Chicken Ramen

An easy recipe for Chicken Ramen soup. Prep all your ingredients ahead and you can have delicious homemade chicken ramen on the table in 15 minutes or less.

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Asian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 317kcal

Author Meggan Hill

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic minced
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger peeled and grated
8 cups chicken broth (see note 1)
1 cup water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin (see note 2)
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 ounces dried shiitake mushrooms (see note 3)
2 cups cooked chicken shredded (see note 4)
1 (8 ounce) package Chuka Soba noodles rehydrated (see note 5)
4 soft-yolk eggs halved (boiled 6 1/2 minutes), for garnish
2 cup scallions sliced, for garnish
1 large jalapeño pepper thinly sliced, for garnish (see note 6
1 Thai bird chile thinly sliced, for garnish, optional (see note 6)

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Instructions

In a Dutch oven or 3-quart saucepan, heat oil until shimmering. Stir in garlic and ginger until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir in broth, water, soy sauce, mirin, and sesame oil. Bring to boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and add dried mushrooms.
Simmer until mushrooms have softened, about 10 minutes.
Using two large shallow bowls, divide chicken and noodles. Top with hot broth and garnish with eggs, scallions, and chilis.

Video

Notes

Chicken broth: You can make your own chicken broth AND have shredded chicken for this recipe in one pot.
Mirin: An essential Japanese ingredient. It's similar to sake, a rice wine, but sweeter and much lower in alcohol. The sweetness balances out the saltiness of the soy sauce. If all you can find is rice vinegar, add some sugar to it to counterbalance the acidity. To substitute wine, use a wine such as a dry sherry or sweet marsala, adding 1/4 teaspoon sugar to 1/4 cup wine.
Shiitake mushrooms: Dried mushrooms, usually sold in big bags, are easy to store in the pantry and rehydrate before adding them to a stir-fry, a soup, or anything that could use a little umami flavor. If all you can find are fresh shiitake mushrooms, buy about 3/4 pound fresh for every 2 ounces of dried mushrooms you need.
Cooked Chicken: Leftover rotisserie chicken, grilled chicken, or poached chicken all shred up nicely.
Soba noodles: Chuka soba (curly ramen noodles), soba, or any egg noodle you can find at an Asian market all work. Dried or fresh types all work well but rehydrate them separately according to package directions before using them in the recipe.
Chilies: Add sliced fresh jalapeño peppers and even a tiny, fiery Thai birdseye chili, if you like it spicy.
Yield: One batch of the recipe makes 4 servings of ramen.
Make ahead: You can definitely get the broth made a few days before you need it, and the chicken is easy to poach a day or so beforehand, too.
Storage: Store the broth and various toppings in separate containers in the refrigerator and then assemble the bowl when it's time to eat.
Freezing: Freeze the broth as you would any other stock and you'll always have the umami-rich foundation for ramen at home. Unfortunately, cooked noodles and fresh toppings won't freeze well.
Thicken the broth: If you prefer a thicker soup, whisk in a mixture of cornstarch combined with cold water and allow to simmer for a few minutes. Add more as needed until it is the desired consistency. The amount of cornstarch and water will vary according to how much broth is being used. Start with mixing 1 tablespoon cornstarch with enough water to make a slurry (like a watery paste), then add it a little at a time (not all at once!) allowing the liquid to simmer a minute or two so you can judge the thickness. Add more if you want to, but only in small amounts.
Toppings: In traditional ramen, toppings are a very important part of the dish. Fun toppings such as braised pork belly, toasted sesame seeds, bean sprouts, and baby corn are common, as well as spinach and bok choy.

Nutrition