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

Method18 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Cut the small yellow onion (1) in half. Peel and thinly slice one half for the raw garnish, keeping the remaining half for charring.

   Uses 1 small yellow onion

2. 2

   Step 2: Before heating the broth, prepare the serving ingredients you want to offer. Chop the two green onions. Wash, trim and drain the bean sprouts (2 cups) and Thai basil, sawtooth herb and cilantro, if using. For the optional chili garnishes, chop the two red chilies and thinly slice the jalapeño (1); cut the two limes into wedges if serving them. Keep these ingredients separately covered and ready.

   Uses 2 green onions, (chopped) · 2 cups bean sprouts, (washed and trimmed) · Thai basil for serving, as desired · Sawtooth herb for serving, as desired · Cilantro for serving, as desired · 2 red chilies, (chopped) · 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced · 2 limes, (cut into wedges)

3. 3

   Step 3: Turn on the exhaust fan. Over a medium-low flame, char the remaining onion half from step 1 and the ginger knob on the first side for about 5 minutes. Turn them and char the other side for about 5 minutes, watching throughout. Let them cool enough to handle, rinse off loose char with cold water and peel away the outer skins. Scrape off remaining char, rinse again and lightly smash the ginger.

   Uses The unsliced half of the small yellow onion · 1 ginger knob about 2 inches long · Cold water as needed to rinse char from onion and ginger

4. 4

   Step 4: In a dry skillet over low heat, toast the two star anise, two cardamom pods, five whole spice cloves, 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds, 1/2 tsp fennel seeds and cinnamon stick (1) for 7–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. Remove from heat, let cool and tie the spices inside a large tea filter with twine.

   Uses 2 whole star anise · 2 cardamom pods · 5 whole spice cloves · 1/2 Tbsp coriander seeds · 1/2 tsp fennel seeds · 1 cinnamon stick

5. 5

   Step 5: Rub the 2 tbsp cleaning salt over the outside and inside of the whole chicken (5 lb), then rinse it off with cold water. Discard the rinse water and clean the work area before handling the ready garnishes.

   Uses 5 lb whole organic chicken · 2 Tbsp salt (for cleaning the chicken) · Cold water as needed to rinse the cleaning salt off the chicken

6. 6

   Step 6: Trim off visible excess fat from the cleaned chicken from step 5 and discard it.

   Uses cleaned whole chicken

7. 7

   Step 7: Use an Instant Pot large enough for the whole chicken and full 9 cups stock without exceeding your model’s soup and pressure-fill limits. Check the actual level before sealing; use a larger suitable cooker if necessary. Put the trimmed chicken from step 6 into the inner pot. Add the cleaned charred onion and ginger from step 3, the full 3/4 oz rock sugar and the spice bag from step 4. Pour in all 9 cups ready chicken stock, keeping the spice bag immersed.

   Uses trimmed whole chicken · cleaned charred onion and smashed ginger · 3/4 oz rock sugar · toasted spices in filter bag · 9 cups ready chicken stock

8. 8

   Step 8: Fit the lid, set the steam-release handle to Sealing and cook the filled pot from step 7 on High Pressure for 30 minutes.

   Uses whole chicken, ready stock and broth aromatics

9. 9

   Step 9: When the pressure program ends, turn off Keep Warm and leave the handle at Sealing for a full natural pressure release. Wait until all pressure is released and the float valve drops before opening; follow your appliance instructions and keep clear of the valve.

   Uses pressure-cooked chicken and broth pot

10. 10

    Step 10: After the cooker from step 9 is fully depressurized, open the lid away from your face. Check the chicken reaches at least 74 °C (165 °F) in the thickest breast and thigh away from bone; continue cooking if needed, then allow full natural pressure release before reopening. Remove and discard the broth onion, ginger and spice bag, and skim any floating residue if desired.

    Uses released chicken and broth pot

11. 11

    Step 11: Carefully lift the fully cooked chicken from step 10 into a large bowl. Cover with ice water for 2 minutes, then drain and discard the cooling water. Cover the chicken and let it cool just enough to handle for slicing. Keep the broth hot in the pot; if holding the chicken for later serving, refrigerate it promptly.

    Briefly cool cooked chicken · 2 minUses fully cooked whole chicken, lifted from broth · Ice water as needed for the brief cooked-chicken cooling bath

12. 12

    Step 12: Soak the full 1 lb dry medium pho noodles in separate hot water for about 10 minutes, until limp, then drain away the soaking water.

    Soften dry pho noodles · 10 minUses 1 lb dry medium rice-stick / pho noodles · Hot water as needed to soak the dry pho noodles

13. 13

    Step 13: Bring a large pot of fresh noodle-boiling water to a rapid boil over high heat. Add the drained soaked noodles from step 12 and start the cooking check: boil for 3–4 minutes, stirring frequently, checking after 3 minutes. Continue only as needed until tender without becoming mushy.

    Check boiled pho noodles · 3 minUses drained soaked pho noodles · Fresh water as needed for boiling the soaked noodles

14. 14

    Step 14: Drain the noodles from step 13 and discard the boiling water. Rinse the noodles with cold water to stop cooking, toss to shake off water and use a salad spinner to drain them well.

    Uses cooked noodles, separated from boiling water · Cold water as needed to rinse the boiled noodles

15. 15

    Step 15: Cover the drained cooked noodles from step 14 until serving. Assemble promptly; if keeping them for a later meal, refrigerate them rather than leaving them warm for an extended period.

    Uses drained cooked pho noodles

16. 16

    Step 16: Once the cooked chicken from step 11 is safe to handle, remove the breast meat and slice it thinly. Remove the remaining thigh and body meat from the bones, then shred it by hand or cut into thin strips. Discard the bones.

    Uses cooled cooked chicken, drained from bath

17. 17

    Step 17: Bring the reserved broth from step 10 back to a boil before serving. For each bowl, add a portion of the ready noodles from step 15, some sliced raw onion from step 1 and cooked chicken from step 16. Ladle in hot broth, then top with chopped green onions from step 2 and black pepper to taste. Offer the prepared bean sprouts, herbs, red chili, jalapeño and lime wedges from step 2, plus fish sauce, hoisin and sriracha to taste. Repeat for the remaining bowls, using the batch as supplies allow.

    Uses reserved hot chicken broth · cooked noodle portion for a bowl · sliced raw-onion garnish for a bowl · cooked sliced or shredded chicken portion · chopped green-onion garnish · ground black pepper · prepared bean sprouts and serving herbs · prepared chili, jalapeño and lime wedges

18. 18

    Step 18: Refrigerate leftovers promptly, within 2 hours, in shallow covered containers at 4 °C (40 °F) or below. Store the chicken, broth and noodles separately and use within 3–4 days. Reheat cooked chicken and broth to 74 °C (165 °F) before assembling a later bowl.

    Uses leftover chicken broth · leftover cooked noodles · leftover cooked chicken meat