Phở Gà (Chicken Pho)
The broth is the thing here: simmering wings and drumsticks draws out the very essence of chicken, while toasted spices and charred onions, jalapeño and ginger bring bitter sweetness and heat. Bone-in chicken not only results in more flavorful meat to eat with rice noodles, but also lends body and depth to the soup.
Ingredients
- 2 yellow onions
- 1 small bunch cilantro
- 1 jalapeño
- 8 whole star anise
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp. black peppercorns
- One 4-inch piece fresh ginger, scrubbed and sliced
- 2-½ pounds chicken drumsticks and wings
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1 tbsp. Chinese rock sugar or 2 tsp. granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp. fish sauce, plus more to taste
- 14 to 16 ounces ¼-inch dried rice noodles
- Bean sprouts and fresh basil leaves, for serving
- Lime wedges, hoisin and Sriracha, for serving
Instructions
- Trim the brown root ends off the onions but keep the clean part of the root intact.
- Quarter the onions lengthwise with their skins on and through the roots so the wedges stay connected.
- Trim the stems off the cilantro and tie with kitchen string; save the leaves with tender stems for serving.
- Trim and reserve both ends of the jalapeño; thinly slice the remaining chile and save for serving.
- In a large pot,over medium heat, toast the star anise, cloves, cinnamon and peppercorns until fragrant; 2 to 3 minutes; transfer to a medium bowl.
- Place the onions, ginger and reserved jalapeño ends in the pot; increase the heat to medium-high; char, turning occasionally, until evenly charred; 5 to 7 minutes; transfer to the spice bowl.
- Add the chicken, 1 tablespoon salt and 6 cups water to the pot; increase the heat to high; bring to a boil; reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer; skim off and discard the foam and dirty bits on the surface.
- Add the spices and charred vegetables to the pot, along with the sugar, fish sauce and cilantro stems; cover almost all the way and simmer gently, on the lowest heat setting possible, until the chicken is cooked through; about 35 minutes.
- Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a sieve and rinse under cold water to help keep the meat from turning gray and to make it cool enough to handle.
- Slip the meat off the bones and place the meat in a bowl.
- Return the bones and skin to the broth; when it returns to a simmer, taste and add more fish sauce or salt if needed.
- The broth should be intensely flavorful, bordering on salty, because the rice noodles will temper its savoriness.
- To prepare this dish ahead, strain the broth and refrigerate it and the chicken meat, in separate containers, for up to 5 days.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add the noodles and cook until pliable but not soft all the way through; about a minute less than the package directions.
- Drain, rinse under cold water until cool; return to the pot.
- Add the chicken meat and pour in the broth through a sieve.
- Bring to a boil, over high heat; divide among serving bowls.
- Top with the bean sprouts, basil and cilantro sprigs and serve with the lime wedges, jalapeño slices, hoisin and Sriracha for seasoning, to taste.
