Pho is my death row meal. It is the food I’ve probably eaten the most of on tour, and while I love the best of it, I’ll still relish the most mediocre bowl. Despite this, it’s a food which for a long time I thought it impossible to make at home in a satisfying or practical way. And for beef pho, this remains true. But chicken is a different story.
Yes, you do need a pressure cooker or Instant Pot for this recipe. If you don’t have one, but do have 3 hours to spare, check out Deb Perlman’s excellent chicken pho recipe on Smitten Kitchen. But, assuming you do, here is one SERIOUSLY Satisfying chicken soup, truly ready in under an hour.
Serves 4
45 minutes
1/2 Lb. dried rice noodles (“Banh Pho” or similar)
1 Whole chicken
1 Yellow Onion, unpeeled, cut in half
1 3” piece of ginger, unpeeled, cut in half hamburger style
1 head of garlic, unpeeled, cut in half hamburger style (yes, right through the middle)
1 Tbsp. whole coriander seeds (or 1 tsp ground, whole is preferred)
1 whole star anise pod
3 Tbsp. Brown sugar
1/4 cup fish sauce
Salt and MSG to taste
White pepper to taste
To serve:
any combination of basil, cilantro, mint, scallion. The more the merrier
(optional) thinly sliced onion
(optional) 2-3 shallots, thinly sliced, fried until light brown, salted and drained (makes it less of a weeknight meal but fresh fried shallots are insanely good)
Sriracha (optional but recommended)
Place noodles in a large bowl and cover with the hottest water available from the tap. Prepare other ingredients while noodles soak.
Move the oven rack to the highest position and turn on the broiler. Place the onion, garlic and ginger cut side up on a sheet pan and char under the broiler until blackened in spots. Garlic will go fast, the onions take longer. Remove as needed, and add to the pressure cooker.
Break down the chicken, saving the breasts for another use. Place the legs and thighs along with the carcass, neck, and wings in the pressure cooker, along with the coriander, anise, and any cilantro stems or scallion whites you have from your herbs.
Cover with water to the 2/3 mark and pressure cook on High for 18 minutes. Remove pot from heat and shock under cold running water until pressure is released*. While the broth cooks, prepare the herbs for serving.
Carefully remove the legs and thighs from the broth with tongs, shred, and set aside. Strain the rest of the contents of the pressure cooker through a fine mesh sieve into a pot. Make sure it is at least 6 quarts. Discard the solids.
Season the strained broth with fish sauce, salt, MSG (if you have it - recommended) and brown sugar. Add in increments, tasting for sweetness and salty-savoriness. It may take more of both than written. Salty should be the lead flavor, with sweet in a supporting role, and it should be a little too salty, as the bland noodles will dilute it. Have courage. Once seasoned, add a few light dashes of white pepper.
Return the broth to a boil, while portioning the noodles into bowls along with the shredded chicken. Ladle the hot broth over the noodles and chicken (this will help the noodles finish cooking) and serve with the chopped herbs, onion or fired shallot (optional) and sriracha.
*I’m not sure you can do this with an Instant Pot. If it’s not an option, just use the valve to release the pressure. the broth will not be as clear, but will otherwise be the same.