Chicken soup is supposed to heal the soul but can it also heal the body? In my opinion, yes.

Pho ga is a popular chicken-based soup from Vietnam. Instead of using beef and beef bones, pho ga is made with a whole chicken simmered in the familiar sweet spices of a traditional pho broth. The chicken broth becomes rich from the cartilage and skin of the whole bird. It’s full of anti-inflammatory amino acids, glycine and proline, which have been shown to help speed the recovery process and reduce inflammation. Basically, it enourages your body to heal quicker by calming swollen or tense muscles. If you ask me, I’d prefer to eat bowls of this rather than chug glasses of glucosamine powder mixed with water.

If you have access to a good Asian or Vietnamese market, do yourself a favor and purchase a pho spice packet. These packs contain all of the critical spices needed for pho plus a handy little cloth bag to prevent the spices from floating freely in your broth as it cooks down. Be sure to toast these spices in a dry pan before adding to the cloth bag. The spice mixes will usually contain whole:

• Cassia (cousin to cinnamon) (1-2 pieces of bark or one rounded piece of bark)

• Black cardamon (2-3 pods)

• Star anise (4-6 pods)

• Cloves (4-6 pods)

• Black peppercorns (1 tablespoon)

• Fennel seeds (1 1/2 teaspoon)

• Coriander seeds (1 tablespoon)

Once your broth is ready, you can store in your fridge for up to two weeks. When you’re ready for a fresh bowl of pho, soak a serving of rice noodles in hot water for five minutes and plate with pulled chicken and your choice toppings. Some typical topping for pho include bean sprouts, cilantro, Thai basil, rau ram, sliced red onions, and pickled chilies. I highly recommend using the recipe for my soy sauced pickled chilies below.

Ingredients for Pho Broth

• 1 whole chicken, 5-7 lbs, cleaned, towel dried, and removed of any plastic bags containing the neck or organs

• 1 pho spice packet or see proportions of spices above

• Water to cover chicken

• 2 medium onions

• 3-inch piece of ginger, sliced

• 6 garlic cloves, peeled

• 1/4 cup fish sauce

• 3-5 pieces of rock sugar or three tablespoons of granulated sugar

• MSG to taste (optional)

• Kosher salt to taste

Ingredients for Pho

• Bean sprouts, raw

• Herbs including cilantro, Thai basil, rau ram

• Lime segements

• Rice vermicelli noodles or rice sticks

• Fried tofu (optional)

Ingredients for Soy Sauce Pickled Chilies

• 10-12 Serrano chilies, thinly sliced

• 1/2 cup soy sauce

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoons kosher salt

Special Equipment

• Fine mesh skimmer

• Stock pot

Serves 8

Directions

1. To make the soy sauce pickled chilies, combine all of the ingredients in a glass container and allow to sit out for at least an hour before using.

2. Heat your broiler. Once warm, roast your onions, garlic, and sliced ginger until browned on the surface, about five to eight minutes.

3. Toast your spices in a dry pan over medium high heat until fragrant. Do not burn these as it will create a bitter taste in your broth. Set aside to cool before placing into a cloth sack or wrap and tie in cheese cloth.

4. Place your cleaned chicken into the stock pot. Fill with enough water to submerge the chicken. Then add in your roasted aromatics and spices. Bring to a boil and drop the heat so that it is at a simmer. You do not want the broth to boil violently because that will cause it to release more meat and fat. This will make for a cloudy broth. Be sure to skim any scum that comes to the surface. Simmer with the lid slightly off the top of the stock pot for an hour; skimming a few more times in between.

5. Remove the chicken from the broth and allow to cool. At this point, you can run the broth through a fine mesh sieve to remove the solids. Rinse the stock pot before adding back the broth and returning it to the stove. Taste and season the broth with additional fish sauce, salt, sugar, or MSG to balance it according to your preference.

6. Heat a tea kettle with hot water. Once boiling, pour over your rice vermicelli noodles. Soak the rice noodles for five to eight minutes before draining. Meanwhile, pick meat off the chicken carcass.

7. Next, plate a large bowl with the softened rice noodles, poached chicken, vegetables, and other toppings. Then, ladle in some of the hot broth. You may need to reheat it in the stock pot.

8. Enjoy with Sriracha, hoisin sauce, and the soy sauce pickled chilies!