Vietnamese Chicken Pho

Vietnamese Chicken Pho

I used two recipes as my inspiration, from Smitten Kitchen and Splendid Table.

To cut the time and complexity of making pho at home, whip up stock in large batches and freeze it. It’s great to have on hand for all kinds of recipes, and greatly cuts the steps down for this one. If you’re in a pinch, you can use a store-bought low sodium chicken stock.

Stock
4 quarts water
3 pounds chicken wings
3 1/2 pound chicken, quartered
2 unpeeled onions, quartered
3 1/2-inch pieces unpeeled ginger, smashed
1 tablespoon kosher salt

Broth
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 to 3 inch fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
6 whole cloves
1 star anise
fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce
6 to 8 ounces pho rice noodles

Serve alongside the soup:
3 scallions, sliced thinly
bunch of cilantro leaves
several sprigs of herbs (mint, basil, etc)
bunch of bean sprouts
2 jalapenos, thinly sliced and de-seeded
limes, quartered
Hoisin sauce
Sriracha

To make stock:
Fill a large stockpot with water. Add the chicken wings and quarters, onions, ginger and salt. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let simmer until the chicken is cooked, about 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken quarters from the pot and place on a plate. Remove the meat from the bones and refrigerate for addition to the pho later. Put the scraps and bones back into the pot and simmer for another 2 hours. Strain the stock into a soup pot. If saving for later use, allow to cool then transfer to containers for storing.

To make broth:
Place the onion, garlic, ginger, cloves and anise in a single layer on a foil lined baking sheet. Grind some pepper over top. Broil on high for about 5 minutes, turning once. Scrape these into a large pot.

Add the broth, sugar, fish sauce and shredded reserved chicken. Stir all together and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

To make soup:
Cook rice noodles according to the instructions on the package. Place cooked noodles in bowls. Sprinkle in scallions and cilantro. Ladle in broth to cover. Use tongs to pull out chicken and place in the bowls.

Serve piping hot alongside the herbs, sprouts, jalapenos, limes and sauces.