Gluten Free Chicken Pho

Total time1 hr 20 min

Prep time20 min

Cook time1 hr

Few bowls hit as deeply as a steaming pho built from scratch, and this version delivers every bit of that restaurant-level magic at home. The secret starts with charring the onion and ginger under the broiler and toasting whole spices — star anise, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, and fennel — until the kitchen smells absolutely incredible before a single drop of broth hits the pot. Bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks simmer low and slow in that spiced, aromatic base, producing a broth that's savory, lightly sweet, and genuinely complex. The noodles are dried flat rice noodles, which are naturally wheat-free and soak up the broth beautifully without any substitutions or workarounds needed. One of the trickiest parts of ordering pho out is that soy sauce or wheat-based additives can sneak into the broth, but here every ingredient is straightforward and easy to verify. Each bowl gets finished with fresh cilantro, scallion greens, crunchy bean sprouts, and a squeeze of lime, so the toppings are as vibrant as the broth underneath. This recipe makes four generous servings, and it's the kind of meal that feels like a project worth every single minute.

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the broth

1 large yellow onion, halved through the root
Large Yellow Onion Organic Yellow Onions Kroger® Yellow Onions in 3lb Bag Oragnic Yellow Onions Yellow Onions
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1 piece (3 inches) fresh ginger, halved lengthwise
3 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks)
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
3 whole star anise
1 cinnamon stick (3 inches)
4 whole cloves
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste

For the noodles

8 oz dried flat rice noodles (banh pho, medium width)

For serving

4 scallions, thinly sliced (green tops only)
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 cups bean sprouts
1 lime, cut into wedges
1–2 fresh thai chiles or jalapeños, thinly sliced (optional)
hoisin sauce, for serving (optional)
sriracha, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1
Set your oven broiler to high (or use tongs to hold the onion halves and ginger directly over a gas burner flame). Place the onion halves and ginger cut-side up on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil 4–6 inches from the element for 8–10 minutes, turning once, until the cut surfaces are deeply charred and fragrant.
2
Toast the star anise, cinnamon stick, cloves, coriander seeds, and fennel seeds in a dry small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 2–3 minutes until fragrant and lightly darkened — watch closely, as the spices can scorch quickly.

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