Rotisserie Chicken Pho in the Instant Pot is a shortcut method to enjoy this beloved Vietnamese-style soup at home! Enjoy with fresh vegetable garnishes for a delicious meal.
Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken Pho
My Mom, who is Vietnamese, makes THE BEST beef pho ever! I’m slowly learning all her recipes, but for now I simply needed a quick way to enjoy a lightened-up version when the mood hits.
I did call Mom, and she graciously ran through her process and ingredients for her soup. I made a couple of changes for ease and picked up the pace by using the pressure cooker.
All in all, it’s very reminiscent of my Mom’s soup and delicious in its own right. One day I’ll shadow her from start to finish to learn to prepare her beef pho!
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Ingredients for Rotisserie Chicken Pho
These ingredients are full of heady aromas and umami delivery vehicles!
- Rotisserie chicken — one plain, store-bought rotisserie chicken will serve to season the broth and provide more than enough meat for serving.
- Vegetables — onion, ginger root, garlic + celery. You might not find garlic and celery in other pho recipes, but this is the way Mom does it, so…
- Spices — star anise, whole cloves, coriander seeds, + cinnamon sticks. It smells amazing!
- Fish sauce — Mom recommends One Crab brand fish sauce, but you can try Red Boat or Three Crabs as well.
- Brown sugar — if you want to be more authentic, use yellow rock sugar which still has a hint of molasses, but is lighter and less sweet. You can find it at your local international market or online.
- Better than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base — I mentioned shortcut, right?
- Rice noodles — dry, flat rice noodles come in a variety of widths. If you’re faced with a choice, go with medium or small.
You must have garnishes for your pho ga!
- Scallions — Bare minimum, sprinkle a few sliced scallions on your soup before enjoying.
- Mung bean sprouts — these provide a fresh, crisp texture.
- Thai basil + mint — classic herbs for Vietnamese soup.
- Fresh peppers — jalapeño or fresno for moderate heat, bird’s eye chili for a bigger kick.
- Sriracha — another source of heat…a few drops go a long way.
- Hoisin sauce — salty and sweet, you’ll be familiar with this sauce used in a lot of Asian dishes.
- Lime — fresh squeezed lime provides a bright, acidic note.
How to Make Chicken Pho Broth
Start by breaking down the rotisserie chicken. Remove and discard the skin. Pull the meat away from the bones and shred it into a separate bowl. You’ll use the bones to help flavor the broth.
Turn on the sauté function of your Instant Pot. When it’s hot, add the onion and ginger to the dry pot. Turn it frequently to get charring on all sides. (You can go pretty dark with this step.)
Once you’ve got some good color going, add the whole spices and toast them for a couple minutes.
Next, add the chicken bones, garlic, fish sauce, brown sugar, celery, water and bouillon to the pot.
Lock the lid in place. Use the manual “Pressure Cook” function, set on high, and adjust the time to 15 minutes. It may take a good 15 minutes for the pressure to increase in the pot before the countdown begins.
When cooking is complete, allow the pressure to naturally release. This might take 35 to 40 minutes. (Prep the rice noodles while you wait!)
Place a fine mesh strainer or colander lined with cheesecloth over a large bowl. Remove the pot insert and empty the contents through the strainer. Discard the solids and return the broth to the pot and then back into the pressure cooker.
Use the “Keep Warm” function to keep the broth warm (yes, that sounds obvious) while you finish up with the noodles.
How to Prepare the Rice Noodles
While you’re waiting for the Instant Pot pressure to release, soak the dry noodles in a bowl of cool water for 30 minutes, then strain. This makes them more pliable.
When you’re ready to serve, boil a saucepan of water, then reduce it to a simmer. Place one portion of noodles in a small strainer and submerge the whole thing into the water and leave it alone for 2 to 3 minutes.
Pull the strainer + noodles out of the water. Let the excess water drip away, then transfer the noodles to a bowl. Continue these steps for each portion of noodles.
Serving Rotisserie Chicken Pho
The easiest way to warm up the chicken is to dunk it into the broth. Use the same strainer method employed with the noodles if you like, or simply add 4 cups of shredded chicken to the broth.
Divide the chicken between the bowls and ladle in the broth. Sprinkle thinly sliced scallions over each bowl and serve with garnishes on the side.
Each guest can add their favorite garnishes and condiments to customize their pho bowl!
More Recipes You’ll Enjoy!
- Easy Chili Crisp Dipping Sauce for Dumplings
- Spicy Whiskey Glazed Chicken Wings
- Seafood Stew with Ciabatta Toasts
- Slow Cooker Smoky BBQ Beef Tacos
- Grilled Chicken Skewers with Red Wine Sauce
- Baked Creamy Cheesy Chicken Breasts
- Vietnamese-Inspired Chicken Meatball Appetizer
Rotisserie Chicken Pho in the Instant Pot
Equipment
- electric pressure cooker 6-qt size
Ingredients
FOR THE BROTH
- 1 rotisserie chicken store-bought, plain
- 1 large onion peeled + quartered
- 3-in piece fresh ginger root halved lengthwise + crushed
- 5 whole star anise
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds whole, not ground
- 4 sticks cinnamon
- 1 head garlic cut in half across the equator
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 ribs celery halved
- 10 cups water
- 5 tsp Chicken Better Than Bouillon
TO SERVE
- 12 oz flat rice noodles (banh pho)
- 2 green onions sliced thin
OPTIONAL GARNISHES
- bean sprouts, thai basil, mint, jalapeno, lime, sriracha, hoisin sauce
Instructions
- Remove skin and meat from the rotisserie chicken. Discard the skin. Reserve the meat. Set the bones aside.
- Set your Instant pot to sauté. When it's hot, dry toast the onion and ginger, flipping + turning to char on all sides. Add the star anise, coriander seeds, and cinnamon and toast for another minute or two.
- Add the chicken bones, garlic, fish sauce, sugar, celery, water + Better than Bouillon to your Instant Pot.
- Lock Instant Pot lid into place and make sure the vent valve is set to “Sealing”. Set the "Pressure Cook" function to high and adjust the time to 15 minutes. It should take about 12 to 15 for the pressure to increase before the cooking time begins.
- When cooking time is done, allow pressure to naturally release (this might take 35-40 minutes).
- Strain the solids using through a fine mesh strainer or colander lined with cheesecloth. Return the broth to the bowl of the Instant Pot on "Keep Warm".
- While you're waiting for the Instant Pressure to release, soak the noodles in cold water for 30 minutes. This will make them pliable. To soften them to the right texture for soup, bring a large saucepan of water to boil, then reduce the heat to low. Place a serving of noodles into the bowl of strainer and lower it into the hot water for 2 to 3 minutes until the texture of the noodles is to your liking. Repeat this for each serving.
- To serve, warm the reserved shredded chicken meat in the broth and divide it over the noodles. Ladle broth into each bowl, about 2-1/2 cups per serving. Top with green onions. Serve with any optional garnishes you like.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimated and provided as a general guideline only. I earn a commission from Instacart from qualifying ingredient purchases.
Pin for Later! Rotisserie Chicken Pho in the Instant Pot
Being a big fan of Pho I did have on hand the necessary spices & herbs to try this recipe with my IP. Unbelievable flavor in such a quick time and so easy to make.
Thank you, Peggy! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and thanks for sharing your comments!
Hello, I just made this for dinner with the carcass of a Costco rotisserie chicken for the stock, and the shredded meat. It was absolutely outstanding. The stock is very authentic, and your detailed method made it very easy to prepare and serve. We are still slurping in silence, which is definitely the sign of a successful pho! I am bookmarking this recipe and will make it again often in the future as the closest Vietnamese restaurant is a 45 min drive!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe!
Thank you so much for your comment! That absolutely made my day! (Costco rotisserie chickens are the best!)
Hi Linda,
How would I make this if I don’t have a pressure cooker or Instant Pot? I have all the ingredients and this recipes looks amazing.
Hi Erin! You can use a soup pot or large dutch oven with a lid instead. Start it over medium to medium high heat to toast the onion and ginger, then continue on with the recipe from there. After you’ve added the water and bouillon, bring it to boil, then reduce to a simmer and put the lid on. This method will require some extra time to develop flavor, so occasionally taste it to see how it’s coming along. Add more water if it evaporates too quickly (but with the lid on, it shouldn’t evaporate too much). You may also need to skim some of the foamy white stuff off the top as well. Let me know if you have any more questions!
Followed your recipe but I used 2.5t chicken bouillon (this was literally all I had left in the pantry lol) + 2.5t pho ga soup base & deboned what was left of my lemon pepper rotisserie chicken from Publix and the recipe was banging!
I have been wanting pho ga for a minute now but all of the Vietnamese restaurants near me don’t make it the way I like it so I usually opt for their bbh. Now I can make pho ga whenever I want at home! Tysm for this recipe!!
That’s awesome, Aster! This makes me so happy! Love how you used what you had on hand to make it work for you!