A shortcut recipe to making pho! 🇻🇳🍜
Sharing the recipe I used to make chicken pho with NTUC roast chicken / rotisserie chicken! This is a shortcut method as you don’t have to make the broth from scratch.
There are 2 flavors of roast chicken in NTUC:
- black pepper (makes a very peppery broth)
- honey (makes a sweeter broth, so cut down on the rock sugar)
❗️use the honey chicken if you’re making this for kids!
👉🏼 Ingredients:
- 1 roast chicken
- 1 large onion
- 1 ginger
- some rock sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- pho spices*
- dried noodles*
- mint & basil leaves (homegrown from my garden)
*Got mine from the Thai supermarket at Aperia mall
👉🏼 Recipe:
1. Remove meat from chicken, shred it & set aside. Put chicken bones & juice in a pot
2. Slice onion in half, char onion & ginger in a pan till slightly blackened & fragrant
3. Toast pho spices in med-low heat for 3 min till fragrant. Put them in a spice bag.
4. Put chicken bones, onion, ginger & pho spices in a pot. Cover with water.
- On a stove: bring to boil & simmer for 45min to an hour.
- On a pressure cooker: cook in soup mode for 30min
5. Add rock sugar, salt & fish sauce. Taste & adjust according to your preference.
6. Cook noodles in boiled water for 30 sec. Boil veggies (optional)
7. Assemble bowl with noodles, shredded chicken meat & veggies
8. Pour hot broth onto bowl (you can strain it first if you want to)
9. Serve with mint & basil leaves & lime (optional)
This is my first time making pho & I thought it turned out pretty good! 😋
If you want to elevate your chicken pho even further, here are some tips and ideas I've picked up along the way. Using NTUC's roast chicken makes it super convenient, but don’t be afraid to experiment with the two flavors available: black pepper for a spicier broth, and honey for a milder, sweeter taste that's kid-friendly. I personally prefer using the honey roast when cooking for family gatherings. Charred onion and ginger are essential in developing that classic pho aroma and depth. I found to char them evenly, cutting the onion in half and grilling it on a dry pan until you see slightly blackened edges—this caramelizes the natural sugars and adds complexity to the broth. The pho spice mix from the Thai supermarket adds authenticity. Toasting these spices briefly releases their aroma—you can find blends that include star anise, cinnamon, and cloves, which really bring out the Vietnamese flavor. For the noodles, cooking them just until tender (about 30 seconds) keeps their texture perfect and chewy, which I love. Fresh herbs like mint and basil from a garden or good quality store-bought options truly enhance the final bowl. To customize, try adding optional veggies like spinach or bean sprouts for freshness and crunch. Squeezing a bit of lime juice right before eating brightens up the broth beautifully. This shortcut recipe is great for busy weeknights but still delivers on authentic flavors. Feel free to adjust seasoning like rock sugar, salt, and fish sauce to suit your personal taste—phở is all about balance. Give this at-home pho a try, and you’ll be amazed at how easy and satisfying it is!
Where’s the pho spices packet from?