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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
This recipe was the perfect balance of delicious and simple. I just throw everything but the toppings in the instant pot (including frozen chicken that I shared later) and it comes out delicious. We’ve made be this a few times and my husband and toddlers love it!
So glad you loved it Loren!
First time attempting to make ramen. This actually hit the spot. My boyfriend was coming down with the flu and it was great dish to help him feel better. Added bean sprouts to it too!
Hi Julie, I am so happy you loved it! It does definitely hit the spot when you are sick!
My husband worried me by wrinkling his nose about this when it was cooking. However we both loved it. He gives it 5 stars.
I’m so happy you both loved it! The fish sauce can smell a little funky but it creates great flavor!
I have made this recipe a few times now and my family loves it! ♥️♥️
Hi Jade – Yay, I am so happy to hear that!
Delicious. I can’t believe how perfectly the eggs turned out – as good as any Ramen house I’ve been to. Thx!!
Oh yay! I am so happy to hear that. Thanks Mia!
I made this again, this time with fresh noodles I’d found at the local Asian market. Really good, but way, way too many noodles. I froze the extra noodles in one serving packages, and they reheat well.
Made this tonight for dinner and it was absolutely delicious! The soft egg just made it over the top! Will definitely be making this again and again!
Yay! So happy to hear that!
This was so good. It takes some work, but the results are worth it. Those eggs were amazing.
So glad you loved it!
Hi. I teach secondary foods in BC Canada and I found your recipe when some students expressed an interest in making ramen. I made it at home to practice (my husband loves it when I bring my work home). We loved it so much we have made it every week since then; I think tonight is week 12? The students loved it too. Thanks so much!
So happy to hear that, thanks Delia!
I swapped out the yakisoba noodles for konjac noodles and added some carrot, capsicum (peppers) and snow peas for a high veg, low-carb version. Super delicious! Will def make again.
Sounds delicious, so happy you loved it EmJay!
Meghan, it looks so yummy! I love the step-by-step instructions, making it an easy recipe to follow!
Thank you Alina!
Would this work well with pork instead of chicken or would the flavors be thrown off? This recipe seems very yummy and I can’t wait to try it!
Hi Skyler, I think it would work, but I haven’t tested it yet. I’m planning on testing a pork version soon!
I made it with pork and shrimp. So good!
Sounds delicious! Thanks Kristi!
Love ramen! Although I am cooking for one (or sometimes two), I make big batches of broth and freeze it in pint and quart jars. Like any good soup, it is forgiving. I’ve used fresh egg noodles and angel hair pasta, and enjoyed them both. I prefer plain soft boiled eggs, and like a handful of dry roasted peanuts thrown on top.
Great idea to freeze it for later! Love the idea of putting peanuts on top!
How many people will it make for with the amounts typed in ingredients?
Thankyou.
Hi Jordan, it makes 4 servings.
Thank you, I just had this for dinner and it was fantastic.
We actually doubled the recipe and we had three dinner servings and two lunch servings. My husband and son eat fairly large portions, but I’m glad we doubled the recipe. This was a fantastic recipe and was as good or better than some of the ramen I’ve had at restaurants.
Thanks Vicki!
Delicious! My Chinese son loves all things Asian minus the heat but I went ahead and added the whole tablespoon of the chili garlic sauce and it was so good! He agreed! I had homemade chicken broth in the freezer and I left out the fish sauce. My oyster sauce is faux (made from mushrooms) because we have an allergy but other than that I followed the recipe. Thank you!
Yay! So happy to hear that Tanna!
First, the recipe was really easy to make, and the flavor developed in such a short amount of time was really impressive. The final result received mixed reviews in our house – half really, really liked it, and half thought it was okay. (For this house, that isn’t bad.) I will definitely make again. Oh, and I didn’t have oyster sauce (I live in an ethnic food desert), and when I make it again I’ll cut back on the ginger and vinegar. Don’t judge me, but I bought ramen noodle packets to use the noodles. My only other alternative was egg noodles or regular pasta.
Hi Leah, I am so glad you liked it! No shame in using the packaged ramen noodles! I have used them before too 🙂
Meghan, this looks tasty! These are absolutely mouth watering! It will quickly disappear in our house, very tasty and flavorful!
Hello! Have you tried substituting shrimp for chicken? Wondering if the combination of seafood with fish sauce and oyster sauce will be too much???
Hi Rebecca – I haven’t tried it but I don’t think it would be too much! The broth really doesn’t have a fishy taste at all, the fish sauce and oyster sauce just add to the complex flavor of the broth. Let us know how it turns out!
Stopped by the store on my way home last night & grabbed the ingredients to make this recipe. Was able to make it in about 30 min (skipped the eggs) and my whole family, including a very selective teen, loved it. Will definitely make again!
Yay! So happy you and your family loved it. Thanks Carolyn!
This looks great and I pinned under 30 min meals as that is what is stated. Unfortunately as I went to make it I see you have to soak the eggs over night, definitely not a 30 min meal. Disappointed I’ll have to make on another day after I already purchased all the ingredients.
Hi MJ – As it states in the recipe, the egg is optional, and you can also serve the egg without marinating it, or just marinate it for a few hours. It is worth the extra time if you have it though! The soup itself does take around 30 minutes, which is what is referred to in the description.