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
Amazing recipe, chicken comes out really flavorful even with only salt and pepper very filling and hearty, we now make this once a week, sometimes even using beef or just vegetarian bowl, kids love it!
★★★★★
So happy to hear it’s become a fave! Thank you, Rula!!
Made this several times it’s sooo delicious and easy to prepare ❤️
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Rachel!!
Wow, I made this almost exactly to recipe. (I was a hair short on soy sauce, lol, my bad) but omg, this was incredible! My sweetheart loved it! I definitely plan on making this again soon.
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Rith!!
how much sodium does this Ramen contain?
★★★★★
Hi, Sawyer! This will depend mostly on the chicken stock you use, and how generously you season the broth. Enjoy!!
Really delicious – this has become a staple meal for my husband and I. I use skinless chicken because I don’t like the skin, and I put some white miso paste into the broth to give it a bump on the umami (in place of the mushrooms – not a mushroom gal). I add water chestnuts, bok choy and bamboo shoots for extra veg. And I do marinate my eggs. I know this sounds like a lot of changes, but this core recipe is absolutely fantastic – I prefer it to any restaurant ramen I’ve ever had.
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Lynne!! I love bok choy in mine too 🙂
I’ve been making this recipe for a few years now, my family loves it. Every time we get ramen at a restaurant my family tells me mine is better 🙂
★★★★★
What a great compliment! Thank you so much, Cynthia!!
Very good (and easy!) recipe for those cold days!! I changed some things up to fit what i had -i used rotisserie chicken instead of cooking breast, ginger spice and not fresh ginger, and excluded mushrooms as i dont like them. The broth is delicious, and instructions were easy for a beginner like me. Will for certain make more for later!
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Caitlyn!! So happy it was a hit!
Insanely good. My 17 year old ramen lover devoured it and had seconds. I added chopped Kale & julienned carrots. Top’d w/ fresh sliced jalapeños and scallions. This will become a go-to. Delish!
★★★★★
Yay! So happy to hear that. Thank you, Mauri!!
I made this recipe last night and it was amazing. I did add fish sauce as well as a few additional spices and used chicken thighs because I prefer dark meat. My daughter-in-law who is obsessed with these dishes said it was better than she has had in most restaurants. My five year old also raved about it and ate two big servings. This was my first attempt at a dish like this and i’m so glad that I chose this recipe.
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Keisha!! I’m so happy to hear everyone loved it 🙂
Made this last night and was very simple to do and tasted fantastic.
Will try pork next time
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Lee! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
First time making Ramen we loved this recipe! We will definitely be making again.
Thank you, Mike!! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
This recipe was easy yo make, and it was delicious!!
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Jessica!!
So good and so easy. My kids loved it too and that’s saying something!
★★★★★
Oh, yay! Thank you, Lynn!!
My husband who is a ramen snob absolutely devoured his bowl and gave it a 10! Such a fast and easy recipe to follow. Highly recommend!
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Jen!! So happy it was a hit 🙂
My family loves this recipe. It’s not at all complicated and we will often have leftover broth for days.
★★★★★
Thank you, Vicki!! So happy it’s a family fave 🙂
I recently got into Ramen dishes. I shamefully associated them with cheap carbs and energy when I was poor. Now that I’ve had real Ramen I can’t afford to eat it out all the time. This recipe has me eating like a king on a poor man’s budget. I cheat and get the $5 rotisserie chicken (only a small portion is needed per bowl) and throw some of the skin in for extra flavor. I splurge and add some extras like sprouts etc. I also use the dried Shitake mushrooms and just strain them out and replace them with sliced fresh baby Bella’s I like the umami from the Shitakes and the texture of the baby Bella’s. This recipe is perfect for tweaks and fantastic just the way it is.
★★★★★
So glad you’re enjoying it and love that you’re making it your own! Thank you, Eddie!!
This was delicious, thank you!
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Karen!!
So good. Going to add to the regular rotation.
★★★★★
Thank you, Ryan!!
I plan to make this in the next couple of days. Do you think beef bone broth would alter the flavor too much?
Hi, Carissa! I actually don’t like using beef broth for this ramen. I find that it kind of overwhelms the other flavors. You could definitely use beef or pork in the soup instead of the roasted chicken though (if you scroll through the comments lots of readers have suggestions on this), but I would stick to chicken or vegetable stock if possible. Hope that helps and happy cooking!!
This recipe was AMAZING. Exactly what I was looking for – one of those warms-the-soul meals. My boyfriend and I decided to add some corn and some seaweed which we loved! Highly recommend. Other than that, stayed true to the recipe – the chicken turned out amazing – I’ve never prepared it that way! I’ll definitely be using that method for future dishes. Will definitely be making this again.
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Adriana!! So happy to hear you guys loved it 🙂
What brand of broth do you use?
Hi, Khristen! I like to use either homemade broth (the best but not always convenient), or a store-bought chicken stock/bone broth (I probably use Pacific Foods and Costco’s organic chicken stocks most often, but there are lots of other good brands too). I think all soups benefit from a really flavorful base, but we’re adding lots of other really yummy ingredients and it still tastes great even with a basic broth. Happy cooking!!