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
Wow—just made this tonight but we had thick pork chops instead of chicken so I used that instead but the same process. SO GOOD and it turned out so beautiful. We have a ramen place up the road that’s so good but hard to get into; however, no need now—I can make my own. Thank you!
YUM! Thanks, Erin!!
Ramen is my favorite meal. This recipe is perfect (except i add a dash of sriracha for heat). The depth of flavors makes the broth so phenomenal. Im so thankful i found this recipe. It soothes me down to my soul. I would beg for more ramen variations from you such as, shoyu, shio, and miso, tonkotsu, etc.
★★★★★
Could we have replace the shitake mushrooms for baby Bella? I did so and it tasted good, but I thought with the replacement mushrooms, I thought it would taste better with the shitake
Hi, Chloe! You can use baby bellas (or another favorite mushroom), but you’ll get the most umami flavor from dried shitakes.
Delicious haven’t had ramen in so long just…. Brilliant!:)
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Lunar!
This was amazing!!! So yummy, 10/10
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Emma!!
freezing cold nite in santa fe….restaurants all under lockdown….hungry for ramen…this recipe is brillant….thanks so much.
★★★★★
Thank you, Drea! So happy it could hit the spot 🙂
Wow
★★★★★
Thank you!
Excellent recipe! One of our favorites that we’ve made in awhile! Made it vegetarian and added fresh mixed mushrooms and bok choy for our own spin, but the steps, ingredients list, and measurements were very helpful in getting started!!! Thank you for sharing this!
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Lindsey!! 🙂
Really loved this recipe! This was my first go at ramen and it turned out fantastic. I actually had it for 2020 Thanksgiving dinner 😂 and it was super filling and delicious! I did spice mine up by adding about a tablespoon of chili garlic paste (the store bought kind that comes in a little pot). Also I didn’t have the Mirin so I used rice vinegar mixed with some brown sugar as a substitue. Definitely will be making again! 🙂
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Emma!! Love that it could be part of your holiday 🙂
Alright, this is absolutely wonderful!! 💗 There are recipes you try out and they’re fine, you eat it but they weren’t special enough to get added to your food rotation. Then there are recipes like this! You ask yourself how you have ever lived before knowing how to make this?! This has become the Sunday night comfort food, the running a fever and just need some soup, the having friends over and want to serve something that will leave an impression, the I need to send this recipe to all my family members, the I need to make a double batch so I have leftovers, the I’m going to instagram this because it’s so pretty! I’m pretty sure I screw this recipe up every time in some way but it is extremely forgiving and tastes so so delicious every single time! My extremely picky boyfriend gobbles this ish up!
★★★★★
Oh, Sarah, thank you so much!! This makes my day. I’m so glad to hear it’s become one of your favorites, too!! 🙂
I’m sorry but this just isn’t ramen, it’s chicken noodle soup with a few Japanese ingredients thrown in. I’m no cooking snob, so if you like this recipe, great! But call it chicken soup with ramen noodles, please. Nearly every variety of ramen has a very distinctive flavor from the stock made from seaweed and dried fish. Then the tare adds that super punch of flavors – salty, umami, deep, and complex. It always has an oil component that give a richness to the dish, and that is totally absent here. You don’t include the essential varieties of toppings like fermented bamboo, leafy greens, dried seaweed as the bare minimum. Japan is rightly proud of their ramen, so this Westernized version isn’t going to give anyone an idea what ramen is all about, but to be totally fair, it’s light years ahead of those cheap packets we all ate in college. Your soup is tasty chicken noodles, but it’s not ramen.
★
Hello. I’m not sure if you actually made my recipe before deciding to leave this negative review, but as I mention in the post, this is a one hour, weeknight ramen recipe, and does not claim to be rigidly authentic. Instead, this is a simplified, approachable version of the ramen my husband used to eat when he would visit his parents in Tokyo.
For the sake of time, I use a rich chicken stock instead of kombu. I don’t add a step to make a tare, but do add some of the ingredients often included (soy sauce, mirin, etc.), and the dried shiitake mushrooms in the broth add additional umami flavor.
“Chicken noodle soup” exists all over the world in countless forms – everything from matzo ball soup, to noodle curries, to the Western version of chicken noodle soup that I’m guessing you’re referring to (with carrots, celery, garlic, parsley, thyme, etc.), and of course, ramen.
If this isn’t the recipe for you, great! There are thousands of other ramen recipes on the internet to choose from – I’m sure many more complex. But lots of people really like this simplified version, and also may not have hours to spend on one dish, or easy access to fermented bamboo and dried seaweed that “cooking snobs” might.
I hope you find the recipe you’re looking for.
Don’t let this review bother you. Just an opinion. You set expectations perfectly in your description. For the amount of effort and ingredients, it is a wonderful recipe. Made this for the first time today for my family, and even after doubling the recipe it was pretty much gone. We will be having this again for sure.
What more can I say other than easy to make and very, very tasty! 😋. Will definitely be making again 😊
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Glow!!
You clearly are a snob, and really need to get a life. You wrote on essay on ramen and threw a little baby fit.
Just made this. Amazing. Used sesame chili oil for a kick and sauteed yellow onion and red bell peppers too. Best ramen I’ve ever had. We used Healthy Noodle for zero carbs to keep it keto friendly. Again, absolutely amazing!
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Paul!! I’m so happy you loved it 🙂
I have not made this yet but wondering there is no mention of Dashi which I do not have but was going to find. A lot of the Ramen recipes use this. What are your thoughts?
Hi, Janice! Yes, many traditional Japanese ramen recipes use dashi, but for this simplified version I use chicken stock instead. I do add dried shitake mushrooms, which adds lots of umami flavor similar to what you would get from a traditional kombu or bonito based dashi. You could absolutely make your own dashi if you’d like, but keep in mind it may have a slightly different taste in the finished dish and you may need to adjust other ingredients accordingly. Hope you enjoy!!
looks and tastes amazing just one question how do you make it one serve
★★★★★
Thanks, Jay!! For one serving you’d just divide all the ingredients in half. Or make as is, and you’ll have a second serving for leftovers.
Delicious! So far better than any other Ramen soup!
Thank you, Lori!!
So excited to try this! Can I use beef broth instead of chicken broth?
Hi Rachelle! You can use beef broth, but it’s not my favorite here, and won’t have quite the same flavor. If you don’t want to use chicken stock, I’d try vegetable or turkey stock. Enjoy!!
We are a house of foodies I have made this recipe many times always a hit. Great Job.
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Marc!!
We absolutely fell in love with this recipe!! My family wants it every week. Exactly as the recipe is written 🙂 Because of this recipe I’ve been wanting to try a beef (flank or other steak) ramen recipe. But I don’t want to try any other recipe. Can this recipe be modified for beef (maybe using beef stock) and if so would you change anything other than the meat selection? Thank you for this amazing recipe.
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Jen!! I haven’t tried making this recipe with beef stock, but you can absolutely switch out the protein. Lots of readers have used pork, and it’s my favorite way to use leftover turkey at Thanksgiving 🙂 I keep everything for the broth and veggies the same but may cook the meat separately/with a different method depending on what type/cut is used. Please let me know if you give another version a whirl!
Hi Laura, after searching and searching for a beef Ramen noodle soup recipe we couldn’t find any that sounded as good as this one. So we modified your recipe to replace the chicken stock with beef stock and then we used thin sliced flank steak that was marinated in a simple Asian marinade for 15 minutes. We loved this change but we like the original recipe more. I think if we had used a little less beef stock and maybe left a little chicken stock in there it would’ve been perfect. There was just something missing from the broth. We will continue to play with that change but in the meantime we look forward to the chicken version. Thank you!
Thanks so much for the update, Jen!! I think sometimes all beef broth can be a little heavy, so I think you’re right that a mix with the chicken stock for the base might be a good balance. Using flank steak sounds delish! 🙂
Probably should warn people about the sesame oil or at least adjust your recipe to compensate for it. Im sure it would have been decent but 2tsp of sesame oil killed and overpowered it
Hi, Ed. I don’t personally find it overpowering and you’re the first person to mention this. If you’re sensitive to sesame you can certainly use your favorite vegetable oil instead (as I note in the recipe).
I was worried about the sesame oil overpowering the dish as well so I decided to use 1/2 sesame to vegetable oil.
I have made these numerous times for my family and friends. It is always a hit. Since it’s usually a weeknight meal and I’m a busy mama, I always shoot for the rotisserie chicken to cut the time in half.
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Amanda!! I love making this with rotisserie chicken too (a lot faster!).
I tried this for the first time tonight and it was delicious, full of flavour and exactly the taste I’ve been craving for months! We’ve been in lockdown in Melbourne for months which includes a travel restriction. All of the ramen places are outside of mine, so I really appreciate this 🙂 . I only had standard soy sauce at home (not low sodium) and skinless chicken breast, but despite that it still tasted amazing. I didn’t add any extra salt to the broth cos I figured the normal soy would do enough to season the broth.
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Cris!! So happy our ramen could fix your craving 🙂
Easy and delicious! Love that I can make it without the junk that is many times added by Pho places (like MSG!) I also add other veggies like blanched broccoli, bean sprouts and shredded carrot (you really don’t need the Mirin if you add carrot.) Total cold weather comfort food 😉 Thanks Laura!!!
★★★★★
BTW, the brown rice ramen from Costco is highly recommended.
Thanks so much, Carolyn!! So happy you love it too!
Been making this regularly. It’s great!
★★★★★
Thank you, Vicko!!