Chicken Pho: Clear Broth, Hot Noodles, and a Bowl You Build Yourself

Put the onion halves and ginger halves, cut side down, in a dry skillet over high heat. Leave them alone for 5 to 6 minutes, until the cut sides are blackened in spots. Flip them once and char for 2 more minutes. A little smoke is fine here. That char is flavor, so don't pull them early just because they look dark.

Put the star anise, cinnamon stick, cloves, and coriander seeds in a dry stockpot over medium heat. Toast them for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pot now and then, until they smell warm and strong. Pull the pot off the heat if they start to smoke, because burnt spices turn bitter fast.

Add the whole chicken, the charred onion and ginger, and the cold water to the pot with the spices. Bring it up to a bare simmer over medium high heat. Skim off the foam and gray bits that rise to the top with a spoon, then drop the heat to low so the broth simmers gently, with small bubbles breaking the surface every few seconds.

Simmer the chicken for 35 to 40 minutes, skimming the surface once or twice more. The chicken is done when the meat pulls away from the leg bone easily and the juices run clear. Lift the chicken out with tongs and set it on a plate to cool. Keep the broth simmering on low.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the bones in shreds and slices. Toss the skin and bones, or drop the bones back into the broth for another 20 minutes of simmering if you want a deeper taste. Set the shredded meat aside and cover it so it doesn't dry out.

Pour the broth through a fine mesh strainer into a clean pot and toss the solids. Stir in the fish sauce, brown sugar, and kosher salt. Taste it straight off a spoon. It should taste like chicken first, with warm spice behind it and enough salt that you don't have to chase flavor. Add more fish sauce if it tastes flat, a pinch more sugar if it tastes sharp. Keep the broth at a low simmer while you build the bowls.

Cook the rice noodles in a separate large pot of boiling water following the time on the package, usually 6 to 8 minutes, until they're soft and chewy but not falling apart. Drain them and rinse them under warm water so they don't stick together in one clump. Don't cook them in the broth. Noodles cooked in the broth cloud it up and drink half of it before the bowls even hit the table.

Divide the noodles among 4 large warm bowls. Top each bowl with a pile of shredded chicken, a few slices of the paper thin white onion, and a scatter of green onions.

Bring the broth back up to a full, steaming simmer and ladle it hot over the noodles and chicken in each bowl. The broth has to be hot, not warm, because it's the last thing that heats the noodles and chicken through. Serve right away with a plate of bean sprouts, Thai basil, and cilantro in the middle of the table, plus the lime wedges, jalapeno slices, hoisin, and sriracha, so everybody finishes their own bowl the way they like it.