Easy homemade chicken ramen, with a flavorful broth, roasted chicken, fresh veggies, lots of noodles, and a soft cooked egg. Inspired by traditional Japanese ramen, but on the table in under an hour.
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.
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Easy homemade chicken ramen, with a flavorful broth, roasted chicken, fresh veggies, lots of noodles, and a soft cooked egg. Inspired by traditional Japanese ramen, but on the table in under an hour.
Ingredients
- 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!
256 Comments
Felipe
August 12, 2018 at 10:37 pmWoW! I lové it! So many variation you can made with this base recipe. I try chicken and pork… added mushrooms… spicy, no spicy… may be it is not real ramen but taste like heaven! Thanks for sharing!!!
★★★★★
Adam
August 1, 2018 at 4:13 pmI had to switch up a few things (mushrooms for radishes+carrots, jalapeno for chipotle peppers) but it’s a knockout! Great recipe, as a base and unaltered.
★★★★★
Debbie
July 24, 2018 at 2:58 pmGreat recipe! I’m lazy so I poached the eggs to avoid peeling and cooked the noodles in the broth.
★★★★★
Laura
August 1, 2018 at 7:03 amThank you, Debbie!!
Vika
July 9, 2018 at 3:46 pmWOW! Husband loved it (i just made homemade chicken stock from chicken bones that was cooking for 6hours and it was perfect base for this recipe!) We LOVED it! So did 2 toddlers! Thank you
★★★★★
Laura
August 1, 2018 at 7:10 amSo happy to hear that, Thanks Vika!!
Rosie
June 28, 2018 at 5:01 amGreat simple recipe – I use it all the time with variations e.g. adding 1 heaped tsp miso to the broth, topping with pork belly (cooked on low in a slow cooker for 8 hours with ginger, garlic, 5 spice, honey & soy), adding other toppings: thin sliced carrot & cabbage, beansprouts, nori, spinach, garlic oil. Would always recommend homemade stock or good quality shop bought – you do taste the difference!
★★★★★
Laura
June 29, 2018 at 11:27 amThanks so much, Rosie!! That sounds AMAZING with the pork belly! 🙂
Sharon Heritage
June 16, 2018 at 6:03 pmIt was fun to make and very messy ( my fault). I’ll do better next time. The broth seemed a little bland.. what could I add to zip it up a bit?
All o. All I will make it again! My first noodle bowl !!!!!
★★★★
Ashton
July 26, 2018 at 2:34 pmMaybe try some crushed red pepper, a little extra soy sauce, or add some extra toppings from a traditional ramen dish!
Laura
August 1, 2018 at 7:02 amThanks, Ashton!
Catherine
June 11, 2018 at 2:32 amWe did this in the slow cooker with some pork belly instead of the chicken and omitted the butter and it was amazing! Totally recommend! Add some pak choy too and some nori and it was great.
★★★★★
Laura
June 13, 2018 at 10:27 amThat sounds amazing with the pork belly! So glad you loved the recipe 🙂
Plasma
June 8, 2018 at 8:40 amLooks like a good recipe, do intend on trying!
Question for you though – do you drain the noodles after cooking them in the water that was used to boiling the eggs, or do you add that water to the broth, as extra?
Wouldn’t it just be a better idea to cook the noodles as specified on the package of whatever you’re using, then just add them to the broth after draining them?
Laura
June 13, 2018 at 10:32 amYou could absolutely cook the noodles separately according to their pacakge directions. I ususally don’t want wait/use an extra pot, so I often just cook them in the water I used for the eggs. You’ll drain them once they’re cooked though, don’t add the cooking water to the ramen broth. Either way, hope you enjoy the ramen! 🙂