Step 1

Pre-heat your oven to 350F.

Step 2

Roast the onion and ginger for 1 hour.

Step 3

Let cool. Slice the onion in half and the ginger into 1/2 inch pieces.

Step 4

In a 5-6 quart dutch oven or pot combine the whole chicken, 4-5 green onions, the 1/2 inch piece of ginger and the salt. Add 8 cups of stock plus enough water to cover the chicken. If you can't quite cover the chicken start it breast side down.

Step 5

Bring to a simmer and poach for about 20 minutes (breast side down if needed). Flip the bird and continue to poach until the chicken reaches about 155F in the breast and 165F in the thigh - about 10 minutes. Use an instant read thermometer - there's no other safe way to do this. The chicken will continue to cook after you remove it from the broth so give yourself some room. You are going for a final internal temperature of 165F in the breast and 175F in the thigh.

Step 6

Set the chicken aside to cool enough to handle. Remove chicken from the bones. You don't have to be perfect. You have lots of chicken.

Step 7

Remove and discard the 1/2 inch piece of ginger. Keep the stock and green onion in the pot.

Step 8

Return the chicken bones to the pot along with the roasted ginger and onion.

Step 9

Add the brown sugar.

Step 10

Let simmer 3-4 hours, loosely covered.

Step 11

Strain. You should have about 10 cups of broth. If you have less, add some water to make up for evaporation.

Step 12

Refrigerate until ready for use. If you refrigerate you can skim the fat and reserve. That way you can add a tsp or so per bowl as they do in Vietnam.

Step 13

When ready to serve heat the broth to just below a boil and add the fish sauce. This is where the final seasoning happens. Your broth may still under-salted. Decide for yourself. Start adding salt a half a tsp at a time. You want it pretty salty - adding in the chicken and the noodles blunts the saltiness some.

Step 14

Do your prep. Slice or shred the chicken. Cut up some green onion. Prep your herbs. Slice your shallot as thinly as you possibly can. Slice some red chili. Cut up the lime. Pre-heat your bowls. Make sure your broth is good and hot. Have it all ready to go. Once you start things go fast and cold pho is not good pho.

Step 15

Here's a trick to cook rice noodles for pho that I found buried at the bottom of an Epicurious recipe. Soak your rice noodles in cold water for about 30 minutes.

Step 16

At the same time, bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Step 17

Put the soaked noodles in a big strainer and drop it into the boiling water.

Step 18

Stir the noodles and start checking them for texture after about 30 seconds. They should be done in under a minute. You want them slightly toothy as they will cook a bit more in the broth.

Step 19

When you have them how you want them, pull the noodles and divide into 4 bowls.

Step 20

Top the noodles with the chicken and sprinkle with green onions and sliced shallots.

Step 21

Pour 1/4 of the broth into each bowl.

Step 22

Serve with the condiments on the table to let people flavour their pho as they like it.