Growing up, I never typically ordered Chicken Pho (Pho Ga) at restaurants because we all know that beef pho is definitely more of a popular “signature” choice. That and the fact that growing up in a place where we have amazing Alberta beef- it’s basically a no-brainer. It wasn’t until a couple years ago when I had a major craving for Pho and it was snow storming outside did I stumble upon Chicken Pho. Chicken Pho is 100% an amazing choice to make right in the comfort of your own home when you’re wanting that delicious Vietnamese comfort food without wanting to spend hours preparing it.
Chicken Pho vs. Beef Pho
Chicken Pho is the sibling to Beef Pho except it is much easier and faster to make than Beef Pho. The reason for this is because Beef Pho is more dense and uses bone marrow to bring out the flavour. It also takes time for the marrow to dissolve into the broth along with breaking down the collagen, gelatin, and amino acids. The flavour of the marrow is the essence of the broth and therefore it takes significantly longer. Chicken bone on the other hand is less dense than beef bone and therefore easier to break down in a much less amount of time. The broth is still equally as delicious but the amount of time and preparation is much less (trust).
Instant Pot Chicken Pho
The first time I tried this, I was super hesitant as Pho broth is notorious and famous for being a broth that is extremely slow cooked to really extrapolate all the delicious aromatic flavours. Some broths are simmered for over 12+ hours before it’s finally ready! But in a day and age where 60 second videos seem to take forever to finish, who simply has the time for that? From there that’s where my journey of Instant Pot Chicken Pho began and boy am I so happy that we’re here! I’ve tested numerous recipes so this recipe below has been inspired by techniques learned from making Hainanese Chicken and recipes from Platings + Pairings as well as Nagi.
- Author: Cookingwithchow
- Course: Dinner
- Servings: 6
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 40
INGREDIENTS
Chicken Marinade:
- 1 whole chicken
- Kosher salt
- 1/2 medium onion
- 1″ ginger cut into slices
Broth:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion (halved with skin on)
- 2″ ginger cut into slices and slightly smashed
- 1 cassia bark or cinnamon stick
- 4 star anise
- 5 cloves
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 3 cardamon pods
- 1 granny smith apple (peeled and roughly cubed)
- 1 small piece of rock sugar (about 1 tbsp)
- 1 small bunch of cilantro stems (1/4 cup)
- 2 quarts of water (8 cups)
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Noodle Bowls:
- 600 g fresh noodle or 12 oz dried rice/ pho noodle
- Boiling water
Garnish
- 2 cups of bean sprouts
- Mint leaves
- Basil leaves
- Cilantro
- Scallion
- Lime wedges
DIRECTIONS
- Marinate the chicken: The night prior to cooking, marinate your whole chicken with kosher salt. A good rule of thumb is approximately 1 tsp of kosher salt per 1 lb of chicken. Rub this around evenly and refrigerate over night.
- Char onion and ginger: Using an Instant Pot, select “sauté”, add in 1 tbsp of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add in onion (non peel side down) and ginger. Let it char untouched for 4-5 minutes. Flip over and char on the other side for another 4-5 minutes until darkened.
- Chicken: Stuff chicken cavity with 1/2 onion, 1 tbsp ginger, and 2 scallion ends. Tie the drumsticks together.
- Put everything in the pot: Add in cinnamon, cardamon, fennel seeds, star anise, and coriander into the pot and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add in chicken, apple, rock sugar, cilantro stems, and water.
- Cook: Secure lid and select “Manual High Pressure” for 15 minutes. Natural release for 10 minutes.
- Straining: Carefully remove the chicken from the pot, strain the broth carefully into another pot. Then using a skimmer, carefully skim the chicken fat from the top of the broth. Salt to taste with 1 tsp of kosher salt and fish sauce. The broth should be slightly salty as the noodles will help to dilute the flavour.
- Cook the noodles: if you’re using fresh noodles, carefully submerge in boiling water for 30 seconds – 1 minute. If you are using dry noodles, follow the package instructions. Then drain with cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Serve: Divide your noodles into bowls, carve the chicken, top with your choice of garnishes! Add in the lime for a more full bodied flavour. Enjoy!
Let me know how you enjoy this recipe in the comments below! Stay tuned for more recipes!
xx, CWC
