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
Super delish!!
★★★★★
Thank you, Jessica!!
Very good recipe! Made it for lunch on a cold day. Used some left over turkey and added spinach and peas with the fresh mushrooms. Delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Jeannem!!
We love this recipe!!! It is my go to for ramen. I make it with whatever meat I happen to have on hand. Last night, I added spinach and carrot matchsticks to up the veggies.
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Gloria! So happy it’s become a fave 🙂
Drop whatever you are doing and make this ramen!!! 5/5
Thanks so much, Peter!!
Hello. We are making this in a middle school setting and need a substitute for the rice wine. Any suggestions?
Many thanks!
Hi, Nancy! You could use rice vinegar with a pinch of sugar instead. Enjoy!!
This was perfect to help with my ramen base. I made alterations based on what I had on hand but it was very easy and tasty.
★★★★★
Thank you, Christina!!
Very tasty and relatively simple and easy to do. My only concern is that the dried mushrooms (at least the ones I bought) didn’t hydrate adequately during the simmering stage (i let them 15 minutes instead of 10 – still came out a bit chewy and hard) maybe ill try to hydrate them in a bowl of water next time for longer and also add their water. (or maybe change the brand- idk) any advice?
★★★★★
We love this recipe! I usually add shredded carrots. I also adjust it for my vegetarian kids using veggie both, Tofu and adding spinach for them.
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Cheryl!! Love that it works for the whole family 🥰
Hi! I loved this recipe, I’m wondering about nutricional value, do you know?
Hi M! We no longer provide nutritional info, but there are lots of online calculators you can plug your exact ingredients into 😊 Hope you enjoy!!
My husband requests this ramen pretty much every week lately. We love it. Sometimes we make it all the way from scratch and sometimes we cheat and use a rotisserie chicken. Both are great. Thank you for this recipe!
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Lauren!!
HI! This was an absolute blast to whip up, But there was one small mishap. After the ramen broth was finished, I tried it, and it had a great taste to begin. But the after tast was bland like I was missing something. And I know I put everything in! What do you think I did wrong?
Hi Zach! I haven’t gotten that comment before, so I’m not exactly sure. Maybe try a different chicken stock? The richer and more flavorful that is, the better your ramen broth will be. And you can always add more salt to taste, or add some sriracha or chili paste at the end too. Hope that helps! 🙂