A rich and savory broth that has been simmered for hours in the slow cooker to concentrate all of the flavor and nutrients from the vietnamese spices and chicken thighs, this crockpot pho ga is then topped with rice noodles, fresh herbs, and lime for a truly out of this world flavorful soup.
Pho is pronounced "fuh" and is a classic vietnamese soup made from clear broth, herbs and spices, meat, and rice noodles. Beef pho, or pho bo, is considered traditional, but chicken pho, or pho ga, is popular as well. Pho is considered to be Vietnam's national dish.
What makes this recipe so good?
It's something a little different. Just like traditional chicken noodle soup, this crockpot pho recipe features chicken, broth, and noodles. But vietnamese pho has different spices and toppings to make it unique to the culture. Some other great things about this slow cooker chicken pho:
A pho that doesn't have to be watched. Traditionally pho is simmered in a pot on the stove for hours. By making this a slow cooker chicken pho, you can create the same rich bone broth, without having to have the stove on all day.
Choose your own toppings. Everyone starts with the same base of pho broth, but from there they can curate their bowl exactly how they like it.
Warms you right up! Soup is great for that, isn't it?
Looking for a quicker way to enjoy the flavors of pho, try this mien ga recipe! In mien ga, the chicken is simmered for much less time, but it is still a tasty broth soup with chicken and noodles.
Classic Pho Spice Blend
There are 5 classic spices that you will see in most classic pho recipes- star anise, cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon bark/cinnamon sticks, and coriander. Sometimes fennel is included, as well. The spices are either strained out using a mesh sieve at the end of cooking or they are wrapped in cheesecloth (bouquet garni) and that is pulled out when the broth is finished. Either way, the whole spices flavor the bone stew broth but are removed before serving.
You can find these spices at your local spice shop or grocery store. You can also find a pre packaged vietnam "pho spice blend" at many online retailers.
Ingredients for Pho Ga
Chicken Pho is made with the same spices as beef pho, but with chicken meat and bones. It can also includ chicken gizzards and other internal organs of the chicken. I did not include those in this crockpot pho ga recipe.
Chicken meat and bones. This recipe calls for chicken thighs, but chicken breasts would work as well. Just make sure they are bone in, as your need the bone marrow to create the broth.
Pho spices. Star anise, coriander, whole cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom, these spices are what really elevate this dish and take the recipe from classic chicken stock to "pho broth."
Store bought chicken broth. This is not completely traditional, but I cook my bone in chicken pieces in store bought broth to double up on the chicken flavor and create a richer tasting broth.
Rice noodles. Banh pho noodles, medium-sized rice noodles are cooked separately and added to the hot broth just prior to serving.
Herbs and vegetables. This is where you can get a little creative. Toppings can include cilantro, jalapenos, green onions, thai basil, mung bean sprouts, baby bok choy, even spinach.
How to make Crock Pot Pho Ga
Place bone in chicken thighs in the basin of your slow cooker and cover with broth. Slice onion into quarters (you can leave the skin on, it adds color) and add that in along with the ginger piece, fish sauce, and brown sugar.
Place pho spices in a dry saute pan on the stove and turn heat on medium. Heat spices for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, moving them around with a spatula to avoid burning.
Pour warmed spices into crock pot.
Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 5-6 hours.
20 minutes before you plan to serve, prepare rice noodles according to packaging directions.
Carefully remove the chicken to a side plate and pull the meat off of the bones. Strain the rest of the broth until all of the spices, onion, and ginger are removed. Taste broth and see if it needs salt added (fish sauce is pretty salty!).
Ladle hot broth into serving bowls and top with cooked rice noodles and a portion of shredded chicken (about ½ cup).
Add desired herbs to top (I used cilantro, green onions, and jalapenos) along with other flavoring agents like sriracha or additional fish sauce.
Traditional pho garnishes
In the early days of pho, it was a simple broth soup with just the gelatinous beef or chicken broth, meat, and rice noodles. As time wore on, additional toppings became popular. Garnishing your vietnamese pho soup is half the fun and flavor. There are many traditional pho toppings some of which are sriracha, basil, mung bean sprouts, cilantro, lime, jalapeno, fish sauce, and hoisin sauce.
What noodles to use for pho: Banh Pho Noodles
Banh Pho noodles are traditionally used. This is a rice noodle that is a medium thickness and can be found in most asian markets and well stocked grocery stores.
Storage
Storage crockpot pho ga broth in the fridge for up to 3-4 days and reheat in a small pan on the stove. The broth may congeal slightly in the the fridge when it's a colder temperature, but it will return to liquid when heated.
Keep you pho toppings, including any noodles or meat, separate from the broth and simply reheat them by placing them in the hot broth when you are ready.
more soup recipes
Crockpot Pho Ga
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs. chicken thighs bone in
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups water
- 1 piece of ginger about 3 inches
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 small onion quartered
- 1 tbsp. fish sauce
- 4 star anise
- 1 tsp. fennel
- 1 tbsp. coriander seeds
- 10 cardamom seed pods
- ½ tsp. whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- salt to taste
- 8 oz. banh pho noodles
Pho Toppings
- cilantro
- green onions
- sliced jalapeno
- lime
- sriracha
- fish sauce
Instructions
- Place bone in chicken thighs in the basin of your slow cooker and cover with broth. Slice onion into quarters (you can leave the skin on, it adds color) and add that in along with the ginger piece, fish sauce, and brown sugar.
- Place pho spices in a dry saute pan on the stove and turn heat on medium. Heat spices for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, moving them around with a spatula to avoid burning.
- Pour warmed spices into the crock pot.
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 5-6 hours.
- 20 minutes before you plan to serve, prepare rice noodles according to packaging directions.
- Carefully remove the chicken to a side plate and pull the meat off of the bones. Strain the rest of the broth until all of the spices, onion, and ginger are removed. Taste broth and see if it needs salt added (fish sauce is pretty salty!).
- Ladle hot broth into serving bowls and top with cooked rice noodles and a portion of shredded chicken (about ½ cup).
- Add desired herbs to top (I used cilantro, green onions, and jalapenos) along with other flavoring agents like sriracha or additional fish sauce.
Laryssa
This is AMAZING!!! I am beyond impressed by this recipe. I love Pho but the takeout where I live isn't the greatest. I halved the recipe to work for my smaller crockpot. I also used homemade chicken stock so I had to add a little extra water since it was really rich with the homemade stock. I would love to try this recipe with beef stock and beef as well. Would there be any difference in spices? I 10/10 recommend this!!!! So happy it was so good:)
Sarah
Laryssa,
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the pho so much! We love it in our house as well.
The same spices work well with beef stock and thinly sliced beef! If going that route, I would add the beef right before serving, as it will cook quickly in the hot broth.
Sarah