4 pounds whole bone-in fryer chicken, carved into pieces
1 tablespoon whole cloves (about 10–15 cloves)
4 star anise
1 tablespoon whole coriander seed
1 yellow onion, sliced, plus more for serving
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 3-inch knob ginger, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons (or 2 small pieces) palm sugar
¼ cup fish sauce
8 cups water
8 ounces vermicelli rice noodles
Thai basil, for topping
Mint, for topping
Bean sprouts, for topping
Sriracha, for topping
Hoisin sauce, for topping
Lime, cut into wedges, for serving
Directions
To blanch the chicken, bring a large pot of water to boil. Once boiling, add chicken pieces, working in batches as needed. Boil until chicken becomes white, about 5 minutes, then remove.
Add blanched chicken to a Crockpot. Cover the cloves, star anise, coriander, onion, garlic, ginger, palm sugar, fish sauce, and 8 cups of water. Cook on high for 4 to 5 hours, or low for 8 to 9 hours.
Before serving, prepare the noodles. Place dried noodles in a bowl and cover with hot water. Soak until softened, about 10 minutes.
Remove chicken from the slow cooker and shred. Chicken will fall off the bone easily with no resistance.
With the chicken removed from the slow cooker, strain the liquid into a large bowl, discarding any remaining solids.
To build the pho, divide noodles into bowls. Ladle the broth over the noodles. Add toppings as desired; add pulled chicken, sliced onion, mint leaves, basil leaves, and bean sprouts. Then, add hoisin sauce and Sriracha for salty or spicy flavor.