| Prep time | 15 minutes |
| Cook time | 1.5 – 2 hours |
| Rest time | 30 minutes |
| TOTAL | About 4 hours |
This is one of my all-time favourite soups to make. Essentially you’re letting everything simmer away for a long time and you can go catch yourself a quick nap in between. I’ve made two versions of this recipe. A slow one and a quick one. I suggest always doing the slow version and only stick to the latter whenever you’re in a rush. Some good things really do take time. So enjoy the process!
Ingredients:
- Chicken legs 4 pieces
- Water 1.5 – 2 ltr
- Star anise 3 pieces
- Cloves 2-3 pieces
- Coriander seeds 1 tsp
- Yellow onions 150 g
- Spring onions stalks 150 g
- Spring onion tips 15 g
- Ginger 25 g
- Coriander stems 15 g
- Rock sugar 5 g
- Fish sauce 5 ml
- Flat rice noodles 300 g Soaked in cold water until soft (but not smooshy!)
- Salt Lots!
- Vietnamese mint 15 g
- Coriander leaves 15 g
- Garlic 1 bulb Finely minced
- Neutral oil 150 ml
- Chilli flakes 1 tbs
Instructions:
- Over your sink or in a bowl, pour enough salt to cover the chicken thighs and gently massage the legs for about 1-2 minutes, rubbing every nook and cranny with the salt. Yes. Exfoliate those legs. This helps to remove some of the impurities and gives for a better skin texture after poaching. Rinse the salt off and set aside when you’re done.
- Toast your dry spices in a pan until fragrant and set aside.
- Using the open flames of your stove top, char the yellow onions, spring onion stalks and ginger until they are all nice and dark on the outside. You’ll know when it’s almost done when you see a little bit of liquid oozing out of each of them. If you don’t have an open-flame stove top you can just broil them in the oven or use a blow torch.
- Scrape off the dark charred parts of the vegetables and set them aside. Don’t fuss too much if you can’t get everything off perfectly, a little won’t hurt of discolour your broth.
- In a large pot, add the chicken legs, the cleaned vegetables, the toasted spices and the coriander stems, along with 1.5 – 2 litres of water (or until the legs are just covered) and one tablespoon of salt (You can adjust the seasoning as you go).
- On the lowest heat possible, bring everything to a very small simmer. Once you see one or two bubbles gently popping up on the side, cover the with a lid and try your best to maintain that small simmer for as long as you can. Do not bring this broth to a boil nor bring it anywhere near a boil. This will take about 1.5 – 2.5 hours in total.
- Whilst your chicken is poaching (gently!), make a quick garlic and chilli oil. In a cold pan, place the minced garlic in the oil and turn on the heat on high. When the garlic starts to sizzle, turn the heat down to low and continue to cook for about 7 – 10 minutes until the garlic turns golden brown. Strain the garlic and set aside.
- Turn the heat of the (now) garlic oil back to high again. When it begins to simmer, take it off the heat and wait for about 1 minute. After that, pour your chilli flakes into the oil and stir. Set aside your garlic-chilli oil until ready to use.
- Check your chicken at the 1.5 hour mark. Take out one leg and check to see if it is fully cooked by poking a whole where the drumstick and thigh joint meet. If the juices run clear, you’re in the green zone! If not simmer (gently!) for another 15 – 30 minutes and check again.
- After making sure that your chicken is fully cooked, turn off the heat and leave them in the pot, covered, for about 15 – 30 minutes.
- Take the chicken out and debone them carefully. When you’re done with that, slice them lengthwise into about 1cm thick pieces.
- Before serving, add in the rock sugar and fish sauce into the soup and check the seasoning. You may add more or less depending on your taste.
- When you are ready to serve, boil the soaked rice noodles for about 1 – 2 minutes or per the packet instructions. Place them into a bowl, put your cut chicken pieces on top, the herbs, and then pour over the hot soup. Pour garlic-chilli oil on top and crispy garlic pieces.
The QUICK VERSION:
As much as I hate this I know some people don’t always have that much time on their hands, and I totally understand that. So this is a quick version you can do without totally screwing up the chicken or broth.
- Follow Steps 1 – 5 above.
- Going back to Step 6, bring the pan to a boil on a high heat and let it boil for about 1-2 minutes. When that’s happening scrape off any impurities you may see floating to the surface.
- After that turn the heat to low and let it simmer (not your super slow one bubble simmer) for about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the chicken rest in the broth for another 20 – 30 minutes.
- Now continue on from Step 7 above and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks:
- Step 1 – Yes. You are essentially exfoliating the chicken legs. This helps to remove some of the impurities and gives for a better skin texture after poaching. Rinse the salt off and set aside when you’re done.
- Step 3 – If you don’t have an open-flame stove to char your vegetables, you can just broil them in the oven or use a blow torch.
- Step 6 – When I said the gentlest simmer possible, I meant it. So put it on the tiniest stove. This is what will give it its super clean flavour profile, along with being crystal clear. Boiling everything just confuses things (in this context anyway!). This way your slow-cooking the chicken and it’ll result in some really really tender legs!
- Step 10 – DON’T SKIP STEP 10 – Even though you cooked it slowly, give your chicken a little bit of rest time for the juices to settle in before taking it out of its bath.
- Step 13 – don’t actually have to soak the noodles sometimes but soaking them just reduces the boiling process. If you’re not going to be serving in a rush, just boil them (without soaking) until they are al-dente, give them a rinse in cold water and set them aside until ready to use.
Serving Suggestions:
- Switch to glass noodles
- White rice
- Use this recipe to make a Vietnamese-styled chicken rice. Check out my chicken rice recipe and use this broth instead!
Honest Foods 