Basic Phở Gà Instant Pot (Chicken Pho)
Author: Katie Le | Katie’s Test Kitchen
Ingredients
- (For 6-quart IP)
- 4 chicken leg quarters
- 1 medium daikon (peeled and halved) – Optional but highly recommended
- 1 large onion (toasted to slightly charred)
- 1 large knob of ginger (peeled or unpeeled, halved and toasted to slightly charred)
- 1 bag of dry Pho Seasoning, Old Man brand is good (toasted for about minute until fragrant, added to white filter bag that came with it)
- about 5 tbsp of Quoc Viet Chicken Pho Soup Base (See FAQ #9)
- about 2 tbsp size of rock sugar
- boiling water (to speed up pressure building time)
- Pho noodle (can be fresh or dry, cooked according to package instructions) – 1 bag usually makes 4 bowls
- Bean sprout
- Basil and/or Culantro (Ngo Gai)
- chopped green onion and cilantro
- white onion (thinly sliced)
- sliced jalapeno pepper or fresh chili of choice
- lime wedges
- hoisin sauce
- sriracha sauce
- ground pepper
- salt
Garnishes, vegetables and condiments:
Directions
1. In the inner pot, add chicken, daikon, onion, ginger, Pho spices filter bag, Quoc Viet Soup Base, rock sugar along with 7 cups of boiling water (or more to cover all ingredients). Select Pressure Cook/Manual, High Pressure, 8 minutes. Allow 5 minutes NPR then slowly release pressure by turning the knob to “Venting”.
2. Once pressure is released, open lid and pull out chicken, place in a colander and immediately flush it with cold sink water for about 2 minutes. This step stops the chicken from being overcooked and the skin from turning brown. Drain and set aside to cool. De-bone and shred chicken.
3. Discard onion and daikon. Add about 7 more cups of boiling water. Cancel “Keep Warm” and switch to “Saute” mode to bring the broth to a boil. Season to your taste salt, mushroom seasoning, soup base and/or rock sugar.
4. To serve, add cooked Pho noodle and chicken to a large bowl. Ladle the boiling broth over noodle and chicken. Sprinkle with chopped green onion and cilantro. Top with white onion and ground pepper. Serve with fresh bean sprout, basil/cultrano, hoisin and sriracha sauce. OPTIONAL: Make a quick dipping sauce for the chicken meat with lime juice, salt and pepper!
Hi! What would the time and measurements of water be if I were to cook this in an 8qt IP? Thanks in advance!
Hi Kathy! Reduce the soup base to about 4 tbsp and in Step 3, add just about 5 cups of water. Adjust the seasoning and cater to your taste afterward!
Also, cook time is the same for 6-quart.
Why is soup base and water reduced in the 8qt if its a bigger pot?
Hi, I think this was an error on my part. This recipe was modified on here a few times from 8 to 6 quart. But for now, if you want to use this for 8 quart please follow the walking chicken Pho recipe in term of water and soup base. You can add 2 more chicken leg quarters to have enough meat for the extra bowls. https://katiestestkitchen.com/portfolio/pho-ga-di-bo-instant-pot-walking-chicken-pho/
Hi Katie! Can we use chicken breast instead of chicken legs? Thanks!!
Hi Christine, You can cook the chicken breast for the meat but the stock needs bones to be flavorful. If you use chicken breast also add chicken bones of some sort and cook for HP, 8 minutes and let it NPR for about 15 minutes. QR will make the breast dry.
Do you parboil the chicken?
No, I usually just rub chicken with salt and rinse well.
could you use a crock pot if you don’t have an IP? Do you have a rec for cooking time?
Hi, I’ve not tried cooking it in the crock pot. Sorry!
If I use a small whole chicken, how many mins do I pressure cook for?
Thanks for sharing all your awesome recipes. Just like you, I’m working full time and have two little ones so it’s hard to find time to cook, especially with the traditional Vietnamese style of cooking. Now, with during shelter in place it’s a great opportunity for me to learn and I’m glad to come across your blog! If you have a recipe on instant pot Thai Tom yum or Tom kha, please share :). Thank you.
Hi Nga, thanks for your kind words! I focus mainly on Vietnamese dishes because I’m more confident in our home country cuisine. But I’ll let you know when I have a Tom Yum or Tom Kha recipe! Thank you and take care!
Great recipe. Quick and easy, delicious as well. A favorite for our family in needing for a quick fix of hearty and flavorful noodle soup.
This was so good! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes
Can I use Costco rotisserie chicken?
Not for this recipe. I have seen a few on the IP Vietnamese Recipes page on Facebook. You can search for those on there.
I use costco rotisserie often. i pull the meat off and set aside for eating w/ the soup. then i take the costco chicken bones and use it to make the pho stock.
first recipe in my first instant pot! i couldn’t believe it was only 8 minutes, but the proportions came out PERFECT! thank you for the recipes katie and cant wait to try the rest! 😀
That made me so happy!
Just made it and it came out successfully! The taste was amazing. This recipe fed 4 adults and a toddler and there was plenty of left over soup. A Vietnamese-American friend shared this recipe with me. I will be sharing this recipe with anyone who wants a delicious IP pho recipe. (We kept and ate the daikon and it was wonderfully sweet and delicious)
Can I use skinless bone-in chicken thighs instead of chicken legs? Will cooking time be the same for 6 qt IP? Thank you for sharing your recipe, and I’m looking forward to your response!
Hi Anita, any chicken with bone-in would work. If thighs I’d cook for about 6-7 minutes high pressure. The 8 and 6-qt cook time is about the same for chicken.
I have a whole frozen chicken. What would the cook time be?
I’d set the same 8 mins cook time. But let the it NPR for longer, say 15 to 20 minutes.