Last Updated on 27 September 2025 by cooksimply
On our recent trip to Vietnam, chicken pho and beef pho were pretty much all I ate – not only because it was cheap but also delicious and moreish every single time. All the family loved it – and in Hanoi, we found a popular local spot where they’ve even been awarded a Bib Gourmand from Michelin it was that good!
I love how you can get an intense hit of complex flavours, spicy heat and comforting noodles in just one bowl. Filling and aromatic, I still crave pho, so I came up with this quick pho recipe that still delivers – but doesn’t take long to make.
What is pho?
Pho is essentially a Vietnamese noodle soup, consisting of stock/broth made from meat bones including chicken and beef, white rice noodles and slices of meat, plus fresh garnishes including beansprouts, coriander, chilli and Thai basil leaf. Pho is also infused with a lot of spices and while I like mine to be really spicy, you could skimp on the chillies in order to make this less fiery.
How to make a pho
If you want to make authentic pho, then prepare to be patient. I asked the chef on board our Halong Bay cruise how long he simmered the broth for and he told me it was constantly on the go; once one pot was done, he’d make another!
Making the intensely aromatic broth – which is the heart of a pho recipe – takes a very long time, anywhere from six to nine hours. It is simple to make – but by using meat bones, including chicken or beef bones, you need to simmer the broth, alongside the spices and aromatics, to get an intensely rich soup base.
Use the best shop-bought stock you can get…
While making the broth from scratch will get you the best, most natural flavour, simmering meat bones in a pan for most of the day isn’t always possible. So for my speedy Vietnamese chicken pho recipe, I use the best chicken stock I can buy, and it really does make all the difference.
What ingredients for this quick chicken pho recipe?
While this pho is less time-consuming and easy to make to get the distinctive salty, spicy, tangy and citrus flavours, you’ll need several ingredients. However. if like me your larder is bursting with different herbs and spices, you should have most of them already. For this chicken pho you’ll need:
- Good quality chicken stock – the best you can buy
- Chicken breasts or chicken thighs, skinless and boneless
- fresh ginger
- garlic
- Chinese five spice
- coriander seeds
- cloves
- star anise
- chilli flakes
- red chillies
- spring onions
- fish sauce
- honey
- dried white rice noodles
- sesame oil
- beansprouts
- fresh coriander
- Thai basil leaves
- salt and pepper
How to make this easy pho recipe
The first thing you need to do is get the broth going so it has time to infuse with all the spices and aromatics. Once the chicken stock is in a deep pot, add the spices, garlic, spring onions, ginger, red chilli, fish sauce and honey.
You can then add the seasoned chicken straight to the pot so that it can poach in the broth. Once the chicken is done, around 25 minutes, lift it out and continue to let the broth simmer.
Shred or thinly slice the chicken – it will be tender now. And cook the white noodles. Then it’s a case of assembling all the ingredients. Place the white noodles in deep bowls, then top with chicken, beansprouts, fresh coriander, Thai basil leaves and ladle over the fragrant broth – then squeeze some fresh lime juice over the top.
Can you freeze this easy Vietnamese chicken pho recipe?
The only part of this recipe that you can freeze is the soup and the chicken. So if you decide to make it ahead of time, you can pour it into a suitable container and freeze it for up to three months. Let it defrost then reheat over the hob before adding to the noodles and fresh ingredients.
Love noodles? Here are some other recipes
Easy Chinese chicken noodle soup
Spicy prawn noodles
Chicken chow mein
Singapore noodles
Chicken pad Thai
Pad see ew
Quick and easy chicken pho recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 litres good quality chicken stock
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 star anise
- 1/4 tsp Chinese five spice
- 4 cloves
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
- 5 slices peeled ginger
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 spring onions finely sliced
- 2 red chillies finely sliced
- 1 tbsp honey
- 3 chicken breasts or skinless and boneless chicken thighs
- Salt and pepper to season
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 350 g dried white noodles
- 150 g beansprouts
- 1 handful fresh coriander
- 20 g Thai basil
- 2 limes
Instructions
- Add the chicken stock to a large pot. Add the spices - coriander seeds, cloves, star anise, and Chinese five spice to the stock. Then the ginger, spring onions, half the red chilli, fish sauce, garlic and honey.
- Give it all a good stir and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer.
- While the pho soup is simmering, season the chicken breast or thighs well with salt and pepper. Then place the chicken into the soup.
- Cover with a lid and cook for around 25-30 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
- Once the chicken is cooked, take out and leave to cool.
- Once cool, shred the chicken.
- Cook the rice noodles according to the packet instructions [see note 1 below], drain and toss in some sesame oil.
- Get large bowls or noodle bowls. Divide the noodles into each bowls, then add the shredded chicken.
- Top with beansprouts, fresh coriander and Thai basil, then ladle over the soup. Making sure all the ingredients are submerged in the hot broth.
- Sprinkle with more red chilli and then squeeze some lime juice over the top before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Did you follow this easy Vietnamese chicken pho recipe?
If you made this easy chicken pho, please leave me some star ratings and a comment below or tag @cooksimplyathome on Instagram. You can find other meal ideas here.
Hi, thank you for sharing your delicious recipes! I can’t have fish sauce due to allergies, would it work if I left it out or is there an alternative?
Yes, leaving it out won’t be an issue. It just adds an extra saltiness, which you can replace with salt.