Cover chicken and half of onions with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is done, about an hour. Remove chicken; strain and save broth. Saute' remaining onions and ginger in oil until onion is soft. Stir in chiles and spices and saute' for 2 more minutes. Add mixture to chicken broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Remove skin from chicken, pull meat from bones and shred or chop meat into bite size pieces.

Add chicken and vermicelli to broth and heat until vermicelli is soft. Garnish with onions and serve.

Chiles pequins are small and red. Any small hot pepper may be substituted. If you prefer a less fiery broth, use fewer peppers, seed them, or omit them.