Back in college, who didn’t love that affordable (10 for $1.00!) super-easy, deliciously sodium-laden supper? We sure did. But, we’ve grown up and so have our taste buds (and awareness of things like blood pressure). Thankfully, this homemade ramen recipe is nearly as easy to make as the packaged stuff, almost as quick, and so much better for you. For this easy chicken ramen recipe we’ll be using the same dried ramen noodles you know and love, but losing that nasty sodium-filled flavor packet in exchange for a few “homemade” flavor bombs.
30 minutes, 8 ingredients, and you’ll finish it by adding tender cooked chicken pieces and a perfect soft-boiled “ramen-egg.” Tons of fresh ginger, garlic, chili and sesame oil make the chicken ramen broth so richly flavorful, you won’t even miss the MSG. For more ramen, try our Slow-Cooker Beef Ramen, or our Vegetarian Curry Ramen, and for an even simpler, lighter riff on this, try our Gingery Vegetable Soup!
Chicken Ramen Ingredients
Chicken stock: Homemade Chicken Stock is always wonderful if you’ve got it, but any chicken stock you love will work fine here.
Soy sauce: We suggest using low-sodium soy sauce and add salt to taste as needed.
Sesame oil: Toasty and nutty, sesame oil roots the flavors of this recipe right where they belong.
Fresh scallions: Tons of fresh scallions give homemade ramen a restaurant-quality vibe.
Fresh garlic and ginger: How do you flavor a ramen broth without all those sodium-bomb chemicals? Go old school! Tons of fresh garlic and ginger make this broth so deeply delicious.
Shiitake mushrooms: Beautiful and healthy, we love their earthy flavor.
Chicken: For this ramen recipe, the chicken can be any leftover chicken that you have on hand. If you are a meal prepper, some simple poached chicken would be ideal, or you could use just the chicken breast of a store-bought rotisserie chicken.
Ramen noodles: You can just use the dried ramen noodles that come in those packages you loved way back when.
Egg: A perfectly-cooked 6 Minute Egg, with a nice jammy yolk, is a ramen MUST.
Chili sauce: We like to use sambal oelek, but sriracha would also be fine.
How To Make Easy Chicken Ramen At Home
Make the ramen topping: Whisk together scallions, chili paste and sesame oil to make a ramen topping that will ensure that every single bite of this easy ramen bursts with flavor.
Make the chicken ramen broth: In a big saucepan or soup pot, sauté garlic and ginger in sesame oil, and pour in the chicken stock, soy sauce, scallions, mushrooms, chicken slices, and salt.
Add the ramen noodles: Boil just until the noodles are done, about 3 minutes.
Make it look like real ramen: Grab your favorite bowls, and serve the ramen topped with perfect egg halves, and drizzled generously with the chili-scallion ramen topping.
Is This An Authentic Ramen Recipe?
Very much no. This is a quick ramen recipe inspired by instant ramen, meaning the packets of Top Ramen or Maruchan Ramen. Real Japanese ramen is a whole different thing, and is one of those incredible dishes that is hard to recreate authentically at home if you don’t have a lot of time. Most ramen shop ramen recipes take a lot of time to develop an intense flavor profile that is hard to compete with. But, this quick homemade ramen recipe is authentically delicious, that we can promise.
More Easy Homemade Ramen Recipes
How’d You Like It?
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