Rotisserie Chicken Pho (Phở Gà)
This cozy homemade chicken pho tastes like it simmered all day, but it comes together in under an hour thanks to one secret weapon: a rotisserie chicken. It’s aromatic, comforting, and incredibly clean-tasting, with that classic Vietnamese pho perfume from star anise, cinnamon, coriander, and charred aromatics.
- 1 rotisserie chicken
- 10 cups water
- small piece rock sugar
- 2 star anise
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- 2 cloves
- 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (adjust to taste)
- 1 onion
- 1/2 knob ginger
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder (optional, adjust to taste)
- pho noodles
- bean sprouts
- thai basil
- hoison
- sriracha
- sambal
- sliced onion
- sliced onions in vinegar
- green onions
- cilantro
- lime wedges
- Cut onion and ginger in half.
- Char both sides using a blowtorch, open flame, or oven broiler until lightly blackened and fragrant.
- Remove meat from the rotisserie chicken.
- Shred the meat and set aside for serving.
- Reserve all bones and the carcass for the broth.
- Add to a large pot: rotisserie chicken bones, charred onion, charred ginger, 10 cups of water
- Simmer for 30 minutes, skimming any foam as needed.
- While the broth is simmering, in a dry pan, toast star anise, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves for 1-2 min until fragrant:
- Transfer toasted spices to a spice bag or tea bag.
- After the initial 30-minute simmer, add the spice bag to the pot.
- Simmer for another 20 minutes.
- Remove and discard: spice bag, onion, ginger, chicken bones. Strain broth through a fine mesh strainer for extra clarity (optional).
- Return broth to the pot and add: small piece of rock sugar, fish sauce, salt, chicken bouillon powder. Simmer 5 minutes to melt rock sugar. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Cook pho noodles according to package instructions. Rinse with cool water if needed to prevent sticking.
- Add cooked noodles to bowls. Top with shredded chicken. Add sliced onion, cilantro, and green onion. Ladle hot broth over everything.
- Serve with: bean sprouts, Thai basil (purple stems), hoisin, sriracha, sambal, onions in vinegar, lime wedges.
Why You’ll Love This Pho
1. It’s SO much faster than traditional pho. Classic beef pho (phở bò) takes 6–8 hours. Traditional pho gà from scratch still needs 3+ hours.
This version? Broth is ready in 50 minutes and still tastes amazing!!
2. A rotisserie chicken does all the heavy lifting. The bones already have flavor, seasoning, and roasted depth. You get a naturally savory, golden broth without long simmering.
3. Perfect way to use leftover chicken bones. If you always feel guilty throwing away the carcass, this is your solution.
4. Clean, chicken-forward flavor (not sweet, not herbal).
5. Still gives you that real pho aroma. The spice steep + removal keeps the “pho smell” without overpowering the chicken.
Why the Timing Works
Pho spices extract very quickly, especially in chicken broth. If you simmer them too long, the broth becomes sweet, licorice-forward, or muddy.
So this method separates the process into layers:
1. Simmer bones + onion + ginger first (30 min)
This builds the “body” of the broth:
- chicken flavor
- onion sweetness
- mellowed ginger
- natural umami
These ingredients need longer extraction.
- aroma
- warmth
- “pho perfume”
But if simmered too long, they overpower the chicken. 20 minutes is the perfect amount for whole, toasted spices in a spice bag.
- rock sugar
- fish sauce
- salt
- optional bouillon
Seasoning after straining keeps the broth clean, bright, chicken-first, restaurant-style.
