Pho-Style Chicken Stock

Preheat your oven to 450 F. Add the whole onions and ginger to a baking sheet and place into the oven. Roast them until they are nice and charred. You can do this on your grill as well if you desire. Once charred, add them into a large stock pot, along with the chicken pieces, water, salt, fish sauce, star anise, cinnamon, sake, and sugar.

Bring the stock to a boil, then reduce the heat. You will notice a bunch of chicken scum come to the top during the simmer. No fear. You want to remove all of this. Use a skimmer to remove the scum, and discard. If you do not have a skimmer, use a large spoon. Continue to remove the scum as it appears.

I cooked my stock for about 6 hours, because, hey, why not? Once thoroughly cooked, strain using a chinois, or another type of strainer over a large pot. I use the chinois, and press the mixture until all of the stock is strained. Let the stock cool, then cover and refrigerate.

When you are ready to use it, add the stock (it will be thickened from all of that great chicken fat) to your pot to reheat, letting it come to a boil.

This pho-style chicken stock is just loaded with awesome flavor, and is something you can use for a couple of weeks, whether that be with a noodle soup, a braise, or as part of a slow cooker recipe.