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!
299 Comments
Adam
June 29, 2019 at 8:55 amHad to double servings to fit 4 people. definitely worth the work though. Beautiful flavour.
★★★★★
Tami
June 26, 2019 at 1:34 pmDo you cook the ramen noodles separate or in the broth?
Adam
June 29, 2019 at 8:56 amYou have to cook the ramen separately in the boiling egg water.
★★★★★
Alex
April 23, 2019 at 4:59 pmLove this recipe! I added bok choy and carrots and doubled the recipe. So flavorful!! One of our new favorite recipes.
★★★★★
Mike
April 9, 2019 at 11:12 amSuper easy to make and super tasty. Not sure how healthy / unhealthy it is tho.
★★★★★
Laura
April 14, 2019 at 8:42 amThanks, Mike! I think it’s decently healthy 😉
Hulio Man
March 12, 2019 at 5:22 pmPhone won’t show your full review. Definitely don’t double the ginger for double the recipe. Went with 5 tsp for triple and it was strong
★★★★
Holly Jones
March 7, 2019 at 3:54 amSo nice! We used some left over roast pork instead of the chicken, worked really well
★★★★★
Precious Scott
March 4, 2019 at 5:56 pmHello, I just have to say that this recipe is amazing. Thank you! I waited for a nice cold day and it warmed me up. this is definitely comforting food at its finest.
★★★★★
Angelina
February 27, 2019 at 3:16 pmMade this today and my family loved it (even my 3 year old). This was my first time trying Ramen and I’m very impressed! The only thing I didn’t do was the eggs. (To be honest I did cook the eggs but mine didn’t cook enough in the 8 minutes , I’ll try them again next time and make an extra tester egg. 😊) Thank you for this delicious recipe!
★★★★★
Star Hoffland
February 18, 2019 at 3:54 pmI typically never comment on recipes….but I just had to say something about this one. We make it at least twice a month, it is the go to comfort food in our house. The only thing I changed was fresh mushrooms, bok Choy, and some Sriraca and sesame seeds on top.
★★★★★
marissa
February 18, 2019 at 11:58 amThis is now a go-to recipe for me. It tastes just as delicious as restaurant ramen. SOOO yummy.
★★★★★
kim
February 6, 2019 at 3:02 pmDo you know what the sodium content is for this recipe? I am in search of a great Ramen recipe with not the ton of sodium for my 90 year old dad who LOVES Ramen! We have some great Ramen in hawaii but all with great amount of sodium!
Nerissa
February 3, 2019 at 10:56 pmLoved this recipe so much.
★★★★★
Nina
February 2, 2019 at 2:17 pmFresh mushrooms worked better than dried, but otherwise we loved this recipe. Did take more like an hour but perhaps with practice…..
★★★★
Brenna B.
January 29, 2019 at 9:52 amLoved this recipe, tried it last night I didn’t add butter and I used skinless chicken breast instead (weight watchers) I also doubled the amount of chicken and eggs to make 4 servings verses 2, so came out to around 6 points total which is not bad for a dinner or lunch recipe. But it was fantastic, fresh and even better leftover! Everything had a chance to marinate and combine the next day and it was a wonderfully flavorful hot soup for a cold, snowy Pennsylvania day! Thanks so much for sharing!
★★★★★
Ewa
January 27, 2019 at 7:48 amHow do you prepare chicken stock?
Chris Oaten
June 1, 2019 at 9:03 pmIt tells you on the packet, or you can buy ready made stock 🙂
Denise Duarte
January 20, 2019 at 8:03 amThis is SO delicious! I can’t believe how simple, yet flavourful this soup is! I have made this a few times now, and it has become a staple in my house! Thanks for a great recipe!
★★★★★
Sherry
January 13, 2019 at 11:37 amThis is seriously one of the best meals I’ve ever tried! I was very skeptical about trying this recipe because it is very simple and i thought maybe it would lack in depth of flavor. It definitely doesn’t lack in flavor, and the ingredients are affordable. I loved this dish so much i went back the next day to get more ingredients for a double batch. I followed this recipe exact and didn’t change anything, it is perfect. Thanks so much!
★★★★★
Heather
January 6, 2019 at 4:52 pmI have made this recipe a few times now and love it.
Here are the modifications I have used to improve on an already great recipe :
-add ghee or butter, bacon, a scoop of tahini, and a splash of soy milk or dairy milk to the broth to give it a fattier, richer base
-add miso (or instant miso soup base if you are like me and can’t find miso paste in your neighborhood grocery)
I could eat this three nights a week ,😁
★★★★★
Nicklaus
January 13, 2019 at 12:14 pmHeather, how much miso did you add to the recipe?
Heather
January 23, 2019 at 3:41 pmNicklaus, sorry I’m just seeing your question. Since I use instant miso I use enough for one serving and that seems to do it. So if you’re using paste I think use enough for one serving as well which may be like a tablespoon. Tweak to your liking!
Rick van Heijningen
December 28, 2018 at 9:00 pmWhen the Ramen finished ,can i freeze it , incl everthing ?
★★★★
GDM
December 18, 2018 at 3:32 pmThis was so easy to make but still was still fun and enjoyable to prepare. I am a novice cook but followed the instructions and it came out great! Added an onion with the mushrooms and added a little spice to it! Also added bok choy and spinach on top of noodles, softened up when broth was added.
Perfect recipe, thanks so much!
★★★★★
Rebecca
December 16, 2018 at 2:57 pmMade this vegetarian and without the mushrooms (mine had gone bad) and it was still great.
★★★★★
Theresa Dillard
December 9, 2018 at 10:48 amMy picky eater kids LOVED this!! Left out the mushrooms because my husband doesn’t like them, but otherwise followed the recipe. Easy to make and tastes soooo good. Next time I quadruple the recipe.
★★★★★
jen
November 25, 2018 at 12:24 pmwhole family loved it, and can be made with lots of different veggies, with or without egg
★★★★★
Geneva
November 12, 2018 at 2:14 pmIt was solo good will use this over and over !
★★★★★
Tom
November 8, 2018 at 7:37 amI 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.
★★★★★
Laura
November 14, 2018 at 7:22 pmOh, thank you so much for your comment! That makes me so happy to hear it’s destined to be a favorite 🙂
Chin
October 28, 2018 at 11:03 pmThe 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.
Laura
October 30, 2018 at 1:08 pmSo happy to hear that! Thanks, Chin!
Annie
October 27, 2018 at 6:30 pmEasy 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.
★★★★★
Laura
October 30, 2018 at 1:07 pmExtra garlic and ginger is never a bad thing… 🙂 Thanks, Annie!
Therese
October 22, 2018 at 6:09 pmHave 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.
Laura
October 30, 2018 at 1:05 pmThanks so much, Therese!!
Abe
October 3, 2018 at 5:22 pmSimple 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.
★★★★★
Laura
October 4, 2018 at 1:05 pmSo happy to hear it, thank you, Abe!!
lisa
September 22, 2018 at 7:33 pmSuper yummy recipe! My picky teens eat it up. i make dumplings as a side and they are hooked. Very easy to make too.
★★★★★
Laura
September 24, 2018 at 12:44 pmThanks, Lisa!! Sounds extra delicious with the dumplings 🙂
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!!!
★★★★★
Laura
September 10, 2018 at 1:13 pmThank you so much, Felipe!!
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.
★★★★★
Laura
September 10, 2018 at 1:12 pmThank you, Adam!! 🙂
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! 🙂
D
May 25, 2018 at 7:01 pmEasy and tasty. Def needs some jalapeños.
★★★★★
Laura
May 30, 2018 at 4:29 pmThank you!! 🙂
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 🙂