Chicken Pho
27g CARB
Serves 6
Hands on 25 min.
slow cook 7 hr. 10 min.
- 6 oz. fresh shiitake mushrooms
- 1 3-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
- 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds
- 4 whole cloves
- 2 lb. bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
- 4 cups water
- 1 32-oz. carton unsalted chicken stock
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed, drained, and broken
- 1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar*
- 5 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 tsp. salt
- 4 oz. dried rice noodles, soaked Julienned carrots, slivered red onion, thinly sliced fresh jalapeño chile peppers (see tip), fresh cilantro, Thai basil, mint leaves, sriracha sauce, and/or lime wedges (optional)
1. Remove and reserve stems from shiitake mushrooms. Thinly slice caps and chill until needed. Place shiitake stems, ginger, coriander seeds, and cloves on a double-thick 8-inch square of 100%-cotton cheesecloth. Bring up corners; tie closed with 100%-cotton kitchen string.
2. In a 5- to 6-qt. slow cooker combine spice bag and the next eight ingredients (through salt). Cover and cook on low 7 to 8 hours or high 3½ to 4 hours. Remove and discard spice bag.
3. Remove chicken from cooker. Remove meat from bones; discard bones. Coarsely shred chicken using two forks; cover and keep warm. Stir the reserved shiitake caps and the noodles into broth mixture. Cover and cook 10 minutes more.
4. Ladle noodle mixture into shallow bowls. Add shredded chicken and desired toppers.
Tip To soak rice noodles, in a large bowl combine noodles and enough boiling water to cover. Let stand 3 to 7 minutes or until noodles are tender but still firm (al dente), stirring occasionally.
PER SERVING (1¾ cups each) cal 246, fat 4 g (1 g sat. fat), chol 85 mg, sodium 623 mg, carb 27 g (3 g fiber, 7 g sugars), pro 24 g
*Sugar Sub Choose Splenda Brown Sugar Blend. Follow package directions to use 1 Tbsp. equivalent.
Per Serving with Sub Same as above, except CAL 243, CARB 26 g (5 g sugars)
GLOBAL
Pho (pronounced fuh), a Vietnamese staple, is all about the broth. Long simmering in a slow cooker develops its rich, complex flavor.
