CHICKEN PHO
PREP TIME: 30 MINS
COOK TIME: 8 HOURS 10 MINS (ON LOW) OR 4 HOURS 10 MINS (ON HIGH) SERVES 6 (AS A LIGHT MEAL)
170g fresh shiitake mushrooms 7cm piece ginger, peeled
and sliced 1 Tbsp coriander seeds 4 whole cloves 1kg bone-in chicken thighs,
skin removed 1.5L (6 cups) water 500ml (2 cups) salt-reduced or gluten-free salt-reduced chicken stock
1 large brown onion, sliced
30g dried porcini mushrooms,
rinsed, drained and broken 1 Tbsp brown sugar
5 cloves garlic, sliced
125g dried rice noodles, soaked
(see Cook’s Tip)
2 bunches Asian greens, trimmed,
chopped, steamed
Coarsely grated carrot, slivered red onion, sliced chillies, coriander leaves, Thai basil, and/or lime wedges, to serve (optional)
1 Remove and reserve stems from the shitake mushrooms. Thinly slice the caps. Transfer the sliced mushrooms to a bowl, cover and put in the fridge until required. 2 Place the shiitake stems, ginger, coriander seeds and cloves on a double thick
20cm piece of muslin. Bring up corners and tie closed with string. 3 Place the spice bag, chicken, water, stock, onion, porcini mushrooms, sugar and garlic in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Remove and discard the spice bag.
4 Remove the chicken from the cooker. Remove the meat from the bones. Discard the bones. Coarsely shred the chicken. Cover and set aside. Stir the reserved shiitake mushrooms and noodles into the broth. Cover and cook for a further 10 minutes.
5 Divide the greens between serving bowls. Ladle the noodle mixture over the greens. Add the shredded chicken. Top with carrot, onion, chilli, coriander, basil and lime wedges, if using.
COOK’S TIP
To soak rice noodles, place in a large heatproof glass bowl. Cover noodles with boiling water. Set aside for 5-7 minutes or until noodles are tender but still firm, stirring occasionally.
NUTRITION INFO
PER SERVE 1090kJ, protein 25g, total fat 7g (sat. fat 2g), carbs 21g, fibre 5g, sodium 413mg • Carb exchanges 1½ • GI estimate low • Gluten-free option • Lower carb