Simple Homemade Chicken Ramen
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.
what you’ll love about this easy chicken ramen
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.
Be sure to check out these other weeknight dinner favorites:
- Easy spinach and goat cheese pasta
- Ginger noodle soup with Swiss chard
- Lemony kale and white bean soup
If you make this ramen, be sure to tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #forkknifeswoon and leave a comment and rating below letting me know how you liked it! Star ratings are especially helpful because they help others find my recipes too. xo, Laura
PrintSimple Homemade Chicken Ramen
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 2 Servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Saute, Pan-Roast,
- Cuisine: Japanese, American
Description
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
- 1 Tbsp 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 or chili slices, for serving
Instructions
Cook the chicken: ¹
- Preheat the oven to 375℉. 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 a 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 yolk) or 8 minutes (for a soft, but set-up yolk).
- 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. Enjoy!!
Notes
¹ 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.
Keywords: ramen, chicken ramen, homemade ramen, easy ramen, japanese, soup, dinner, noodle, broth, quick, healthy
I have never felt the need to comment on an online recipe…. until now. Made this last night and am still beside myself. SO GOOD! I mean, seriously. This was amazingly tasty, and easy to make. Fantastic recipe, thank you! So happy to have found this in time for the cold weather.
★★★★★
Oh, thank you so much for your comment! That makes me so happy to hear it’s destined to be a favorite 🙂
The broth recipe is probably the simplest one I’ve come across that can easily adjust the flavor without too many ingredients mixed in it. It serves well with the ramen and whatever vegetables are thrown into it.
So happy to hear that! Thanks, Chin!
Easy to make, ingredients easy to get, very delicious. We added a lot more garlic and ginger because we like it. Definitely making again! Thank you.
★★★★★
Extra garlic and ginger is never a bad thing… 🙂 Thanks, Annie!
Have made this recipe quite a few times. Delicious and very easy to make. I also add,white miso paste (1-2 tablespoons ) to the broth to make it extra rich.
Thanks so much, Therese!!
Simple and very flexible. Used it with different noodle types and tastes amazing. I seared the chicken the put in the oven with the skillet and used the juices in the skillet to make the broth.
★★★★★
So happy to hear it, thank you, Abe!!
Super yummy recipe! My picky teens eat it up. i make dumplings as a side and they are hooked. Very easy to make too.
★★★★★
Thanks, Lisa!! Sounds extra delicious with the dumplings 🙂
WoW! 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!!!
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Felipe!!
I 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.
★★★★★
Thank you, Adam!! 🙂
Great recipe! I’m lazy so I poached the eggs to avoid peeling and cooked the noodles in the broth.
★★★★★
Thank you, Debbie!!
WOW! 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
★★★★★
So happy to hear that, Thanks Vika!!
Great 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!
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Rosie!! That sounds AMAZING with the pork belly! 🙂
It 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 !!!!!
★★★★
Maybe try some crushed red pepper, a little extra soy sauce, or add some extra toppings from a traditional ramen dish!
Thanks, Ashton!
We 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.
★★★★★
That sounds amazing with the pork belly! So glad you loved the recipe 🙂
Looks 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?
You 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! 🙂
Easy and tasty. Def needs some jalapeños.
★★★★★
Thank you!! 🙂
Wonderful! 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.
★★★★★
Thanks, Gia!! So glad it’s become a favorite 🙂
I rate this 5 stars ⭐️🌟
★★★★★
Amazing. 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.
Thanks so much, Nada! So happy to hear it 🙂
I 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?.
Hmmmm… 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!!
Followed 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!
★★★★★
So happy to hear it! Thanks, Valerie!!