For the past two weeks I have been battling one heck of a cold.  I'm on the tale end of it now, but there is still a tinge of congestion going on and now Parks kind of has the same thing.  I guess it's just the time of year, but I usually pride myself on being someone who doesn't get sick very often!  I guess that is what I get for thinking that, because this one has been a doozy.  One thing that is for sure whenever I am under the weather, a big bowl of pho is always what I crave and almost always makes me feel better instantly!  My homemade chicken pho is easy enough to whip up any day of the week and is sure to cure all of your sniffles!

There are so many healing properties with a bowl of soup like this.  From the homemade broth, the ginger and onion, to the cloves and star anise being good for a cough and congestion, this is the soup you need to be making whether you are feeling under the weather or not!  It just tastes so warm and comforting, especially for a chilly night!  To me, soup is a hug in food form and there isn't anything better!

This is the kind of meal that I want to eat on repeat and I can feel good about feeding my family!  I hope that you will give this recipe a try the next time your pho craving hits because it really is just as good as if you were having a bowl right at your favorite pho spot!

Note: Recipe updated on September 2, 2020.

Ingredients:

• 6 Chicken Thighs (or a whole chicken)

• 1 Onion, diced into large sections

• 1, 5 Inch Piece of Fresh Ginger, chopped into 1 inch sections (skin on)

• 4 Cloves

• 4 Star Anise

• 1 Cinnamon Stick

• 6-8 Cups of Water

• 2 Tsp. Sugar

• 3 Tbsp. Fish Sauce

• 1 Tbsp. Salt

• Rice Noodles

• Shitake Mushrooms (optional)

For Toppings-

• Cilantro

• Basil

• Jalapeno

• Chili Sauce

• Hoisin Sauce

• Lime Wedges

• Bean Sprouts

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

• Place onion and ginger on a baking sheet and roast for about 20-30 minutes until tender and slightly charred. Remove outer layer of onion when it cools slightly. Alternatively you can char in a pan or on direct flame.

• Add chicken thighs or whole chicken into a large pot and pour water over the chicken until it is covered and then add cloves, star anise, cinnamon stick, ginger, onion, and bring to a boil.

• Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 2-3 hours until chicken is falling off of the bone and broth is fragrant.

• Remove the chicken from the broth and discard the bones and the skin.

• Strain the broth at this time.

• Taste the broth at this point and decide if it needs more salt, if so, add now along with fish sauce and sugar and heat on low until ready to serve.

• Cook the rice noodles according to package directions.

• Slice or shred chicken meat that was reserved and layer noodles and chicken into a large bowl.

• Ladle broth into soup bowl and garnish with desired toppings.

• Serve immediately and enjoy!

I have also made this chicken pho in the slow cooker and it has turned out just as good!  Perfect for those days when you can't be at home tending to the pot on the stove!  Either way, you are going to love this recipe!