I was fighting a cold this weekend (the first of the season for me, despite someone else in the household being sick at any given time this winter), and was in the mood for a hot and steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup…
For the broth
- 1 picnic pack chicken (4 drumsticks and 2 breasts, bone-in)
- 2 whole onions, unpeeled
- 4 inch knob ginger, unpeeled
- 4 whole cloves, toasted
- 2 TBSP coriander seeds, toasted
- 4 star anise pods, toasted
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2-3 TBSP fish sauce
- 1 TBSP palm sugar
Place the onions and ginger on a baking sheet and place under the broiler set on high. The top of the onion should be about 3 inches from the heat source. Broil for about 15 minutes when onions are soft and charred. Once cool enough to handle, peel ginger with a spoon and onions.
Take the chicken and whack the bones open on 2-3 inch sections with a cleaver to expose the marrow.
While aromatics are in the oven, place chicken in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and parboil for 3 minutes. Dump out the water and rinse the chicken in a colander. Clean the pot and add the broth and more cold water, about 4 cups.
Add the onion, ginger (cut into 4 pieces), cilantro stems, toasted spices to the pot and bring to a boil, then immediately set to simmer until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove the chicken and cover the pot partially. Continue to simmer. Skim off impurities that float to the top every 20-30 minutes
Let chicken cool and remove meat from the bones. Return bones to the pot. Continue to simmer for 1.5 hours. Add fish sauce and palm sugar to taste
Shred the chicken into bite sized pieces.
Place a serving of rice noodles in a bowl, add the chicken and label the hot broth over the noodles. Garnish with bean sprouts, Thai basil, chili pepper, lime wedge and cilantro.
Serve with ‘ginger scallion dipping sauce’ on the side.
Nesting On A Hill 