About the Recipe
Chicken Pho – called Pho Ga in Vietnamese – is the chicken version of Beef Pho, Vietnam’s most famous food export.
The magic of Pho is that while the broth looks completely unassuming, it’s actually full of complex-yet-delicate spice infused flavours. That special something-something that makes it unforgettable, and you just can’t stop eating it.

Ingredients
1 tbsp oil , vegetable or canola (or other plain oil)
2 onions , halved (skin on fine)
5cm/ 2" piece of ginger , sliced 0.75cm / 1/3" thick (unpeeled)
2 litres / 2 quarts water
1.5 kg / 3 lb chicken thighs, bone in skin on (Note 1)
1 small bunch coriander/cilantro (Note 2)
5 star anise pods (was short in photo & video!)
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
8 tsp fish sauce
6 tsp white sugar
3/4 tsp salt (Cooking/kosher salt, or 1/2 tsp table salt)
360g / 13 oz dried rice noodles , thin flat (or 600g fresh)
2 green onions stems , finely sliced
Preparation
Step 1
Char onion & ginger - Heat oil in a 6 litre / 6 quart pot (Note 5) over high heat. Place ginger and onion facedown, leave undisturbed for 2 minutes until they blacken. Turn and leave for another 2 minutes.
Step 2
Put everything in pot - Add water and remaining Broth ingredients EXCEPT salt. Bring it a simmer, then lower heat so it's simmering VERY gently with the lid on, but open a crack
Step 3
Simmer gently 1.5 hours. Scoop off scum (dirty foam) that rises to surface once or twice during the simmering.
Step 4
Strain & measure - Remove chicken, then strain broth into a clean pot - you should have 1.5 litres / 1.5 quarts. If you have more, simmer to reduce. If less, top it up with water.
Step 5
Salt broth - Add salt, bring broth to a gentle simmer. Broth should be slightly on the salty side - it dilutes when you add the noodles.
Step 6
Shred chicken meat, discard bones and skin