Chicken Pho made easily at home in your Crock Pot!
I will repeat: Crock Pot Chicken Pho. I know. And you’re welcome. Ok, I’m in no way saying that this phở is anywhere near the phở that the tiny little Vietnamese woman at Toast N’Phở makes (my favorite pho in Portland), but it’s close. Damn close. Mainly because we made it ourselves. In our Crock Pot. While we were at work. WIN.
The secret to an amazing phở is definitely the broth. That’s why I had made a deliciously rich, fresh chicken stock the night before. Then, all it needed were the pho flavor goodness: fresh ginger, star anise, whole cloves, brown sugar, fish sauce, and cinnamon.
Mmmm, fresh, from scratch chicken stock. But a really good prepackaged stock would work just as well.
To the 8 cups of chicken stock, I added 1 1/2 tablespoons of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
10 star anise and 6 cloves
some fresh ginger sliced thinly
and finally a whole cinnamon stick.
Then, I added a couple of skinned and trimmed on the bone chicken breasts, meat down, into the Crock Pot
and poured the stock and spices over the chicken. Done. Left for 10 hours on low in the Crock Pot while we go to work. How much easier can it get? Not much, my friends. Not much.
After work, we came home to this bubbling deliciousness I could smell the instant I walked in the door. Poor Nigel having to be home all day in such an amazing smelling house!
First, I pulled the chicken out; slowly because it was so wonderfully fall off the bone tender.
Then, while it cooled, I prepped the final pieces: the bean sprouts, jalapenos, limes, bok choy, basil, and rice noodles. Rice noodles… totally on our make from scratch list but I wanted pho waaayy sooner than it would have taken to learn to make rice noodles, so we ‘cheated.’ shhhh.
When I pulled out the chicken, I also grabbed the spices (as many as I had patience to fish around for) so we were just left with the pho broth. Then I added some chopped bok choy,
and the rice noodles. These guys cooked in the covered Crock Pot for about 30 minutes on high.
Meanwhile I shredded the chicken
and prepped the fixins.
After the 30 minutes (ok, it was more like 22.5 minutes because I couldn’t wait any longer I was so excited), I added the shredded chicken back into the Crock Pot.
And then we were in business. Dished out in some appropriately large pho bowls, with some bean sprouts, fresh sliced jalapenos, ripped basil, and a squeeze of a slice of lime. Seriously. Who doesn’t just love pho? I have yet to meet anyone who has had pho say “meh, I don’t really like pho” Which is probably a good thing because that’d be the last time I’d see them. I just don’t need that type of negativity in my life.
Because really, how can you not love pho? And this pho is ridiculously easy which makes it even more loveable. It’s made in a crock pot! While you’re working or playing or doing anything else you want to do but be in the kitchen! How do you get better than that???
You don’t. I’m still full from all the pho I ate last night and dreaming of the beef pho I’m making next!
Another one of my favorite Asian dishes made in your trusty crock pot, Crock Pot Chicken Chow Mein!
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Crock Pot Chicken Pho
Ingredients
- 8 cups of Chicken Stock
- 2 on the bone skinless chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of fish sauce
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 10 star anise
- 1 2 1/2 inch piece fresh ginger peeled and thinly sliced
- 6 cloves
- 6 oz of pho rice noodles, banh pho 1/16 inch is the best, but whatever you can find will work!
- 4-6 cups of bok choy chopped
- 12 oz bean sprouts
- 1 cup of fresh basil leaves
- 2 sliced jalapeños
- 1 lime quartered
Instructions
- Add brown sugar, fish sauce, cinnamon, star anise, ginger, and cloves to chicken stock. Place chicken breasts meat down in crockpot and then pour stock over. Let cook in crockpot for 8-10 hrs on low.
- Remove chicken breasts from crockpot and set aside. Remove spices from broth. Add bok choy to broth, turn crockpot to high and let cook for another 30 minutes.
- While bok choy cooks, shred chicken and slice jalapeños and prep sprouts, basil, and lime for garnishing.
- Just before bok choy is done, after about 20 minutes, add the rice noodles and shredded chicken back to broth to finish cooking for the last 10 minutes.
- Ladle into large bowls, add bean sprouts, jalapeños, basil, squeeze lime, and top with sriracha, chili paste, and/or hoisen to taste.
😛 Yes, please! Looks absolutely heavenly, Tracy…especially with that rich and flavorful homemade stock as your base. Excellent looking soup with wonderful flavors!
I seriously thought I could smell this pho. Mouth watering deliciousness.
Oh I’m still smelling it and waiting for the next batch!
I think I can eat pho every day, but I always get beaf pho. I will try this recipe, looks delicious!
I could too!! Thank you 🙂
This looks delicious, definitely one my husband would appreciate me making in the cold of winter. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Caroline!
Oh my goodness… I love your step-by-step photos… and the pho looks absolutely delicious! I’m craving it for dinner now! Thanks so much for bringing it to Fiesta Friday!
Thank you!!
This looks delicious! I feel as though I can just smell it through the screen :p I definitely need to get a crockpot!
This recipe looks so light but with a great kick. Yum!
Love it I really need to buy a crock pot. This looks too good.
What?! You don’t have a crock pot? You must be an incredible cook to not ever need a crock pot. You know how I know? I used to use it a lot more when I was starting out, since it’s so foolproof. But it needs planning ahead of time. As I gain confidence in the kitchen, I’m using it less and less b/c I don’t plan my meals as much. I can now whip simple things up on short notice. Yup, that’s what I’ve become. A short order cook! 😀
I sold my crock pot years ago. I think i want another one. Seeibg do many great recipes that use them. I will bresk duen snd buy one
Suzanne, you need a nap, hon. Either that or autocorrect badly mangled your words. LOL. A glass of wine might help…or not. 😀
Oh crap on my cell it happens a lot, LOL!
Thanks for the laugh!!! I LOVE it, and I love you!! 😀
Love you too!
Ahhh hahaha I love you both and reading this thread! First I was like “What?! No crockpot?!” Then I was like, “Yea! What Angie said!” Then was like “ahh haha stupid auto-correct, but that’s hilarious,” and now I’m like, “mmmm wine, I think I’ll have some!” Ha! Thanks ladies!
LOVE pho! But can never duplicate the taste I get from restaurants. This recipe should help me out. Thanks, Tracy! 🙂
Anytime, Angie
This looks delicious! I have been looking for a good pho recipe and yours looks awesome! 🙂
A wonderful post! I would just love to make this and fill my kitchen with the amazing flavours here! 🙂
Looks delish!
Pho in a crockpot?! Now you’re talking! This looks so yummy, I could definitely go for a big bowl right about now! I’ve never made stock from scratch before, I really should, is it hard?
Thanks so much for bringing this along to Fiesta Friday!
Woooooow
I just made my first pho a couple of weeks ago, but with pork. I spent three days on the stock. Now I am ready to try this chicken version which looks perfect. Thanks for posting.
oh my god!! I am legitimately inlove!!!! I love pho but theres NO place to get some here! So pinning this and I HAVE to make this (hot weather or not!!)
No place to get pho near you? How sad!! I hope you try it!
The Star Anis looks beautiful in this soup.
You’r amazing and make every recipe look so simple! I’ve never made Pho, but will now!
Aw, thank you Renee! It’s much easy than I thought it would be, you should definitely try!
I finally found a crock pot in Italy, so I will be making this recipe very soon.
Yay!
This looks so delicious and I LOVE crockpot meals!! Thanks for posting 🙂
Thank you, Chrissie!
Dishes like this are my favourite thing to eat but never thought of doing them in a slow cooker, I may very well have to give it a try when we are off out on a jolly, the chicken would taste wonderful steeping for all that time!
It’s amazing- I hope you do try it!
I love crock pot meals. I must make this one! Looks so good!
Thanks, Diane! 🙂
Okay, so I think I could do this — I’ve never tried making pho because it seemed too complicated. Your directions are great – adding to the must-make list! 🙂
It was surprisingly easy, for sure! I hope you make it soon, you wont be disappointed! 🙂
I need this in my life, it would help the cold that I am battling, pinning for later!
Your step by step photos are awesome. I am pinning this to try because it looks absolutely scrumptious and something I would love. 🙂
Thanks so much, Christine! 🙂
I can’t wait to try this! I make some bone broth this week and now I have a good use for it. I recently made some chicken soup with an herbal loose tea that my friend sells and it had some of the same spices. I’m addicted to how much flavor they add. Pinning.
Oooh homemade bone broth.. amazing. So many delicious soups in your future! 😉
I have pinned this recipe Tracy! I could eat pho everyday and crock pot pho is even more wonderful. I am sure to make this soon.
Thank you so much! 🙂
Oh my, I think I am actually drooling. I’ve just started getting into slow cooking regularly and tried chicken last week for the first time, I was expecting it to just taste boiled but it was so tender. Since then I’ve been looking for more exciting recipes and this one fits the bill. Pinned and bookmarked! Though might try cheating and cook the whole chicken in the sauce rather then adding stock on then just the breast.
Hi Tracy,
I could eat pho for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s probably one of my favorite foods in the world. I’ve only made it on the stove top, so I’m really curious to give your crock pot version a try. Now to go and dust off my crock pot.
Hey Ann! Oh my gosh me too – it’s one of my ultimate comfort foods! I hope you like it just as much as your stove top version!
This is lovely! I really need to embrace my slow cooker! This looks amazing and I love a yummy bowl of pho! Nice!
Thanks, Patricia! 🙂
I’m a big fan of pho! I’d be really proud of myself if I made homemade pho. 🙂
You can be with this easy recipe! 😀
Hey Tracy,
What are your thoughts on doubling this recipe? I have a family of 5 and live for left overs lol!!!
Cheers,
Jess
Hi Jess! Oh, if you have a crock pot to fit it (or even better two!), then yes on doubling!! 😀
I would love to try this, but I have a fish allergy. Any recommendations for substituting fish sauce?
Hi Maria! You could try a combo of soy and Worcestershire sauce! Maybe 50/50? That should provide the saltiness and a similar flavor to the fish sauce without the fish! Let me know how that works! Otherwise, if you want to get really fancy, you could make your own Vegan Fish Sauce – the kitchn has a recipe for it! http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-vegan-fish-sauce-130535
Our household loves pho but I’be always been too intimidated to try to make it. You made it easy and fabulous! A huge success. We loved every single drop. We live in Germany and great Asian food has been hard to find. No need to search for pho now! Thank you!!!
Oh that’s so good to hear, Angela!! Thank you so much for making it and I’m so glad you all loved it! 😀
Have you ever tried clarifying your broth? I always make broth with the Thanksgiving turkey carcass. I also make it more often. In my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook it says to mix one crushed egg shell, the raw egg white, and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl Add this to the strained broth. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat; let stand 5 min. Strain again with strainer lined with cheesecloth. I am always amazed that I end up with beautiful, clear, amber liquid. Please let me know if you try this.
I haven’t, Lee but I LOVE this. I’m definitely going to try it with the next batch, thank you SO much!! I will update my Chicken Broth post with it when I do – thank you!
Unable to print. Crackpot Chicken Pho. What happened.????
Hmmm, I’m not sure, Edna. Maybe try refreshing the browser or trying a different browser?
YUM! I love pho, have been wanting to make it at home for awhile but haven’t yet. Now I must! I love that this is so easy to make in the crock pot!
I’ve never cooked with star anise before. This is a beautiful dish. It looks so light and clean.
I’ve made chicken and beef pho in my slow cooker, it is just wonderful!
This looks incredible, I’m drooling here! I love anything I can make in the crock pot, but even more so when it’s this delicious!
This sounds great! I wonder if I could make this same recipe, but with pork? Do you think it would work?
Looking forward to beef pho recipe.
Hi Joyce, thanks so much for stopping by! YES. I need to make a beef pho – it’s been on my (looonngg) list but you’ve inspired me to move it to the top! Keep an eye out for it (hopefully) soon! 😀
All was well up until the green mustard stuffs. No, just no. Also missing grilled ginger and onion.
Your quantities are off between the step-by-step photos and the instructions. Also, your instructions at the bottom leave out what’s to be done with the ginger.
Hi Evad,
Thank you! Yes, you’re right I had adjusted the brown sugar amount and clove count in my recipe and forgot to change the text! Thanks for pointing that out so I could fix it! The ginger was there hiding in the list of all the ingredients in the first step 🙂
Hi Tracy, Traci here 🙂 I really need to use Star Anise in my pho next time I make it. I have some on hand but forget I have it. And I know I’m missing out, so thank you for the great recipe! I’ll be sure to give it a go! 🙂
I absolutely love Pho! It’s one of my top favorite soups in the whole world – a lot more than ramen or uddon. Looks absolutely delicious and just perfect for this weather ♥
This actually looks super delicious! I’ve got to try this this weekend 🙂
I love chicken pho and make it at least once a week these days. I never thought of doing it your way, but will try it next time. I think so I would try it with asian basil such as thai basil or sweet tulsi basil. =)
YUM! Love everything about this. Pho is my fav soup — and this homemade version looks perfect!
LOVE the step by step photos, this looks absolutely delicious!
This is such a great recipe. Who needs take out when you can make food like this at home. The leftovers would be amazing too. Homemade is best, tastes delicious and save you money too.
I’m addicted to pho and have been eating a bunch of chicken pho at restaurants lately. I’m so glad to have found you recipe so I can now easily make it at home! So happy to see you’ve made the stock from scratch! ?
I can barely stand all that fresh yumminess in one bowl! All that green makes such an inviting dish. It can be hard to beat favorite restaurant flavors but it’s an amazing feeling when we come close!
Is this pho real?!? Lol. I adore pho, and we finally got a really great pho place here, BUT– this sounds like a pho-nomenal idea! I neeeeeed!!!
I love this easy Pho recipe. Noodle and brothy soups are definitely my weakness. Your step by step photos are very helpful so I am definitely saving this for later. Thanks for sharing your recipes.
I haven’t had pho in at least a decade. We use to eat it a lot while at university. All the additions of star anise and ginger and fish sauce look like the broth is extremely flavourful. And I love that it’s made in a slow cooker. What a wonderful idea
Shoot… It’s already 1:00 — too late to start making the pho for tonight… I’ll have to put the chicken back in the fridge and get this into the crock pot tomorrow morning… I have everything but the star anise (yes — even homemade stock, I just made), this looks and sounds so good. I can’t wait for dinner tomorrow night!
I’ve been wanting to make chicken pho at home for so long now! This looks crazy delicious and quite easy. Can’t wait to give it a go!
I love a good bowl of pho! I love that your recipe can be made right in the crockpot, makes it much easier for me to prep and forget. Thanks for sharing!!
Considering there are no great pho places near my house (or any pho places), I think being able to make pho at home in my slow cooker is a win/win! And your pictures look so good. I’m hungry now! Could I use chicken thighs or legs instead of the breast meat? I really love dark meat in the slow cooker.
I’m a sucker for any meal I can do in the crock pot really, but this one looks especially scrumptious. I just had pho for the first time last week and I’m already anxious to have it again. Thank goodness I’ve come across this recipe to make it myself! 😉
This pho looks phenomenal. I love the amazing flavors, and yes, it makes a huge difference to use really quality broth and homemade is always the best. And I love that it can be made in a crockpot!
I definitely do not use my slow cooker often enough, and this recipe is such incentive for me to get it out! I absolutely love star anise. The aroma of this cooking must be incredible in the kitchen. What a great dinner for a chilly night!
Fantastic idea to have the chicken all day in that aromatic broth. I do love a good slow cooker meal, to come home too. i also want a bowl of this right now for the cold London weather.
You just mean 10 star anise pegs/segments. I only used one whole star and that was enough flavor for me. I found the spices to be nice and “warming” but almost too strong. I would probably use a small cinnamon stick and half as many cloves. Delicious, otherwise! Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Amanda! I’m so glad you tried it and like it! Actually, I did mean 10 whole star anise, but if you like it with less, that’s great! That’s the wonderful thing about recipes is that you can adjust them to your taste 🙂
Can this recipe be done on the high setting?? How long would it take to finish??
Hi Nicole! Yup! I’d do it on high for 4 hrs. Enjoy!
This looks delicious! I made a chicken pho last night but I did not use star anise, sugar or the bok choy but I def will next time!!! 🙂
Delicious!! I used store bought stock, so next time I’ll use less anise. But I cannot wait to make this again!! Thank you.
So awesome to hear, Amanda!!! Check out the new Crock Pot Beef Pho, too! 😀
Approximately how many servings does this make?
Hi Ashley! It will make about 4 large bowls – which the way we eat pho, that’s enough for about 4 people 🙂
I made this today and it was amazing. Just like going to get it at a restaurant.!
That’s great to hear Deb!! So glad you enjoyed it.
Made this today, it was so good and a perfect way to celebrate a relaxed New Year!
That’s soooo wonderful to hear, Kate!! Happy New Year! Cheers to a 2019 with more pho in it! 😜
Great Pho recipe. I can’t wait to try this and have my house smell so good from all the spices.
Pho is one of my husband’s favorite dishes. I totally need to make this for him, thanks!
I adore my slow cooker and I’m always on the lookout for new recipes to try in it. Thanks for sharing this.
My mouth started watering before I even finished reading the title! This looks so amazing!
I love making recipes from scratch and this one looks so delicious! Thank you for sharing!
From scratch is the best – thank you!
Homemade stock for homemade pho is the stuff of dreams. It looks and sounds amazing!
Thanks, Kellie!
I love soups so every time I see recipes like this I want to try it. I’m definitely gonna try this on the weekend. Thank you so much!
That’s great, Santini!! Enjoy!
Great looking pho! I can smell it through my screen! I have been looking for soups that I can make for my grandmother, and this pho looks so good and easy for her to consume and digest. Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe, Tracy!
Thank you, Yang! I hope you and your grandmother enjoy it!
Crock pot dishes are the best! Id like to add a little more ginger to this for its known health benefits. I hope the taste wont be as strong.
https://myeasychoices.com/health-benefits-of-ginger/
So want to try this dish for this week but have questions on what I can use (from pantry) and what is a non-negotiable change.
Forgive me for my non-culinary knowledge.
I have Udon noodles already but concerned a Japanese noodle won’t work with with the Vietnamese dish. Should I still use them? Second I only bought 3 star anise vs. the 10 because of sticker shock ($178 each) and didn’t have the recipe on me. Is that too little quantity? Where should I order them from because of their $$$ price? Lastly, how long do cinnimon sticks stay good for? I have some from a couple of years back. Should I toss or use?
Hi Johana! Great questions! Udon noodles are a much thicker noodle and made of wheat and not rice. You can use them – but they’ll take longer to cook and also will taste different, but probably still good! They will soak up a LOT more broth though, so you’ll end up with less broth. I hope you meant $1.78 each! But even still that’s super expensive! You can find them on Amazon for muccchhh less. The anise definitely adds a lot of the flavor, but sometimes people find it strong so maybe you’ll like it with just the three! For the cinnamon, I’d still use them! In the stick form (not ground) they last a lot longer. I hope this helps!