Food World Cuisines Southeast Asian Cuisines Vietnamese Cuisine Chicken Pho 5.0 (4,241) 6 Reviews Charles Phan's quintessential Chicken Pho owes its depth to a long-simmered bone broth; an array of fresh toppings brings color, flavor, and texture to the finished soup. By Charles Phan Charles Phan Charles Phan is a James Beard Award-winning, Vietnamese-American chef. He owns The Slanted Door, a critically acclaimed restaurant in San Francisco. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 10, 2025 Save Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Diana Chistruga Active Time: 45 mins Total Time: 3 hrs 30 mins Servings: 6 Jump to recipe Charles Phan and his children adored this pho recipe, which has an intense chicken flavor accented by aromatic roasted onion and ginger. (When his kids were young, they ate it for breakfast or lunch at least four times a week.) Like his mom, Phan added a large pinch of sugar to the broth to balance the pungent fish sauce. Shaking Beef, Banh Mi, Lemongrass Chicken, and More of Charles Phan's Best Recipes Frequently Asked Questions What is chicken pho made of? Charles Phan's chicken pho recipe is comprised of homemade chicken bone broth, chicken meat, and rice noodles. The finished soup is served with bean sprouts, basil, lime wedges, jalapeños, chile-garlic sauce, and hoisin sauce for additional color, flavor, and texture. Are you supposed to drink pho broth? Yes, you absolutely should drink the broth! Lots of care is taken to infuse it with flavor; indeed, it is the star component of any good pho. Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen This recipe calls for a pound of dried rice noodles, aka banh pho or rice stick noodles. Look for flat, rectangular noodles of medium width about the size of linguine — these are perfect for absorbing the pho's flavors while maintaining their integrity. Thinner noodles tend to become mushy in the broth, while thicker noodles provide too much chew for soup. If fresh banh pho are available, you'll need two pounds; these do not require soaking and are ready to eat after just a quick blanching. 27 Noodle Recipes to Put on Repeat Make ahead The recipe can be prepared through Step 3 and refrigerated for up to two days. Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 2 unpeeled yellow onions, quartered Three 1/2-inch-thick slices of fresh ginger, smashed 4 quarts cold water 3 pounds chicken bones or chicken wings One (3 1/2-pound) chicken, quartered 1 tablespoon salt 2 teaspoons sugar 1/4 cup fish sauce 1 pound dried rice noodles 1 scallion, thinly sliced 1 pound mung bean sprouts 1/2 cup torn basil leaves 2 limes, cut into wedges 2 jalapeños, thinly sliced Chili-garlic sauce, for serving Hoisin sauce, for serving Directions Diana Chistruga Gather the ingredients. Diana Chistruga Preheat the oven to 400°F. Put the onions and ginger on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, or until softened and lightly browned. Diana Chistruga Fill a large stockpot with the water and bring to a boil. Add the roasted vegetables and the chicken bones, quartered chicken, salt, and sugar; bring to a boil. Diana Chistruga Lower the heat to moderate and simmer until the chicken is cooked, about 30 minutes. Diana Chistruga Using tongs, transfer the quartered chicken to a plate and let cool slightly. Remove the meat from the bones and refrigerate. Diana Chistruga Return the skin and bones to the stockpot and simmer for 2 hours longer. Diana Chistruga Strain the chicken broth into a large soup pot and cook over high heat until reduced to 12 cups, about 15 minutes. Diana Chistruga Stir in the fish sauce. Diana Chistruga In a large bowl of warm water, soak the noodles until pliable, about 20 minutes. Diana Chistruga Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Drain the noodles, then add them to the saucepan and boil over high heat until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain well. Transfer the noodles to 6 large bowls and sprinkle with the scallion. Diana Chistruga Add the reserved chicken to the broth and simmer until heated through. Ladle the broth and chicken over the noodles. Diana Chistruga Serve with the bean sprouts, basil, lime wedges, jalapeños, chile-garlic sauce, and hoisin sauce. Originally appeared: September 2005 Rate It Print