90-Minute Chicken Pho with Poached Whole Chicken

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

One whole chicken does double duty here: it gives you a clean, golden broth and a pile of silky shredded meat in the same pot. Charred onion and ginger plus a small handful of toasted spices build the deep, faintly sweet aroma of a good bowl of pho ga, and the whole thing comes together in about 90 minutes — no overnight bone stock, no specialty shop run. Ladle it over soft rice noodles and finish at the table with herbs, lime, chili and a hit of fish sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, 3½–4 lb, giblets removed
• 4 quarts cold water
• 2 medium yellow onions, halved through the root
• 1 piece fresh ginger, 4-inch, halved lengthwise
• 4 star anise pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 2 scallions, roots trimmed, whole
• 1 small bunch cilantro stems (save leaves for serving)
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1½ tablespoons yellow rock sugar (or 1 tbsp granulated sugar)
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce, plus more to taste

• 14 ounces dried flat rice noodles (banh pho), small or medium width
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• ¼ small white or red onion, sliced paper-thin
• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

• 1 cup mung bean sprouts
• 1 handful Thai basil sprigs
• 1 handful cilantro leaves
• 2 limes, cut into wedges
• 1 jalapeño or 2 Thai chiles, thinly sliced
• Hoisin sauce and sriracha, for dipping

Instructions

1. Set a rack 6 inches under the broiler and heat it to high. Put the halved onions and ginger cut-side up on a foil-lined sheet pan and broil 8–12 minutes, until blackened in patches and fragrant. (No broiler? Char them cut-side down in a dry skillet over high heat for 6–8 minutes.) Scrape off any burnt papery skin and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, toast the star anise, cinnamon, cloves, coriander and fennel in a dry small skillet over medium heat, shaking often, for 2–3 minutes until you can smell them clearly. Tip into a tea ball, spice bag, or a square of cheesecloth tied with string — this keeps the broth clear and lets you pull the spices before they turn bitter.
3. Rinse the chicken inside and out under cold water, then put it breast-side up in a large 8-quart pot. Add the 4 quarts cold water; it should just cover the bird. Bring to a boil over high heat, uncovered, and skim off the gray foam that rises for the first 3–4 minutes.
4. Add the charred onion and ginger, the spice bundle, whole scallions, cilantro stems, salt and rock sugar. Lower the heat until the broth is at a bare simmer — a lazy bubble every second or two, around 185–195°F. Cook uncovered for 35 minutes, skimming occasionally. Do not let it boil hard or the broth will turn cloudy.
5. Check the chicken: a thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh should read 170°F and the juices should run clear. Lift the whole bird out with tongs and a spider or two large spoons and transfer it to a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes to stop the cooking and firm the skin, then drain and set on a cutting board.
6. Remove the spice bundle from the pot and discard it. Pull all the meat off the chicken in large pieces and set it aside; return every bone, the back, and the skin (or discard the skin if you want a leaner broth) to the pot. Simmer gently, uncovered, for another 30 minutes to deepen the broth.
7. While the broth finishes, shred the reserved chicken meat with your fingers into bite-size strips. Cover and keep at room temperature. Soak the rice noodles in hot tap water for 20 minutes so they soften and cook in seconds later.
8. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pot, pressing gently on the solids; discard the solids. You should have about 10–11 cups. Stir in the fish sauce and taste: it should be savory, faintly sweet, and just a touch saltier than you'd want to sip on its own, since the noodles will dilute it. Adjust with more fish sauce, salt or a pinch of sugar. Keep at a low simmer.
9. Bring a separate large pot of water to a rolling boil. Drain the soaked noodles and boil in batches for 30–60 seconds, just until tender with no chalky center. Drain well and divide among 4 large warmed bowls.
10. Top each bowl of noodles with a quarter of the shredded chicken, sliced scallions, thin raw onion and a pinch of white pepper. Ladle 2½ cups of very hot broth over each bowl — it should be near boiling so it heats the noodles and meat through.
11. Serve immediately with a platter of bean sprouts, Thai basil, cilantro, lime wedges and sliced chile, plus small dishes of hoisin and sriracha for dipping the chicken. Let everyone tear in the herbs and squeeze lime to taste.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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