Pacific Rim Chicken Pot - Serves 6

From Becky Blair

I’m not sure where I originally found this recipe years ago; probably Cooking Light magazine. It took a long time before I finally made it; too bad, because it is really good – and beautiful! It goes together pretty quickly too. Brought back wonderful memories of Vietnam and Thailand!!! My changes are in red.

1 (3.5 to 4 lb.) whole chicken (I use the equivalent weight in skinless, boneless chicken breasts)

2” piece of ginger (this is MUCH better if you get it at the Asian market), unpeeled, sliced crosswise ¼” thick

1 stalk fresh lemongrass, split lengthwise & sliced in 2” pieces (I use 1-2 T from the tubes of minced lemongrass found in the produce department and add later)

3 stalks celery sliced ¼” thick, about 1.5 cups

6 medium carrots, sliced ¼ thick”, about 2 cups (I use baby carrots, sliced into quarters, lengthwise, or if I have only large ones, I cut into similar lengths)

1 med. red onion, julienned (I don’t like red onion… I use 1 small yellow onion, cut in slivers, lengthwise)

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and julienned

2 t. salt (I add some salt and pepper to the water to the pot when cooking the chicken, but not as much as 2 t. The fish sauce is salty, so I don’t think it needs the salt.)

⅛ to ¼ tsp. dried red pepper flakes (I use ½ tsp.)

1 (13.5 oz.) can lite, unsweetened coconut milk

Half of a 7 oz. pkg. thin rice noodles, broken in half crosswise (Bánh Phở - I like the 16 oz. Sun Voi brand that World Market carries. It is perfect for Pad Thai as well)

3 scallions, thinly sliced (I wait and add these as garnish)

Garnishes (this is really important if you want it to taste authentic!!)

Coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

Lime wedges

Soy sauce (DO NOT use soy sauce – trust me, this is important - use fish sauce; you can buy a small bottle in the ethnic foods aisle, or a big bottle at the Asian market. It doesn’t sound or smell so good, but makes ALL the difference in taste; truly!)

Thinly sliced fresh Thai chilies (or Fresno, if you can’t find Thai)

Place the chicken, ginger, lemongrass, and garlic (I add the tubed lemongrass and garlic later, before adding the vegetables) in a large stock pot. Add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to low and let simmer uncovered, about 45 min (I cook three chicken breasts for about 20 min and shred. I use the resulting chicken broth to cook the ginger and add additional boxed broth for the equivalent of about 8 cups. I like ginger, so often I just chop 1-2T of ginger in a food chopper and keep it in the broth rather than removing it as the recipe suggests). Carefully remove the chicken and cool before shredding. Strain broth and discard seasonings. Skim off fat (I didn’t really have any, since I used skinless, boneless, breasts). Return broth to pot and reduce over moderate heat to 6 cups. Add celery, carrots, onion, red bell pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the coconut milk and noodles and cook about 2 minutes. Add chicken and scallions (I do not add the scallions here… I put them in a little bowl with the other garnishes) and heat thru.

I put the garnishes in small bowls & the fish sauce in a small pitcher, and place all on a platter or tray to pass around.