Chicken pho

Clear, spiced chicken broth over rice noodles with fresh herbs. The home version, ready in under two hours.

How many people are eating

Written for 4. Everything below is scaled to 4.

What goes on the list — untick anything you have

2.5 lb Bone-in chicken thighs(or a whole small chicken)
32 oz Chicken broth(low sodium)
14 oz Flat rice noodles(thin pho noodles (banh pho); Walmart international aisle or Asian market)
2 Yellow onion
4 inches Fresh ginger
4 Star anise(Walmart spice aisle or Hispanic spice bags; Asian market has the biggest bags)
4 Whole cloves· most people have this
1 Cinnamon stick· most people have this
1 tbsp Coriander seeds(optional)
8 oz Bean sprouts
1 bunch Thai basil(Asian market; or regular basil)
1 bunch Fresh cilantro
1 bunch Green onions
1 Jalapeño
2 Limes
3 tbsp Fish sauce(Walmart Asian foods aisle, or Three Crabs at an Asian market. Swap: salt to taste, though the broth will be flatter)
4 tbsp Hoisin sauce(for the table)
4 tbsp Sriracha(for the table)
1 tbsp Sugar(rock sugar from an Asian market is traditional)· most people have this
1 tsp Salt· most people have this

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How to cook it · about 110 minutes

Char the aromatics: halve the onions (skin on) and the ginger lengthwise. Set them cut-side up under a hot broiler, or directly on a gas burner, for 8 to 10 minutes until blackened in spots. Rinse off the loosest burnt skin.
Toast the star anise, cloves, cinnamon and coriander seeds in a dry large pot over medium heat for 2 minutes until fragrant.
Add the chicken, charred onion and ginger, the broth and 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, then turn down to a bare simmer for 45 minutes. Do not let it boil hard, or the broth turns cloudy.
Lift out the chicken and let it cool. Keep the broth simmering. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat and drop the bones back in the pot for 30 minutes more.
Strain the broth and season it with the fish sauce, sugar and salt. It should taste slightly too salty on its own, because the noodles are plain.
Soak the noodles in hot tap water for 20 minutes, then dip them in boiling water for 30 seconds and drain. Slice the green onions, jalapeño and limes, and pile the herbs and sprouts on a plate.
Put noodles and shredded chicken in each bowl and ladle the boiling broth over the top. Everyone adds herbs, sprouts, lime, jalapeño, hoisin and sriracha at the table.

Amounts are on the list above — they change with the number of people; the steps do not.