A Spoon Full of Lovin'

INGREDIENTS

4 boneless chicken breasts

2 tbls. olive oil

2 large onions, quartered

1 2″ piece of fresh ginger, Scrape the skin off of the ginger with the back side of a spoon and cut the ginger into 1/2″ pieces

4 cardamon pods, lightly crushed

1 cinnamon stick

1 tbl. coriander seeds

3 star anise pods

5 cloves garlic, peeled

1 tsp. fennel seeds

1 tsp. whole cloves

8 cups chicken stock

1 apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2″ pieces

1 bunch cilantro

1/4 cup fish sauce

2 tbls. brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Red pepper flakes, to taste

14 oz. rice noodles

Toppings for the Pho:

Lime, cut into wedges

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

Fresh basil

Fresh beans sprouts

This is not a traditional chicken pho. It is much easier to prepare, takes less time and is soooo good!

Since this recipe has so many spices and ingredients, I would suggest getting all ingredients together and then start making the chicken pho.

Add the olive oil to a large pot. Once the oil gets hot, add the onions, apples and ginger. Brown the onions, apples and ginger for a few minutes, just until everything gets a nice char to them.

Add the cardamom, cinnamon stick, coriander, star anise, garlic, fennel and cloves for just a minute or so, until the mixture becomes fragrant. 

Add the chicken, chicken stock, entire bunch of cilantro, fish sauce and brown sugar. Cover and simmer for an hour or so.

Remove chicken and let cool. Strain the broth and add kosher salt and red pepper flakes to taste. Skim excess fat off the top of the broth.

Shred the chicken is cool enough to handle.

Prepare the rice noodles according to manufacturer’s directions. Drain the rice noodles and put a serving in each bowl. On top of the noodles, add the shredded chicken and then fill each bowl with the broth. Top with the fresh basil and fresh bean sprouts. Serve with lime wedges on the side.