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
This was my first time making homemade Ramen. The flavors were delicious and new to my kitchen as I have only had ramen out. I used Ocean’s Halo Ramen noodles. I think I should have used a thicker noodle and let it sit in the sauce to pick up more of the flavor, but the family loved it and I will definitely make it again. Thank you!
★★★★
Thanks, Kristen! Glad to hear that your family loved the ramen! I’m a big fan of the Hakubaku brand ramen noodles if you get a chance to try those.
Thank you! This was delicious. My whole family loved it. I used Asha brand noodles from Costco. My 9-year old didn’t stop talking about how good it was.
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Amanda!! So happy to hear it was a hit, even your little one! 🙂
Everyone that has tried your ramen loved it! Made it a lot of times and always will.
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Mustafa!! So happy to hear it’s a hit!
I have two questions, if you have time!
1). Should I triple or quadruple the recipe for 5 people if I want leftovers?
2) Could I use replace the chicken breast with thighs for my picky no-white-meat family?
Hi, Abby! Questions are always welcome 🙂 If you’d like leftovers I would probably make 4x the original recipe. You can definitely use chicken thighs – I would plan for 1-2 per person. They may cook faster than chicken breasts, so be sure to watch your timing. Hope everyone enjoys!!
Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe I absolutely love this soup.
★★★★★
Thank you, Dominic!!
Okay this recipe was great. I have never made ramen nor am I really a cook but this recipe took me to new heights. I’m pretty sure I messed up every step and it still turned out great. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Rachel!!
Seriously, this is a godsend recipe. My family and myself are blown away. Thank you so much and very much kudos! Seeing your responses to comments, you appear both modest and humble? Wow such a great combination. Thank you for this added gift on life! I’m sure I dont stand alone by saying that this is a must have in any culinary arsenal worldwide. Thank you! 🙂 🙂
Thank you! So happy you enjoyed our recipe 🙂
Honestly a perfect recipe, the only thing I’d suggest changing is using ramen eggs instead of soft boiled eggs.
★★★★★
Thanks, Bassil!
I love how easy and simple it is:) It is very flexible.
Thank you, Emma!! 🙂
I’ve actually never had real ramen before (only the instant kind), so making this was my first time trying it and I feel like I’ve missed out for my whole life! I made it for my family (glad I doubled the recipe so that we would have leftovers) and they loved it too. I was nervous about the chicken not being flavored, so I did a quick rub with five spice (in addition to the salt and pepper) and a dash of Shaoxing cooking wine right before popping them into the pan and it led to a nice crust on the chicken breasts. I also doubled the amount of mushrooms and used fresh, and threw them in a pan with some oil at medium high heat for a few minutes to brown them before putting them into the broth and it turned out to be a hit. Love how versatile this broth is; I put some carrots in it because it’s what we had around, but next time I might throw in some other veggies. The soft-boiled egg part was perfect as well, this is me discovering that I actually love soft boiled eggs and that they’re super simple to make! Overall a recipe I’ll definitely be making again.
★★★★★
Ahh, so happy to hear our recipe could be part of your ramen inauguration!! 😉 Thanks so much, Alex!!
This is the second time I’ve made this. I don’t think I’ll be able to stop! Everyone in the house loves it! I made a double batch and it’s almost gone in under an hour. I added sesame seeds, dried nori, button mushrooms (in with the shitaki), and omitted the green onion because I forgot to thaw it. This is seriously some of the best food on earth!!!
★★★★★
So happy to hear it! Thanks, Leo!!
Love this recipe!
★★★★★
Thanks, Debbie!!
How many calories are in this recipe overall and per serving ?
Making this for the 3rd time in last month…..wife loves it
Thanks, Dave!!
Was craving good ramen under lockdown, and this was an awesome recipe!!
Only thing I did differently was I marinated my egg for 2 days.
★★★★★
How did you marinade? I’ve never heard of this. Enthusiasticly curious! 🙂
Delicious in it’s base form. I suggest adding daikon radish, naruto, sesame seed, and dried seaweed. Also, this recipe reheats quite well- the broth, at least. I generally use quadruple all the broth ingredients and make about a gallon in total. Rather than adding the mushrooms to the broth, I boil my ramen noodles in a separate pot, and the mushrooms along with them. This allows me to save the broth with no mushrooms in it, which in turn avoids the problem of mushy mushrooms when it’s time to reheat.
★★★★★
Please help me, i cannot stop making this ramen!!! Turns out amazing every time. I skip the chicken and go more egg (faster meal), and no mushrooms as partner is picky. Personally i find theres enough for 3 meals! Lunchy lunch for tomorrow
★★★★★
The perfect broth! Simple ingredients and perfectly balanced flavor.
★★★★★
This is my husband’s new favorite soup! So so delicious and not hard to make!
★★★★★
Equivalent to chicken noodle soup.
★
Delicious! The broth is so good it should be illegal. I use fresh shiitake as I can’t seem to find dry around here.
★★★★★
Wow. Then go make chicken noodle soup. That’s like saying apple pie is the same as an apple dumpling. I think the word you’re looking for is “similar”, not “equivalent”. This is a great simple version of home cooked Ramen. Add thin slices of brisket or pork with a pork/beef broth base and hoisen sauce if you want a more savory simple stock, or take 4 hours to make Ramen from a recipe that doesn’t say “simple”. Read the ingredient list, and read the comments before cooking. You get good hints from others that may want a fuller taste. This isn’t just egg noodles, this is Ramen.
★★★★★
I think you may have replied to the wrong comment. I said I enjoyed this recipe.
she probs can’t cook ramen, darn. don’t make it then