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This Easy Chicken Ramen can be made at home in about 30 minutes! A flavorful broth with chicken and noodles, and don’t forget the ramen egg!
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Let’s talk about ramen. And I’m not talking about the ten for a dollar packs beloved by college students the world around. I’m talking about the good stuff. It has been all the rage for quite a few years, but for some reason I had never bothered to get myself to a ramen house for a bowl until recently when my cousins invited me to try it with them. I had a feeling I would love it and I was not wrong.
A bowl of ramen is a total flavor bomb, filled with a rich, flavorful broth, tender meat, noodles, and topped with the crowning glory if you ask for it – the ramen egg. And there is a reason that ramen is so flavorful. It is pretty time-consuming to make a broth that complex. I have been craving ramen prettty much every day since the first time I had it, but there isn’t a restaurant convenient to my house that serves it. I thought about embarking on the task of making my own real, authentic ramen, but after reading a few recipes I decided that was best left for another time. What I really wanted was to be able to whip up a super flavorful soup but in not very much time. Oh, and I still wanted that ramen egg, it is EVERYTHING.
So, this is not an authentic ramen recipe. But it is a bowl full of flavor, and you can make it in about 30 minutes. Also I have made it four times in the past few weeks, soooo, I’ve been eating A LOT of it and am not sick of it yet.
This Easy Chicken Ramen is a bowl full of flavor, and you can make it in about 30 minutes.
I learned a few things while making this recipe, and the most important one is about the noodles. I used fresh yakisoba noodles because I wanted that fresh noodle texture. But here is the thing. You can’t just cook the noodles in the broth and call it good. I really wanted to cook them in the soup because that makes sense and I didn’t want an extra step of cooking noodles separately. But the problem is that if you cook the noodles in the soup, they release a bunch of starch which thickens up the broth AND they start sucking up all the liquid in the soup. Then you are left with a bunch of soggy noodles and a soup with hardly any broth. It is not good. I mean, it isn’t bad. I still ate it. But it isn’t ideal Plus, if you reheat the leftovers the noodles pretty much dissolve. Nope, best to just cook the noodles separately , then serve them individually and pour the soup over them. Bonus points: You are totally in control of your noodle portion. Lots or just a few, it is your choice.
And let’s talk about the ramen egg. I now have an INSTANT POT RAMEN EGG RECIPE on the blog! For stovetop directions, I followed the instructions over at Just One Cookbook – except I subbed rice vinegar for mirin because that is what I keep on hand. I marinated them overnight and then just reheated them in soup. If you can’t be bothered with the marinating, you can just make a soft boiled egg and skip the marinating. Or even use a poached or fried egg! But really, I do recommend using an egg, it just takes the whole thing up another level. And if you happen to have the time to make the eggs the night before and marinate them, it is really good.
If you have an Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker, I have a recipe for the Ramen Egg in the Instant Pot HERE. You may also like my recipe for easy chicken ramen in the instant pot – see that recipe HERE.
Easy Chicken Ramen
Ingredients
For The Soup:
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 onion sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger root
- 4 garlic cloves pressed or finely minced
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms stems removed and sliced
- 1/2 - 3/4 pounds baby bok choy sliced into quarters lengthwise
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 1-2 packages fresh yakisoba noodles* one package is about 7 ounces. Use two packages if you like lots of noodles. Fresh noodles are usually found in the produce section of the grocery store
For The Ramen Egg**
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 3/4 cup water
Additional Toppings (Optional)
- sliced green onion
- cilantro
- chili garlic sauce
- sesame seeds
- lime wedges
Instructions
To Prepare The Ramen Egg:
- Whisk together the 1/4 cup of soy sauce, 1/4 cup of rice vinegar and 3/4 cup water, set aside.
- Prepare an ice bath by filling a bowl with ice and water.
- Bring a pot of water to boil (make sure there is enough water to cover the eggs). When boiling, carefully lower the eggs into the water using a slotted spoon or spider. Reduce heat if necessary to keep the water just barely boiling. Cook for 7 minutes, then remove from pot and place eggs in the ice bath. Leave in the ice bath for 3 minutes. Remove from ice bath and gently peel (egg will be soft). Place peeled eggs in the marinade and make sure they are completely covered with the marinade. Leave in the marinade for several hours or overnight. If keeping longer, discard the marinade and store in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Reheat the egg in the ramen broth (don't leave in the broth very long before serving or the egg will overcook).
To Prepare The Noodles:
- If using fresh noodles:
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. When boiling, add the noodles and simmer for 3 minutes. Strain and rinse with cold water. Toss with just a little oil if necessary to keep them from sticking (mine already had a little oil on them, so I didn't need to). Set aside.
- (If using another type of noodle, follow package instructions)
To Prepare The Soup:
- Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté until starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and stir fry for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant so that they don't burn. Add the chicken broth and 1 cup of water, soy sauce, rice vinegar, oyster sauce, fish sauce, chili garlic sauce, stir to combine. Bring back to a simmer.
- When broth reaches a simmer, add the chicken thighs. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through and reaches a temperature of 165°F.
- Remove the chicken and shred it with two forks. Add it back to the broth along with the bok choy and cook for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.
To Serve The Ramen:
- In a bowl, place a serving of noodles, then pour the soup over them. Top soup with ramen egg, sliced green onions, cilantro and sesame seeds if desired.
Video
Notes
**The egg is optional but I really recommend it. If you don't have time to marinade the egg, you can just skip the marinading step. You can also serve with a fried or poached egg if you prefer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
*NOTES: Many readers love the broth as is. However, some people find it too salty. This may depend on the brand of ingredients being used and personal taste. If you find the broth is too salty for your taste, add 1-2 cups of water to the broth.
Ramen Egg adapted from Just One Cookbook
HELPFUL EQUIPMENT: Dutch Oven
Ramen is definitely one of my favourite dishes. I love it nice-n-spicy. Your recipe looks awesome!
Thanks Dawn! I like it a little spicy too 🙂 Nice to see you here from Instagram!
Ha! Ha! you know the last time I had ramen was in fact those 10 for a $1 packs. I was volunteering as part of the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. . .so we were lucky to even have that. That said, I always see fantastic photos of real ramen (like yours) and I have to wonder why I never seem to find it on my menu. Pinning this beauty as a reminder to once and for all add it to the menu.
Wow, Lynn! Well after volunteering for Hurricane Katrina I bet anything tasted great, what hard work! Thanks so much for the pin!
There’s a great ramen place by us … and yet we still haven’t been even after talking about it for months!! haha I need to just make it myself. This looks fantastic!!
Thanks so much Ashley! You totally need to try it!
Looks great!! I confess I’ve never tried authentic ramen. I was imagining what it tastes like as I read through your blog post and drooled over your photos hahaha. I’m going to have to either try it or make it at some point here or what kind of food blogger would I be?!
Thanks so much Natasha! Yes, you should for sure try it, so good!
You have made my day Meghan! I am so excited to try this! My husband has been trying to get me onto ramen but I’m not the biggest seafood fan (or any meat that I can’t tell what it is) so I LOVE being about to make this at home and its chicken! Boom – on my to make list! 😉
Yay, so glad to hear that Jess!
Damn it! I just got back from a huge dinner and now after reading this post I am hungry again. (real) Ramen like this is one of my major weaknesses.
Haha, thank you Ruby!
You read my mind! I made ramen last night, and was wondering how to kick it up a notch. I’m gonna have to try marinating the egg over night.
Yes, the marinating really makes it super awesome 🙂 Thanks Nicole!
Oh my goodness, these bowls of goodness look SO delicious! Ramen is my weakness and I am loving all the wonderful flavors and ingredients you added! Those eggs though! Pure perfection!
Thank you so much Kelly!
I’ve wanted to pull off a good ramen egg for, like, ever. I can never get the yolk just perfect. Thanks for the method, cannot wait to try it.
Thanks Annie! It is kind of hard to get the yolk perfect, so you really have to set a timer and then I think the ice bath helps it from continuing to cook. Let me know if you try it!
This is a far from the packaged ramen as it can get – in a good way 🙂 Your ramen looks absolutely delicious! The broth is so rich, and look at that egg – amazing!
Thank you so much Melanie!
I too, have never had real-deal ramen, but I KNOW I would love it. This broth sounds freaking incredible and hello, ramen egg?! I’d never heard of it, but now that I have, I’m not sure that I can go on living without it, it really sounds fantastic 😉
Thank you Stephanie! The ramen egg is the best, you need to try it! And if you get a chance to stop into a ramen house, you totally should! In the meantime, I hope you love making it at home!
This sounds wonderful, and your photographs make it all so tempting!
Thank you so much Adri!
Love this! However, since I live in the land of ramen, I’ll leave the making it to the professionals. 😉 I might try your egg recipe though… I love me an ajitsuke tamago!!
Haha, I can’t say that I blame you Alisha, if I lived in Japan I would probably do the same thing! The egg is soo good though, and not really hard to make! Thank you!
This looks like an inticing recipe! As usual, you make the prep appear so do-able & delicious!
Looking forward to this!?
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you! 🙂
Come at me, ramen-y deliciousness! Meghan, absolutely everything that comes out of your kitchen looks divine! Japanese is one of our go-to cuisines when we go out for dinner, so we are most definitely aficionados of noodle dishes like this 😀 I’m super intrigued about the ramen egg, though – how have I never tried that?! It sounds really yummy.
Thank you Lisa! Next time you order ramen ask for the egg! It is soooooo good. 🙂
I have never been to a ramen house, and now that I live out in the country, I don’t think I’ll be happening across one anytime soon! Thank goodness for you and your homemade EASY ramen bowls! These look seriously delicious, Meghan and that ramen egg look PERFECT! I want 5 of these beauties for breakfast right now! Cheers, doll – to a wonderful weekened! <3
Sometimes you just have to bring the ramen to you 🙂 Thank you Cheyanne!
So beautiful! I love the richness of the broth. My only experience (I”m afraid to say…) was with the packaged ramen back in college. My kids still think that is the best and I just shudder! I will have to make this for them so we can all know what real ramen tastes like!
Haha, I did used to love the packaged stuff back in the day too. But they might not want to go back if they try this!
Pretty hen 🐣..
I’ve never made homemade ramen before. Will have to try it! It looks amazing. Especially that egg in the middle. 🙂
Thanks Christin! It isn’t the totally authentic version, but it is still pretty good!
Meghan, you were already killing me at “ramen.” Then, you said “ramen egg” and I just passed out. Goodness, lady, I am hardcore craving this right now. Love that you shortened the recipe time and still took the time to marinate the egg. Niiice! 🙂
Haha, thank you Demeter!
It sounds and looks so delicious! And after having my first ramen eggs not long ago, I know what you mean, this soup without the egg is just not the same. I liked the eggs so much I’ve made a double batch and just ate them on bread. 🙂
Yum, sounds delish! It is totally not the same without the egg! Thanks Adina!