The Honey’s parents are American ex-pats living abroad in Tokyo, Japan, and while visiting them over the last seven or eight years, he’s collected dozens of favorite eateries throughout the city.
There’s the best izakaya in Kichijoji, serving up casual Japanese pub food, and countless kiten-zushi restaurants, where my English-speaking Honey can choose small plates of freshly-made sushi from a moving conveyor belt without having to order in Japanese.
He always makes sure to buy at least one Pocari Sweat from a vending machine (think Japanese gatorade), and of course, there’s his favorite ramen shop in Shinjuku, a tiny, crowded restaurant with a line out the door. Paintings of pigs adorn the walls, and big, steaming bowls of pork ramen are served to hungry patrons at a single bar counter.
Real Japanese ramen, the kind that my Honey tells stories about, takes years and great skill to perfect. I wanted to create a simple ramen noodle soup that reminded him of Japan, but could be made quickly, with ingredients on hand.
I opted for chicken instead of pork, but kept the rest of the ramen vibe somewhat traditional: a killer chicken soup base with garlic, ginger, shitake mushrooms and soy sauce, filled with squiggly ramen noodles and slices of succulent chicken, and topped with fresh spring onions and a soft-boiled egg.
My version is on the table in less than an hour – and half that if you opt for store-bought chicken – and while it might not be completely authentic, it’s a flavorful, comforting soup just in time for the unmistakably crisp, chilly autumn weather that these first days of October have ushered in.
Prep Time:
Yield:
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PinIngredients
- 2 chicken breasts (boneless, skin-on)*
- kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to season
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tsp sesame or vegetable oil
- 2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
- 3 tsp fresh garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 4 cups rich chicken stock
- 1 oz dried shitake mushrooms (or 1/2 cup fresh)
- 1-2 tsp sea salt, to taste
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup scallions, sliced
- 2 (3 oz) packs dried ramen noodles
- optional: fresh jalapeño slices, for serving
Instructions
- Cook the chicken*: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook until the skin is golden brown and releases easily from the pan, about 5-7 minutes. Flip the chicken over and cook for another 4-5 minutes, until golden. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the oven, transfer the chicken to a plate and cover with foil until ready to serve.
- Make the ramen broth: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, until shimmering. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook for a few minutes until softened. Add the soy sauce and mirin, and stir to combine. Cook for another minute. Add the stock, cover, and bring to boil. Remove the lid, and let simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, then add the dried mushrooms. Simmer gently for another 10 minutes, and season with salt, to taste.
- Make the soft-boiled eggs: Fill a pot with enough water to cover the eggs, and bring to a boil. Gently lower the eggs (still cold from the fridge) into the boiling water, and let simmer for 7 minutes (for a slightly-runny yoke) or 8 minutes (for a soft, but set-up yoke).
- Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice water. When the timer finishes, transfer the eggs to the ice bath to stop the cooking process. Wait at least 5 minutes, or until cool enough to handle, then carefully peel away the shell and slice in half, lengthwise. Set aside until ready to serve.
- Assemble the ramen bowls: Meanwhile, chop the scallions and jalapeño (if using). Slice the chicken into thin pieces. Set aside. When the eggs finish cooking, add the ramen noodles to the boiling water. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until soft, then divide the noodles into two large bowls. Add the sliced chicken and the ramen broth. Top with the fresh scallions, jalapeño and the soft boiled egg. Serve immediately.
Notes
Ask your butcher to remove the rib bone from the chicken breasts (leaving the skin on), or use bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts and increase the oven roasting time 5-10 minutes, as needed. You can also cut your ramen prep time in half by using a store-bought whole rotisserie chicken, simply slice off as much as you wish, and add to the ramen.
Make this recipe? Let us know what you think!
239 Comments
Gia Jacobson
May 22, 2018 at 7:06 amWonderful! I left out the mushroom, but made the rest as is and it was wonderful! We will sometimes leave out the chicken and sub vegetable broth and eat it on meatless Monday.
★★★★★
Laura
May 22, 2018 at 2:13 pmThanks, Gia!! So glad it’s become a favorite 🙂
Nada
May 20, 2018 at 10:15 amI rate this 5 stars ⭐️🌟
★★★★★
Nada
May 20, 2018 at 10:10 amAmazing. It was super delicious. Thank you for the recipe. Though I used boneless skin on thighs, couldn’t find skin on breasts at the grocery.
Laura
May 21, 2018 at 9:19 pmThanks so much, Nada! So happy to hear it 🙂
Ro
May 9, 2018 at 8:49 amI made a twist and used both chicken and dashi broth and added a little bit of sake, it came out terrific! Thank you very much for the inspiration :).
My only issue was, as this was the first time using dried shiitake, the came out kinda hard and with a gummy texture, any advice on that?.
Laura
May 16, 2018 at 9:14 pmHmmmm… I haven’t had that issue with the dried mushrooms, so I’m not exactly sure. I wonder if maybe they overcooked? They definitely shouldn’t be hard. I’m glad the rest of the recipe came out delicious, though!!
Valerie
May 8, 2018 at 8:20 pmFollowed this recipe exactly as listed, and it was easy and delicious, definitely a new house favorite! I caught my son’s cold and wanted chicken soup tonight, but not the boring kind – this was everything and I’m thrilled I have enough left to reheat a bowl tomorrow. Thanks so much for sharing!
★★★★★
Laura
May 16, 2018 at 9:14 pmSo happy to hear it! Thanks, Valerie!!
Billy Nicol
May 1, 2018 at 12:15 pmDelicious and so simple to follow your recipe. Look forward to trying more.
★★★★★
Laura
May 3, 2018 at 1:10 pmThanks Billy! So happy you enjoyed the ramen!!
Yusuke
May 1, 2018 at 9:46 amI mean, this is okay as a start, but it is still just chicken noodle soup.
What makes it actual ramen is using a dashi stock (simple preparation of kombu & bonito flakes that only takes 10 min the prepare), a teaspoon or so of topping oil (like sesame at the least) and a “tare” (which can just be sea salt with mirin, sake, etc). Just adding these steps in may add an extra 30 mintutes time but otherwise it is not real ramen and I just get tired of ramen being cheapened with shortcuts.
★★
Laura
May 3, 2018 at 1:22 pmHi Yusuke, thanks for taking the time to comment, though I’m sorry to hear you weren’t inspired by my recipe. As I mention in the blog post, this is absolutely not an authentic ramen, and I don’t claim that it is. Instead, it’s a simple weeknight version inspired by the ramen that my husband had many times while visiting his parents in Tokyo. I’d like to think that if you try the recipe, you’ll find it’s pretty great, especially for being ready in as little as half an hour, and using more easily accessible ingredients than “true” ramen requires.
Kat
April 16, 2018 at 8:28 amMy husband and I made this last night for our family – delicious! Kids LOVED it too (ages 4 and almost 7). We doubled the broth and subbed Udon for ramen noodles. Then had a bunch of “toppings” (from the recipe + more) for the kids to choose and build their own soup (after we had poured the broth over their noodles and chicken). Toppings: chopped scallions, shaved carrot, sautéed sweet potato, chopped yellow pepper, sautéed kale, soft boiled eggs, and sliced jalapeño (for grownups). Total hit. Will definitely make this again, and likely with even more broth so we can have it on hand for a couple dinners during the week and switch up the proteins and toppings.
★★★★★
Laura
April 20, 2018 at 1:25 pmI’m so happy to hear that! Thank you, Kat! I absolutely love the idea of doing the toppings. We do a similar thing with burrito bowls, but I’ve never tried it with ramen. Definitely going to try this. So happy the whole family enjoyed the recipe!
Frank
March 23, 2018 at 9:02 pmThis recipe is awesome! My wife loves it and we cannot eat enough of it. The only thing I do different is add Bok choy into it and I double the broth. Thanks for an awesome recipe, I cannot wait to try the rest of your recipes.
★★★★★
Laura
March 28, 2018 at 12:51 pmThank you so much, Frank! Happy to hear it’s a favorite 🙂
Ali G
March 21, 2018 at 1:49 pmExcellent directions yielding a seriously good easier ramen.
★★★★★
Alexandra
March 20, 2018 at 10:57 amWe made this and it turned out great! Except the noodles absorbed almost all the broth, leaving a thick, very salty sauce. I’d recommend cooking the noodles separately, or doubling the amount of chicken broth. We may even try adding some water to the soup base to help prevent this.
Otherwise awesome recipe!
★★★★
Bob Dole
March 12, 2018 at 5:33 pmReally good ramen recipe, would just recommend using no sodium chicken stock and low sodium soy sauce. Using full salt versions are waaaay too salty. Also, I’d recommend using 1/2 the ginger , a bit extra garlic, and you can sub rice wine vinegar for the mirin. Also, add boc choy and bean sprouts for a more traditional vegetable component. Also, you can add about a cup of hot water if you need more broth and/or if it’s too salty. For those that like it spicy, add red pepper flakes to the oil, garlic, ginger mix as it’s simmering. Top notch!
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Alexandra Montoya
February 27, 2018 at 9:37 amThe best ramen recipe I’ve tried to date.
★★★★★
Emily
February 25, 2018 at 3:57 pmLoved this recipe! Even my picky husband liked it 🙂 The only thing I change is reducing the salt by using low sodium chicken stock – otherwise it’s a bit salty for my taste. Otherwise, no other changes! Great recipe!
★★★★★
Sara Silva
February 19, 2018 at 6:24 pmMy go to ramen recipe! It’s perfect.
Marjorie McPhee
January 25, 2018 at 10:36 pmQuite tasty! Added shaved carrots, chopped red and yellow peppers and spinach to broth, as I was combining two recipes that looked good. This one seemed more authentic. Will make again!
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