Deanna's Chicken Pho

When I started this dish, I wasn't sure how it was going to end. Let me explain. Chicken thighs needed to be cooked....so I throw them in the crockpot. Hmmm...now what? Let's go Asian today. Okay so, in goes the onion, garlic, soy, fish sauce, water, ginger & lemongrass.

After about 4 hours, the chicken was done and a wonderful smell permeated the house. I tasted the remaining broth in the crock and determined that it was soup-worthy for sure. Then I started looking up some pho (I THINK you pronounce it "phuh") recipes to see if there were any other flavors missing: Yes, cinnamon and anise. I add a dash of each and voila! Perfect pho (for a beginner like me).

Chicken Pho
2 lbs. chicken thighs, skin removed
3 T. soy
3 T. water
1 T. fish sauce
1 tsp. Sriracha sauce
1/2 onion, chopped
1 inch chunk of ginger, peeled and smooshed
3 garlic cloves, smooshed
1 stalk of lemongrass, cut into 1 inch pieces and smooshed
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
(smooshed means hit with the back of a knife to release the aromas - don't bother chopping)

Throw everything into the crock and cook for about 4 hours or until chicken seems done. Remove chicken from pot and strain out the other solids, saving the broth. Here you can skim the fat off of the broth if you'd like (I did). Put broth back into crockpot. Add about 3 cups of water, a squeeze of lime juice and some rice stick noodles. Pick the chicken off the bones and put back into crock. Cook on low for another hour or until the noodles seem soft. Garnish with green onion, cilantro and slice chile peppers.

This was outstanding and flavorful. I'm not sure if it's a classic pho, but it was my version! Give it a try if you dare.