Chicken broth is slowly steeped with cinnamon, cloves, ginger and other Asian pantry staples then poured over rice noodles and topped with shredded chicken.
This recipe represents everything I love at dinnertime: slow cooker recipes, chicken recipes and Asian-inspired recipes. Vietnamese Slow Cooker Chicken Pho is the ultimate healthy weeknight dinner recipe that doesn’t taste a thing like health food.
Chicken broth is slowly steeped with cinnamon, cloves, ginger and other Asian pantry staples then poured over rice noodles and topped with shredded rotisserie chicken before serving. Of course that’s just the beginning. Anyone who has ever ordered pho in a Vietnamese restaurant knows that this soup is all about the toppings!
On this particular evening I topped my bowl with cilantro, bean sprouts, lime wedges, thinly sliced onions and jalapeño slices but the options are limitless. Try hoisin sauce, Sriracha, Thai basil or any other fresh herb you have on hand. This rich and flavorful Slow Cooker Chicken Pho is going to be your new go-to weeknight dinner recipe!
Your spoon is waiting.
Slow Cooker Chicken Pho
Ingredients
- 8 cups chicken stock low sodium
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce low sodium
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 inch piece lemon peel
- 1 cinnamon stick or 1 teaspoon ground
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 star of anise
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 8 ounces rice noodles cooked according to package instructions
- 12 ounces shredded cooked chicken breast such as rotisserie
- Optional Toppings: bean sprouts cilantro, jalapeno slices, hoisin sauce, sriracha, thinly sliced onion, lime wedges
Instructions
- Place the first 11 ingredients in a slow cooker (chicken broth through pepper) and heat on High for 4 hours or Low for 8 hours.
- Using a fine mesh strainer, pour cooked chicken broth over a large soup pot to remove the lemon peel, cinnamon stick and other spices from the broth; discard remnants.
- To serve, divide noodles evenly between four bowls and top with 3 ounces of cooked chicken in each bowl. Ladle two cups warm chicken broth over each bowl and serve with optional toppings.
Video
Want more delicious Asian-inspired recipes? Check out my Pinterest board!
Lisa F.
September 2, 2018 at 10:50 amLiz,
I have a question about the cinnamon sticks. What is 1 tsp cinnamon sticks? Do I just grind up a cinnamon stick to make 1 tsp or can I use ground? It looks like it needs to be removed with the cloth, so just wondering if 1 tsp is one whole stick or what you would advise. Thank You!!!!
Liz DellaCroce
September 3, 2018 at 2:23 pmShould say 1 cinnamon stick or one teaspoon ground! Revised the recipe, sorry for the confusion!
Amy Morris
March 2, 2018 at 5:32 pmIs out really 1 tsp ground cloves? Even 1 tsp whole cloves seems likes a lot.
Liz DellaCroce
March 3, 2018 at 3:13 pmApologies Amy – it’s 1/4 teaspoon. Great catch!!
Amy Morris
March 3, 2018 at 4:50 pmThanks so much. I used a few whole cloves and added some coins of fresh ginger too. Turned out delicious and will be a regular meal grim now on!
Liz DellaCroce
March 5, 2018 at 12:03 pmSo happy you enjoyed it!!
Julia
February 24, 2018 at 4:32 pmI don’t have a slow cooker. I do have a large stock pot. Should I keep it on low burner for the same amount of time? Should I add more liquid?
Liz DellaCroce
February 25, 2018 at 8:11 amYou can definitely use a large stock pot. You won’t need to add too much water, but keep an eye on it. I would do it for at least 8 hours for the best flavor.
LesLee Eicher
January 29, 2018 at 11:57 pmSO. Good! My first time eating or making pho, and now I think I’m addicted. Such an interesting blend of flavors, and oh so comforting!
Liz DellaCroce
February 2, 2018 at 2:45 pmI’m so so so happy!!!!
Fern Mulholland
October 18, 2017 at 10:54 amThis sounds great – we love pho! I was wondering if ground coriander can be used instead of the seeds, since that is what I have in the house. Or possibly 5-spice? Thanks!
Liz DellaCroce
October 19, 2017 at 10:24 amYes absolutely! You could also use 5-spice but go sparingly with it.
Alyssa | EverydayMaven
October 18, 2017 at 12:21 amLove the idea of making Pho in the slow cooker!
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes)
October 17, 2017 at 7:04 pmThis pho looks great!!
Lindsay @ The Live-In Kitchen
October 16, 2017 at 2:08 pmLooks perfect for this time of year!
Liz DellaCroce
October 16, 2017 at 8:42 pmIt really is!
Dee
September 5, 2017 at 11:04 pmHi Liz,
Would it work if I added 2-3 raw chicken breasts to the skow cooker at the beginning? Would I need to add more / less broth? Many thanks!
Liz DellaCroce
September 6, 2017 at 12:25 pmThat would work great – no need to add more broth unless you want to have more!
Leslie
February 13, 2017 at 1:30 pmHi Liz, this one is awesome! I’ve featured it in my new post and I hope it’s okay!
Liz DellaCroce
February 15, 2017 at 12:44 pmOf course!!
Karen
January 6, 2017 at 10:37 amI’m a little late to the party but just saw this pin. It sounds delicious and I’ve heard that Pho has a lot of health benefits. My question is about the nutrition facts displayed…is that seriously for one serving or is that for the full recipe?
Liz DellaCroce
January 6, 2017 at 3:17 pmNot late at all!! The 422 calories is for one serving including protein and noodles. It’s very filling and satisfying! If you want the sodium to go down you can use homemade chicken broth, unsalted chicken breasts or reduce the soy sauce/fish sauce.
Kate
September 26, 2016 at 9:22 amPho is a family favorite and this one looks much easier to pull off than typical Pho recipes. Thanks Liz!
Liz DellaCroce
September 26, 2016 at 1:39 pmI hope you try this and love it!
Lavues
September 21, 2016 at 11:01 amExcellent! That looks really delicious, love that!
Liz DellaCroce
September 23, 2016 at 9:20 amThank you!