Pho Ga / Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup – Instant Pot Recipe

This easy recipe for Instant Pot Pho Ga will have you enjoying this flavorful and hearty Vietnamese Chicken Noodle soup in less than half the cooking time of the traditional recipe. Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup has become so mainstream it’s recognized by its Vietnamese name “Pho Ga” name rather than its translated name. What is it about this simple noodle soup that has captured everyone’s heart and tummy? The answer: hearty rice noodle and tender chicken served in an intoxicating broth layered with earthy, aromatic spices. Pho Ga is served with abundant herbs, fresh vegetables and tantalizing sauces which further enhance the gastronomic journey! In one word, it’s PHO-nomenal! 🙂

Now that your mouth is watering, let’s get to the Instant Pot Pho Ga recipe. In this post, I share a non-conventional approach for making Pho Ga using everyone’s favorite electric pressure cooker the Instant Pot. This Instant Pot Pho Ga recipe is super easy and a really convenient way to enjoy authentic homemade Pho Ga in no time at all. I hope you’ll give my recipe a try and let me know what you think!

Notes on the Instant Pot Pho Ga / Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe, Tips and Tricks

I am using the Instant Pot DUO60 7-in-1 Programmable Pressure Cooker, 6Qt/1000W. This 6 quart electric appliance takes the guesswork out of using a pressure cooker.  It’s super easy to use and to clean.

Make the chicken stock from scratch using my recipe. If you’re short on time, use store-bought organic chicken stock or broth.

When charring the onion and ginger, it can get fairly smoky, so turn on the exhaust fan. The onion and ginger can get rather charred and black, but don’t worry as the skin will be removed. If you’re not comfortable with roasting over an open flame, use a cast-iron pan or broil in the oven.

Washing the chicken is a very important step. It rinses away any residual blood and bits which make the soup cloudy. I use a big bowl to catch the rinse water and this way I can tell the chicken is clean when the water runs clear.

If your pressure cooker has a tendency to burn the food touching the bottom of the pot, put down a layer of carrots or Daikon radish and then place the chicken on top. The vegetables will buffer the chicken and serve as a natural sweetener for the soup.

After the cooking time elapses, let the pressure cooker switch over to a “Keep Warm” function. This will keep the Instant Pot Pho Ga hot until you’re ready to serve.

Pho/rice stick noodles come in different thicknesses and are sized as small, medium and large. There are no hard and fast rules so choose what you like. I prefer the medium-sized noodles and cook them for 4 minutes. The noodles should be tender but not mushy. 1 lb dry rice noodle makes about 2 1/2 lbs cooked rice noodle. This is a generous amount and easily serves 4 larger portions or 6 medium portions.

Adding fish sauce directly into the soup stock is optional. Use 1-2 Tbsp and adjust to your taste. I typically do not season the stock with fish sauce, and prefer to serve it on the side so each person can salt his or her bowl to taste. Just as an FYI: fish sauce added to the stock has a tendency to turn the stock sour after refrigerating.

Watch the video for instructions.

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Instant Pot Pho Ga / Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

1 small yellow onion
2 inch knob ginger
2 whole star anise
2 cardamom pods
5 cloves
1/2 Tbsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 Saigon cinnamon stick
5 lb whole organic chicken
2 Tbsp salt, for cleaning the chicken
3/4 oz rock sugar
9 cups chicken stock
1 lb rice stick/pho noodles, size medium

Garnishes and Accompaniments
2 green onions, chopped
ground black pepper
2 cups bean sprouts, washed and trimmed
Thai basil, sawtooth herb, cilantro, washed and trimed
red chilies, chopped
jalapenos, thinly sliced
2 limes, cut into wedges
fish sauce
Hoisin sauce
sriracha sauce

Directions

Making the Soup

Cut the onion in half. Remove the skin from one onion half and then thinly slice. Place into a small bowl and set aside for now. (This will be used later to garnish the soup.)

Set the heat to Medium Low. Place the remaining onion half and ginger directly over the flame. Cook each side for 5 minutes until charred. Rinse with cool water to wash off the loose char. Remove the outer layer of skin from the onion and ginger and discard. Using a small knife, scrape off the remaining char. Rinse again with cool water. Use a pestle or meat hammer to slightly smash the ginger.

In a skillet over Low heat, add the star anise, cardamom, cloves, coriander seeds, fennel seeds and cinnamon. Stirring occasionally, toast for 7-8 minutes or until fragrant. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Place the spices into a large tea filter and tie close with twine.

Sprinkle salt on the outside and inside of the chicken. Gently rub the salt into the skin. Wash the chicken thoroughly using a steady stream of cold water until the water runs clear.

Trim off any visible fat and discard.

Put the chicken into the 6 quart Instant Pot pressure cooker. Add the roasted onion and ginger, rock sugar and spices bag. Pour in the chicken stock. (Make sure the spices bag is immersed in the stock.)

Cover with the lid and set the steam release handle to “Sealing”. Set the cooker to High pressure with the timer to 30 minutes and let everything cook.

After the timer goes off, turn the valve to release the pressure.

Uncover the cooker. Remove the onion, spices bag and ginger if visible. Optionally, skim the broth to remove any bits floating on the surface.

Using a large slotted spoon, carefully transfer the entire chicken into a large bowl. Cover the chicken with ice water and allow to soak for 2 minutes. Drain the water. Cover the bowl and allow the chicken to cool further.

Cooking the Rice Noodle

Soak the rice noodle in hot water for 10 minutes or until limp.

Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil over High heat. Add the drained noodles and swirl in the hot water. Boil the noodles for 3-4 minutes stirring frequently.

Drain the noodles and then rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Toss the noodles to shake off the water. Use a salad spinner to spin the noodles dry.

Cover until ready to serve.

Serving the Pho Ga

When the chicken is cooled, remove the breast pieces and cut into thin slices. Remove the remaining meat from the thighs and body and shred by hand or cut into thin strips.

To serve, add some rice noodles into a large bowl. Add some sliced raw onions (prepared earlier) and chicken. Ladle in a generous amount of the broth. Top with the chopped green onions and freshly ground black pepper. Serve the noodle soup with the fresh vegetables and herbs: bean sprouts, Thai basil, sawtooth herb, cilantro, red chilies and jalapenos. Add lime juice, fish sauce, Hoisin sauce, and sriracha sauce to taste.

Refrigerate any remaining portions and enjoy within the week.

Yields:  4-6 servings

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Instant Pot Pho Ga / Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup / Pho Ga

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 6

Calories: 1040 kcal

Author: Trang

This easy recipe for Instant Pot Pho Ga / Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup will have you enjoying this flavorful and hearty Vietnamese Chicken Noodle soup in less than half the cooking time of the traditional recipe. Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup has become so mainstream it's recognized by its Vietnamese name "Pho Ga" name rather than its translated name. What is it about this simple noodle soup that has captured everyone's heart and tummy? The answer: hearty rice noodle and tender chicken served in an intoxicating broth layered with earthy, aromatic spices. Pho Ga is served with abundant herbs, fresh vegetables and tantalizing sauces which further enhance the gastronomic journey! In one word, it's PHO-nomenal! 🙂

Ingredients

• 1 small yellow onion
• 2 inch knob ginger
• 2 whole star anise
• 2 cardamom pods
• 5 cloves
• 1/2 Tbsp coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 5 lb whole organic chicken
• 2 Tbsp salt , for cleaning the chicken
• 3/4 oz rock sugar
• 9 cups chicken stock
• 1 lb rice stick / pho noodles , size medium

Garnishes and Accompaniments

• 2 green onions, chopped
• ground black pepper
• 2 cups bean sprouts, washed and trimmed
• Thai basil, sawtooth herb, cilantro, washed and trimed
• 2 red chilies, chopped
• 1 jalapeños, thinly sliced
• 2 limes, cut into wedges
• fish sauce , adjust to taste
• Hoisin sauce
• Sriracha sauce

Standard - Metric

Instructions

Making the Soup

1. Cut the onion in half. Remove the skin from one onion half and then thinly slice. Place into a small bowl and set aside for now. (This will be used later to garnish the soup.)

2. Set the heat to Medium Low. Place the remaining onion half and ginger directly over the flame. Cook each side for 5 minutes until charred. Rinse with cool water to wash off the loose char. Remove the outer layer of skin from the onion and ginger and discard. Using a small knife, scrape off the remaining char. Rinse again with cool water. Use a pestle or meat hammer to slightly smash the ginger.
3. In a skillet over Low heat, add the star anise, cardamom, cloves, coriander seeds, fennel seeds and cinnamon. Stirring occasionally, toast for 7-8 minutes or until fragrant. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Place the spices into a large tea filter and tie close with twine.
4. Sprinkle salt on the outside and inside of the chicken. Gently rub the salt into the skin. Wash the chicken thoroughly using a steady stream of cold water until the water runs clear.
5. Trim off any visible fat and discard.

6. Put the chicken into the 6 quart Instant Pot pressure cooker. Add the roasted onion and ginger, rock sugar and spices bag. Pour in the chicken stock. (Make sure the spices bag is immersed in the stock.)

7. Cover with the lid and set the steam release handle to "Sealing". Set the cooker to High pressure with the timer to 30 minutes and let everything cook.

8. After the timer goes off, turn the handle to release the pressure.

9. Uncover the cooker. Remove the onion, spices bag and ginger if visible. Optionally, skim the broth to remove any bits floating on the surface.
10. Using a large slotted spoon, carefully transfer the entire chicken into a large bowl. Cover the chicken with ice water and allow to soak for 2 minutes. Drain the water. Cover the bowl and allow the chicken to cool further.

Cooking the Rice Noodle

1. Soak the rice noodle in hot water for 10 minutes or until limp.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil over High heat. Add the drained noodles and swirl in the hot water. Boil the noodles for 3-4 minutes stirring frequently.

3. Drain the noodles and then rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Toss the noodles to shake off the water. Use a salad spinner to spin the noodles dry.

4. Cover until ready to serve.

Serving the Pho Ga

1. When the chicken is cooled, remove the breast pieces and cut into thin slices. Remove the remaining meat from the thighs and body and shred by hand or cut into thin strips.

2. To serve, add some rice noodles into a large bowl. Add some sliced raw onions (prepared earlier) and chicken. Ladle in a generous amount of the broth. Top with the chopped green onions and freshly ground black pepper. Serve the noodle soup with the fresh vegetables and herbs: bean sprouts, Thai basil, sawtooth herb, cilantro, red chilies and jalapenos. Add lime juice, fish sauce, Hoisin sauce, and sriracha sauce to taste.

3. Refrigerate any remaining portions and enjoy within the week.

Recipe Video

Notes, Tips & Tricks

• I am using the Instant Pot DUO60 7-in-1 Programmable Pressure Cooker, 6Qt/1000W. This 6 quart electric appliance takes the guesswork out of using a pressure cooker. It's super easy to use and to clean.
• Make the chicken stock from scratch using my recipe. If you're short on time, use store-bought organic chicken stock or broth.
• When charring the onion and ginger, it can get fairly smoky, so turn on the exhaust fan. The onion and ginger can get rather charred and black, but don't worry as the skin will be removed. If you're not comfortable with roasting over an open flame, use a cast-iron pan or broil in the oven.
• Washing the chicken is a very important step. It rinses away any residual blood and bits which make the soup cloudy. I use a big bowl to catch the rinse water and this way I can tell the chicken is clean when the water runs clear.
• If your pressure cooker has a tendency to burn the food touching the bottom of the pot, put down a layer of carrots or Daikon radish and then place the chicken on top. The vegetables will buffer the chicken and serve as a natural sweetener for the soup.
• After the cooking time elapses, let the pressure cooker switch over to a "Keep Warm" function.  This will keep the soup hot until you're ready to serve.
• Pho/rice stick noodles come in different thicknesses and are sized as small, medium and large.  There are no hard and fast rules so choose what you like.  I prefer the medium-sized noodles and cook them for 4 minutes. The noodles should be tender but not mushy. 1 lb dry rice noodle makes about 2 1/2 lbs cooked rice noodle. This is a generous amount and easily serves 4 larger portions or 6 medium portions.
• Adding fish sauce directly into the soup stock is optional. Use 1-2 Tbsp and adjust to your taste. I typically do not season the stock with fish sauce, and prefer to serve it on the side so each person can salt his or her bowl to taste.
• Just as an FYI: Fish sauce added to the stock has a tendency to turn the stock sour after refrigerating.

Nutrition Facts

Instant Pot Pho Ga / Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup / Pho Ga

Amount Per Serving

Calories 1040 Calories from Fat 558

% Daily Value*

Fat 62g95%

Saturated Fat 17g106%

Cholesterol 294mg98%

Sodium 3248mg141%

Potassium 1283mg37%

Carbohydrates 88g29%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 12g13%

Protein 83g166%

Vitamin A 760IU15%

Vitamin C 43.9mg53%

Calcium 101mg10%

Iron 5.7mg32%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.