Chicken Pho Recipe

Ingredients:

• For the Broth:
• 2 lb chicken thighs, bone-in
• 1 three-inch piece of ginger (approx. 1.5 oz)
• 1 onion, halved
• 5 whole star anise
• 5 whole cloves
• 1/4 tsp coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 lb leeks, dark green and roots removed, sliced crosswise
• 20 garlic cloves
• 4 lemongrass stalks, cut into 4-inch pieces and smashed
• 1/4 Fuji apple or 1/2 oz Chinese rock sugar
• 1 tsp of salt
• 3 Tbsp fish sauce
• Noodles and Toppings:
• 10 oz pho rice noodles, uncooked
• Herbs (Thai basil, cilantro, and mint)
• Mung beans or bean sprouts
• Sliced chiles (Thai bird or jalapeño)
• Lime wedges
• Sriracha or hoisin sauce, optional

Directions:

1. Place chicken in a large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cook for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat; drain and rinse the chicken—this helps create a clear broth. Rinse pot, return chicken to pot, and set aside.
2. In a dry skillet over medium-high heat, char the ginger and set aside until it has cooled to peel it. Add the onion to the skillet cut-side down. Cook until charred, flip and cook until the skin gets black spots; set aside. Add the spices to the skillet (star anise, cloves, coriander seeds, peppercorns, and cinnamon stick) and toast until fragrant, approximately 45 seconds. Remove from heat.
3. Add charred peeled ginger and onion and toasted spices to pot with chicken (at this point, you could use a slow cooker instead). Add the leeks, garlic cloves, lemongrass, and apple. Add 2.5 quarts of water, enough to cover meat and vegetables, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer gently for at least 2 hours. (For the slow cooker, cook on low for 8 hours or overnight).
4. Using tongs, remove the chicken to a bowl. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken and discard bones.
5. Skim fat from the broth, strain broth into a bowl. Season with salt and fish sauce. You can serve it hot or chill for future use. It will keep up to 4 days in the refrigerator or a couple of months in the freezer. Bring it to a boil before serving.
6. Prepare the noodles and toppings: • Cook noodles according to package directions; once al dente, drain and keep in room temperature water. • Rinse the herbs and mung beans or bean sprouts. Arrange with sliced chiles and lime wedges on a platter.
7. To serve, place a portion of drained noodles in each bowl with a serving of shredded chicken. Top with piping hot broth and add desired toppings or let each guest garnish their own.
8. BROTH SHORTCUTS:
9. With Prepared Bone Broth: You’ll need 2 quarts of high-quality bone broth and shredded cooked chicken (rotisserie chicken works well).
10. Follow step 2 above. Then, in a large pot, add charred ginger and onion, toasted spices, apple, and bone broth plus 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer gently for 45 minutes to an hour.
11. Strain the broth and season with fish sauce and salt. Then follow steps 6 and 7.
12. With Ready-to-Heat Pho Broth: Heat 8 cups of prepared pho broth or broth made from pho concentrate (find a selection of high-quality options at Metropolitan Market). Follow steps 6 and 7 above.