I admit that I was as skeptical of this as I was about crock pot Shawarma…pho at home is difficult at best, and pho in a crock pot?  That said, this was AWESOME.  Seriously.  Chicken pho is always easier to pull off, and this was pretty great.  Leftovers were equally awesome.  This originally came from Eating Well, and I didn’t make too many changes (though we used Shirataki noodles in place of rice noodles).

• 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth (two 32-ounce boxes)
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 10 whole star anise (see Tip)
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 bone-in chicken breasts (about 2 1/2 pounds total), skin removed, trimmed
• Wide rice noodles (or shirataki)
• One bunch baby bok choy, chopped
• Mung bean sprouts
• Basil leaves
• Mint leaves, chopped
• Cilantro
• 1 lime, cut in wedges

Combine broth, brown sugar, fish sauce, star anise, cloves, ginger and cinnamon stick in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add chicken breasts, meat-side down. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours (or on Low for 8 hours).

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Remove spices and discard. Add noodles and bok choy to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on High for 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the bone and shred with two forks. When the noodles are tender, stir in the shredded chicken. Serve bowls of soup with bean sprouts, basil, mint, cilantro, sliced chile and lime wedges on the side so everyone can add their own toppings.