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Chicken Pho

John Amundson
Jan 12, 2018
3 min read

So this recipe underwent a lot of stages before becoming what it is now. Originally I was just going to use leftover chicken and broth I'd made from the bones to make a simple chicken and lemongrass soup for my baby when she got home from work.

Then I started asking myself "I wonder what it would taste like if..." and I ended up adding about 15 different herbs and spices to the broth. The lemongrass and lime leaves felt rather Vietnamese so I seasoned it with fish sauce and it came out tasting quite a bit like Pho broth.

It would be best if you can get all the spices used. However, if you can't, it's not the end of the world. Kaffir lime leaves can be found at Asian grocery stores and online, as can black cardamom and licorice root. I actually bought all three from the same store last week.

The last thing before getting on to the recipe is that if you can, try to find Vietnamese fish sauce. It's generally both higher quality and more expensive ($9-12) than the Thai fish sauce sold in most grocery stores. It has a stronger umami and less unpleasant fishiness. It's also, at least according to the bottle, higher in protein, if you care about that. Once again I got mine at an Asian grocery store, but you can also buy it online. It's worth the investment.

Now onto the recipe. You'll need:

1 tbsp olive oil

Aromatics/Spices 4 lemongrass stalks, lower third only 2 inch piece of ginger, julienned 4 kaffir lime leaves 1 bay leaf 5 pieces licorice root 3 star anise 3 pieces dried tangerine peel 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp white peppercorns 1 tbsp pink peppercorns 2 tbsp rock sugar 4 cloves 2 black cardamom pods, slightly crushed 1 cinnamon stick 5 sprigs cilantro 2 shallots, chopped Broth 12 cups homemade or low sodium chicken broth 3 tbsp fish sauce (preferably Vietnamese) Salt or more fish sauce to taste Toppings Leftover chicken (I used thigh meat but really it can be anything) Vermicelli bean thread noodles Chopped cilantro Chopped green onion Lime wedges Sriracha Hoisin

Add all the aromatics and the oil to a medium stockpot and fry them for a few minutes. Be careful not to let anything burn or you'll have to start over and throw away all those precious spices.

Yeah I know there's no shallots in the picture. I added them after and forgot to photograph it :(

Next, add the chicken broth and bring it to a boil, then turn down and simmer it for a few hours. The longer it simmers, the more the flavor of the spices will be in the broth.

Skim all the yucky foam that's collected off the top. It's okay if you take a peppercorn or two with it, you're straining them out of the broth anyways. Add the fish sauce. If it's not salty enough, add more, or just use salt since fish sauce is expensive. Now simmer the broth some more while you prepare your noodles.

Put the noodles in the bowls you'll be serving them in and pour boiling water over them. Let them soak until your broth is ready, then drain the water out.

You may notice the noodles are dry in the picture. That's because I'm an idiot and thought the broth would cook the noodles. It didn't. Cook the noodles ahead of time please.

Top your bowls with the chopped cilantro, green onion, limes, and chicken. Bring the broth to a boil and ladel it through a sieve into the bowls. Add Sriracha and Hoisin to taste.