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
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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.
Keywords: ramen, chicken ramen, homemade ramen, easy ramen, japanese, soup, dinner, noodle, broth, quick, healthy
Make this recipe? Let us know what you think!
321 Comments
Ariadne
January 19, 2020 at 4:17 pmDelicious! The broth is so good it should be illegal. I use fresh shiitake as I can’t seem to find dry around here.
★★★★★
Lizzie Clark
January 13, 2020 at 10:07 amOh, my goodness this recipe is incredible! I took out the shitake mushrooms and scallions because I didn’t hav them on hand but it still came together just beautifully! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! Will definitely be making again, YUM!!!
★★★★★
Shelby
January 7, 2020 at 8:15 pmThe broth was super tasty! All I had was skinless chicken breast, so I sliced two up raw and then boiled them in the finished broth until cooked. Worked great! Thanks for this recipe!
★★★★★
Sarah
January 4, 2020 at 4:32 pmJust made this recipe, but not from this website. I have the new Overwatch Cookbook and the ramen recipe in it is almost identical to this one. Even the directions are very similar. Might want to check into it since I was pretty shocked to find this posted from 5 years ago after doing some searching after making it from the book.
Elisabeth
December 28, 2019 at 9:55 amThis was my first time making homemade ramen and it was a huge hit! Wouldn’t change a thing in the recipe!
★★★★★
Kausha
December 27, 2019 at 12:24 pmThank you!! I was looking for a simple but yet a delicious recipe and I think I’ve just got one and it’s a keeper!
I had to twist the recipe since here in Italy, the place i live doesn’t have mirin, sake and the shitake mushrooms. I used to white white+sugar to substitute mirin and sautéed fresh sliced champignons with the ginger and garlic and followed the recipe! Oh and i used pork belly and used a few chilli flakes on top..
Loved every bite/spoon of it!!!
PS: made the noodles at home with bread flour, baked baking soda and water!
Thanks again for sharing this wonderful recipe!
John Duke
December 2, 2019 at 8:56 amLove this.. Did it! Is one of my fav’s now..
★★★★★
Laura
December 2, 2019 at 3:06 pmYay! So happy to hear it. Thanks, John!
Whitney
November 11, 2019 at 9:44 amThis was delicious! The only thing I adjusted was the broth because 4 cups wasn’t enough!
★★★★
Laura
November 17, 2019 at 1:28 pmThanks, Whitney!!
Stacy
December 27, 2019 at 4:48 pmWonderful recipe. I subbed in liquid aminos in place of soy sauce and used authentic ramen noods from Wegmans. It is a tad salty for me but the flavor is all there. My daughter sucked down 2 bowls and she is a super picky eater. Will make this again and again and try adding my own flair next time
★★★★★
Kathryn Krause
October 23, 2019 at 10:21 amI have made this recipe countless times, and its ALWAYS a hit. Very simple, and soo delish with a little sriracha to finish.
I have substituted marinated pork loin instead of chicken many times as well, and its amazing.
I also up the broth recipe by half, since its so delicious.
★★★★★
Laura C
October 20, 2019 at 5:01 pmYUM!!! I’ve made this twice now and am constantly craving it haha. My partner even said it was the best ramen he’s ever had!
Thank you so much for this recipe, I seriously love it and it’s SO easy.
★★★★★
Jules
October 13, 2019 at 9:06 pmI can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this recipe over the last couple years. It’s so simple and so delicious. For ease, we typically buy a Costco rotisserie chicken which works wonderfully. I do agree that there is not a ton of broth, which we love, so I usually increase that portion of the recipe by half. However I think I will try cooking the noodles separately as another person suggested. Sriracha on top takes it out of this world.
★★★★★
Jessica
September 30, 2019 at 10:34 amThis was absolutely delicious. We finished ours off wish some sriracha instead of jalapenos and it was great for a little kick. I will definitely be making this again. So simple but so flavorful!
★★★★★
DA
September 28, 2019 at 10:08 amHello.
Thank you for the recipe. We will be trying it this week. For the ease of print, would you please create a “print version” pdf?
Alexandra R Montoya
September 23, 2019 at 7:41 pmWe love this recipe!!! We’ve made it a staple and go-to dish in our home. Absolutely love this soup.
★★★★★
Official Weeb Chef Lingunie
September 22, 2019 at 7:42 pmThis some gourmet shit right here
★★★★★