauce. This is key for amazing flavor. Cook for another 5 minutes.
10. In bowls, serve chicken and broth, rice noodles, toppings and sauce. If you have kids eating with you, don’t skip out on the sweet Hoisin sauce. They typically love it. Enjoy!
Keywords: chicken, chicken pho, pho, healthy, easy, noodles
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