Pho is a labor of love. It can take hours, sometimes even a couple of days to create the famously flavorful broth. But this Chicken Pho can be on the table in under 2 hours! I have a couple tricks to coax maximum flavor with minimal effort; in fact the hands-on time of my Chicken Pho is just 20 minutes. You can make the components ahead of time and reheat it when you’re ready.

Why would we post a noodle soup in the middle of summer? Although it may sound crazy, many Asian cultures believe that sweating out toxins is not only good for you but should be actively encouraged to naturally cool down the body. If you see people slurping down bowls of ramen in Tokyo or spicy hand cut noodles in Shanghai, all without central AC in the blazing heat, you’ll understand what I mean. Plus the fresh herbs, sprouts, and lime garnish in Pho are incredibly refreshing. Whether you decide to go the natural route or sit down in an air conditioned space, noodle soups are not just cold weather food. So let’s get into it!

Chicken Pho Broth

The first trick to creating a richly flavored broth is to toast the spices. Use a clean skillet and moderate heat-spices can burn quickly if you use high heat. In just a couple minutes, the lovely fragrance will let you know you’re done.

The next trick is to deeply char the onion and some ginger. That adds loads of complex, smoky flavor. DO NOT skip the charring. It’s critical to a good broth. And don’t worry, the broth gets strained so you won’t be serving any burnt bits. If you prefer to do this step under a broiler, put the onion and ginger as close to the elements as possible.

Now it’s time to get out the soup pot! Put the chicken in and cover with the water.

After that 90 minutes the chicken will be fall apart tender. Carefully remove it to cool while you strain the broth.

Once the broth is strained, I use a fine mesh skimmer to degrease the broth. You can also use a paper towel to blot the broth or even refrigerate it overnight and let the fat congeal before removing.

Both the broth and chicken can be stored separately in the fridge for a couple days if you don’t plan on serving Chicken Pho that day. I’ve also frozen both the broth and the chicken with good results. You will have quite a bit of chicken, more than you can use for the servings of broth. Use your leftover chicken for fried rices, salads, quesadillas, omelettes…you get the drift.

Chicken Pho Noodles and Garnishes

While the broth is cooking, I get together a platter of garnishes. Part of the fun is that everyone gets to customize their own bowls so I like to have a nice variety of garnishes as well as some favorite condiments, like sriracha, hoisin sauce, and fish sauce. One of the trademarks of pho is a bounty of fresh herbs. Thai basil is worth seeking out for its faint licorice flavor that echoes the star anise in the broth, but regular basil will work too.

Bean sprouts are important but highly perishable. Only buy them when you know you will be serving Pho within a day. If you find your bean sprouts not looking their best, one trick is to blanch them really quickly in boiling water (for literally 2 seconds). Then plunge them into ice water and drain them. You will be able to save your bean sprouts from the trash bin.

And of course our Chicken Pho would not be complete without noodles! I prefer using fresh pho noodles because they have a great chewy texture, but you can use dried rice noodles if you prefer. Generally, if you don’t live in an area with a lot of Vietnamese people, the “fresh” pho noodles are kept frozen. Let them defrost in the fridge overnight. Do not try and cook frozen noodles. They will be tangled in a giant frozen ball and the exterior will be a mush before the center even begins to defrost.

Bring the broth back to a simmer while you prepare the noodles. The noodles take seconds to cook so that broth better be hot! And by cook, it’s really more like a quick swish. I like to keep a strainer in the pot and swish the noodles in the strainer once the water is at a furious boil. Strain them out and shake out the excess water. I do one portion at a time, but you could also cook the noodles at once and strain them in a colander in the sink.

Serving Chicken Pho

Now is when everyone gets to make their Chicken Pho exactly how they want it. I like mine with tons of herbs, someone always like theirs extra spicy with sliced chiles, some want extra funk and salt and they liberally add the fish sauce… I put out little dishes so folks can mix and match condiments to their heart’s desire.

Two of the main condiment bottles you always see on the table at Pho places are hoisin and sriracha. These sauces are used to season the meat-not the broth. Squirting the sauces directly into the bowl is considered poor manners, particularly since the broth is where so much time has been spent preparing it. Instead use some small sauce dishes. Put a little of each condiment into the dish and dab your chicken into the sauces.

Make Chicken Pho this weekend and let me know how you like yours! Love the fresh flavors of Vietnamese cuisine as much as we do? Check out some of our most popular Vietnamese recipes, like these Mussels, this Noodle Salad, or this Eggplant Salad.

Chicken Pho

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• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 90 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
• Yield: serves 4-6 1x
• Category: soup
• Cuisine: vietnamese

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Ingredients

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For the stock:

• 1 2-inch piece of ginger, washed and slightly smashed with the side of a knife
• 2 large yellow onions washed and halved (you can leave the skin on)
• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 4 whole star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 whole cloves 
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• ¼ cup fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 whole chicken (about 4–5 pounds)

For the Noodles:

• 1 lb frozen/fresh pho noodles defrosted if frozen (you can also use dried)
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 2 shallots or ¼ yellow onion, thinly sliced 

Garnishes:

• 1 large handful fresh bean sprouts
• ½ bunch of thai/holy basil
• ½ bunch cilantro or culantro leaves
• 1 jalapeno or Serrano chile, thinly sliced
• 2 limes quartered

Condiments: 

• Hoisin sauce
• sriracha chile sauce 
• extra fish sauce for the table

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Instructions

1. Place the spices (star anise, cinnamon stick, cloves, fennel seeds, and coriander seeds) in a small pan over medium heat and toast them for several minutes, shaking the pan regularly. The spices should be aromatic once toasted. Set the spices aside. 
2. Place the pan back on the stove and heat on medium high heat for several minutes. Add the oil and place the onion halves and ginger in the pan. Sear for 3-5 minutes until charred and flip and sear the other side for another couple minutes. Set aside. 
3. Place the chicken in a large pot, breast side up, and add 12 cups of water to the pot. Add the toasted spices, the charred onions and ginger, fish sauce, salt, and sugar.
4. Bring the pot to a brisk simmer over high heat, cover with a lid leaving a small crack, and then reduce heat to medium low heat. Simmer for 1 and a half hours, skimming the surface of impurities occasionally. 
5. Remove the chicken gently by using a wide spatula and a pair of tongs (it will break apart easily) and put on a plate to cool. Pour the soup through a colander into a clean pot/container and skim any surface fat with a skimmer or paper towels. You can also refrigerate the broth overnight to congeal the fat. Scrape and discard the fat.
6. The broth can be cooled and refrigerated until ready to use. You should have about 12 cups of broth. Add a little water if you’re short. 
7. Taste the broth. It should be more salty than you would normally drink since the noodles and vegetables will dilute the broth. Adjust with some salt if needed.
8. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, peel the skin off and pull the meat from the bones. It should be soft enough that you should be able to easily debone it. Cut the meat into bite sized pieces (I like to leave my chicken on the larger side so it’s easy to find in the bowl). Either refrigerate the chicken if you are serving another day or proceed with the noodles.
9. Wash the bean sprouts, culantro, cilantro, and basil and mound onto a large platter. Add the other garnishes to the plate and refrigerate until ready to serve the noodles.
10. Bring the stock to a simmer before preparing the noodles. If you need to reheat the refrigerated chicken, take a little of the stock and put it into the pan with the chicken. Heat it covered with a lid over medium heat for several minutes.
11. Bring 2 quarts of water to boil and add the noodles to the pot. Stir the noodles with chopsticks and immediately drain into a colander. Using tongs or chopsticks to separate and portion the noodles. (You can also leave a strainer in the boiling pot and put the noodles directly into the strainer. Swish the noodles with chopsticks, then take the strainer out, shake out the excess water, and place the noodles into a bowl. This works well if you’re only doing 1-2 servings at a time.)
12. Divide the noodles into 4 deep soup bowls and top with some of the chicken, some sliced shallot/onion, and a sprinkling of scallions.
13. Then ladle about 2-3 cups of the hot broth over the noodles.
14. Serve the pho with the garnishes.
15. Everyone can add their favorite garnishes and adjust the flavor of the pho with the condiments at the table. 

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Notes

*I prefer fresh pho noodles which have a chewier texture and fresher flavor than dried. You can find the noodles in the freezer or refrigerator section of most Asian grocery stores. If you’re using dried rice noodles, purchase the medium width noodles and follow the package instructions for preparation.

*You can freeze both the prepared broth and chicken. Defrost both before reheating.

Keywords: pho, chicken, noodles, vietnamese, rice noodles, noodles

Coconut Flan is one of the most popular desserts on our menu. And while it is a nod to the enduring love Miamians have for Latin American flan (you can seriously get flan even at our gas stations), the addition of coconut makes it closer to the iconic Vietnamese dessert Báhn Flan. Our Coconut Flan is a rich and creamy make-ahead dream of a dessert. The individual servings feel really special and make a beautiful presentation. It’s naturally gluten free, and it makes 10 servings, making it ideal for a dinner party. Or, since it lasts about a week or so in the fridge, I won’t tell if you make it and eat the whole batch whenever you’re craving a little something sweet.

Coconut Flan Starts with Caramel

Making caramel is easier than you might think. It just requires patience and a watchful eye. I make what’s called a wet caramel-meaning that there is water along with sugar in the pan. I think it’s more fool proof and I’ve never had to start over because I’ve burned the caramel. And if you’ve ever watched The Great British Baking Show, you know that making caramel can stump even the best amateur cooks. Because the water has to cook off before the sugar can start to caramelize, wet caramels do take a bit longer. But I figure, what’s a couple minutes compared to having to start the whole process over again.

And before I start, I get a large bowl of cold water ready in the sink, so that when the caramel is the desired color, I can quickly stop the cooking process by dipping the bottom of the pan in the cool water. Once caramel gets to the right color, it can quickly start to burn from the accumulated heat in the pan.

Let me give you an obvious tip that will ease your anxiety: use white granulated sugar. As you can see in my photos, I only had natural sugar, which is why it already looks a little brown before I even started to cook. The light brown color can be difficult for cooks who don’t often make caramel since the white sugar turning a deep amber color is the sign that your caramel is ready. The taste is the same, but I suggest using regular granulated white sugar, especially if you’ve never made caramel before, so you can carefully watch it as starts to brown.

When it’s a nice golden brown, I take it off the and carefully stir it. It is still cooking at this point, and stirring it helps to make the caramelization uniform. When it’s the color I want, I quickly put it in the bowl of cold water.

Baking the Coconut Flan

I can never really decide which part is best-the caramel or the velvety coconut custard. Luckily, we don’t have to. Yes, 12 egg yolks are a lot. Save the whites and make a healthy egg white omelet. That’s called balance!

This flan is more similar in texture to the French creme caramel than Latin flan which is often very dense. It’s ultra creamy and just sweet enough. I would suggest making it the way the recipe is written, but if you want to cut some of the fat and calories, you can substitute coconut milk instead of cream or use whole milk instead of the half and half. I would not suggest using low fat milk or fat free condensed milk. It’s just not worth it.

Once the mixture is velvety smooth, it’s time to bake the coconut flan. I make a water bath to insure that they cook very gently and evenly.

Bake the flan for about 45-55 minutes, until just set. The center shouldn’t look wet, but it should jiggle slightly when tapped. I turn off the oven, keep the door open, and let them cool for 20 minutes in the oven.

The flan need to chill in the fridge overnight or for at least 4 hours. Which makes this so convenient for entertaining. Then all you have do on the day of is to plate them right before serving.

Prepare for oohs and ahhs when everyone sees your caramel gloriously bathe the coconut flan.

Honestly this is perfection just like this. But if you’re feeling fancy a sprig of fresh mint provides a nice pop of color, and a sprinkling of toasted coconut chips add a nice crunch.

Give this crowd pleasing dessert a try and let me know what you think. Please take a second to rate and comment on the recipe below, and show off your coconut flan by tagging us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love seeing your creations!

Coconut Flan

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• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45-55 minutes
• Total Time: 0 hours
• Yield: serves 10 1x
• Category: sweets
• Cuisine: vietnamese

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Ingredients

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Caramel Syrup:

• 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
• ¾ cup water

Flan:

• 19 oz can coconut cream
• 1 cup half and half
• 14 oz can condensed milk
• 12 eggs

Garnish:

• Mint sprigs
• Crunchy coconut strips

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Instructions

1. Set 10 (1 cup size) aluminum cups on a rimmed baking tray. 
2. Set a bowl larger than the diameter of the pan you will be using in the sink and fill it with water.
3. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and the water. Turn the heat to medium high and stir the sugar just until it melts. Let the sugar water boil. It will start to thicken and bubble more slowly as it reaches the candy stage. 
4. Continue cooking until the sugar turns a light amber color. This whole process will take about 8-10 minutes. Take the pot off the heat and gently and carefully use a spoon and continue mixing as the sugar will continue to darken. 
5. As soon as the caramel is the right color, stop the cooking process by dipping the pot into the bowl of cold water. (Do this in the sink as the water may hiss and spit.)
6. Pour or spoon the caramel evenly into the containers. Set aside to cool.
7. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and set the oven rack to the middle.
8. In a large bowl separate the egg yolks, saving the whites for another purpose. Add the coconut cream, condensed milk, and half and half. 
9. Whisk until the mixture is well combined. Pour the mixture through a mesh to eliminate any unmixed egg. 
10. Pour the mixture into the aluminum tins.
11. Put the tray into the oven and then carefully pour about 3 cups of water into the baking tray (the water should come up to near the edge of the tray, about ⅓ of the way up the aluminum tins).
12. Bake for 45-55 mins until just set. If you tap the side of one, it should jiggle loosely but the center should not be wet. 
13. Turn the oven off and open the oven door. Let cool for 20 minutes before moving the tray out of the oven. Transfer the aluminum tins to a dry tray. Refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours.
14. When you are ready to serve, run a pairing (or steak) knife along the edge of the flan. Gently flip the tin over onto a small plate and then pierce the middle of the tin. This will create an air pocket allowing the flan to plop onto the plate.
15. Garnish with a little mint or some coconut chips as desired.

 

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Notes

*This is a rich and creamy flan. You can substitute the half and half for whole milk or substitute coconut milk for the coconut cream if you prefer a lighter flavor.

*If you do not have aluminum tins, you can use any 8 oz (1 Cup) size oven safe bowls. Once the flans are baked and cooled, run a knife along the outer edge and push gently along the edge of the flan when turning it out to break the seal. If you’re having problems turning out the flan, just eat it out of the bowl itself. It’s perfectly fine and you save yourself from having to wash an additional dish!

Keywords: flan, coconut, dessert, sweets, holiday, party