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This homemade chicken ramen has ridiculously flavorful broth, tender noodles, and is chock full of tasty toppings.
Think you can’t make restaurant quality chicken ramen at home? Think again.
It’s no secret that the ramen craze has swept the country and for good reason. That broth! Those noodles! All. Those. Toppings!
I want to dive head first into that bowl of ramen cozy comfort, but when your favorite places are closed for the foreseeable, what’s a girl to do?
Homemade chicken ramen is what you do. And boy did I.
Ramen starts with the broth. It needs to be a flavor punch…loads of umami, the right amount of seasoning, and acts as the foundation to the dish.
Similar to making a flavorful stock, it’s a slow and steady process built from the ground up and slowly simmered to illicit every drop of flavor from all of the aromatics.
You could roast your chicken separately and add it to the pot, but I find that browning the chicken in the pot first, then allowing it to continue to cook as the broth simmers is not only one step easier, but also makes for tender, tasty chicken that we’ll use for a topping. Win/win.
Next come the aromatics and there are aromatics aplenty in this homemade chicken ramen broth. From onion and garlic, to ginger and dried mushrooms, to kombu and scallions, this broth is layered in goodness.
Once it’s done its thing and simmered for hours, the chicken is removed (the meat shredded and reserved) and the rest is strained out. It may seem wasteful, but trust me, we’re squeezing every drop of flavor out of these ingredients.
Then the broth hits the refrigerator for a chill so that the fat can solidify and be easily skimmed and discarded. The result is a clear and rich broth ready for the shoyu tare and all the fixings.
I used a very easy and straightforward tare for this chicken ramen which is simply a mix of soy sauce and mirin. It gets stirred into the broth as it reheats and adds additional salt and flavor. Be sure to taste the broth and adjust the seasoning to your tastes.
Finally, we can put it all together. Start with ramen noodles that have been cooked and drained. Next, that reserved shredded chicken, followed by shiitakes that are roasted separately to retain that meaty chew and concentrated flavor.
Don’t forget those greens! A handful of spinach for body and scallions for flavor. The greens wilt right into that hot broth as it’s ladled over the top.
Oh, and that egg. That. Egg! I’m all about a perfectly cooked six minute egg with a lusciously runny yolk that mixes right into the broth.
A drizzle of toasted sesame oil and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds and there you have it. Homemade chicken ramen that is a tasty and satisfying as any bowl you’ll get when dining out. All from the comfort of your own kitchen. Slurp and enjoy!
Let’s make homemade chicken ramen
- Sear bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs in canola oil until golden brown (but not fully cooked through) on both sides.
- Add all of the aromatics to the pot with the seared chicken.
- Fill the pot with cool water and gently simmer for 3 hours. Strain and discard all of the aromatics. Remove the skin and bones from the chicken and shred the meat. Reserve the shredded chicken for serving.
- Put the strained broth in the refrigerator to chill overnight. Skim the solidified fat from the top of the chilled broth and discard.
- Fill a serving bowl (this recipe yields six generous servings) with cooked ramen noodles, shredded chicken, spinach, sliced scallions, and roasted shiitake mushrooms. Stir the shoyu tare into the broth and reheat the broth until piping hot. Pour the hot broth into the bowl and garnish with a 6-minute egg, toasted sesame seeds, and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil.
Tips for success
- A rich and savory broth is synonymous with the best ramen. The answer to achieving this umami-rich broth is a long, slow simmer with plenty of aromatics.
- I love the flavor of chicken thighs and the amount of shredded chicken I have for the finished soup. Drumsticks, chicken breasts, or even wings (although yield of shredded chicken will be reduced) can be substituted if you prefer. Just be sure you use bone-in, skin-on chicken.
- You can skim and use the broth after it’s strained, but I recommend chilling it overnight so the fat solidifies on the top. This makes it easy to skim and results in a clear, non-greasy broth.
- Be sure not to over-cook the ramen noodles before adding the hot broth. Also, no need to salt the water as you cook the noodles as they are already well-seasoned.
- Taste your broth and adjust the seasoning before and after adding the shoyu tare. Remember that soy sauce has a high sodium content so adjust the seasoning to your preference.
- The toppings listed are my favorites, but add or substitute items to suit your tastes.
More comforting soups
This homemade chicken ramen has ridiculously flavorful broth, tender noodles, and is chock full of tasty toppings.
- 1 Tbsp canola oil
- 2 1/2 lbs chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
- 4 scallions, roughly chopped
- 1 medium onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 8-10 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly smashed
- 1 oz dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1 oz dried kombu, (1 sheet)
- 1 gallon (128 oz) cool water
- kosher salt, for seasoning
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup mirin
- 18 oz ramen noodles, cooked according to package directions
- Reserved shredded chicken
- 1/2 lb roasted shiitake mushrooms (see below)
- 6 oz fresh baby spinach
- 6 scallions, sliced on the bias
- 6 6-minute eggs, peeled and halved
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
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Heat the oil in a large stock pot over med/high heat. Season the chicken thighs generously with kosher salt.
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Add the chicken thighs to the pot, skin-side down, and cook until golden brown, about 4-5 mins. Turn the thighs over and brown on the other side, an additional 4-5 mins.
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Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and season with kosher salt. Bring to a simmer over med heat and then reduce to a bare simmer and cook, uncovered, for about 3 hours.
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Remove the chicken thighs and reserve. Strain the broth and discard the remaining solids, pressing on the solids as you strain.
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Remove the meat from the chicken thighs, shred, and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
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Cover and chill the broth in the refrigerator overnight. Once the broth is well chilled, skim the fat from the surface and discard.
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Whisk the soy sauce and mirin together, reserve.
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Preheat the oven to 450 degress F and line a sheet tray with parchment paper. Remove the stems from the shiitake musrooms and slice them.
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Drizzle the sliced mushrooms with olive oil and season with kosher salt. Roast until golden brown, about 15 mins. Reserve.
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While the mushrooms roast, make your 6-minute eggs and ramen noodles (cook according to package directions). For the eggs, bring a saucepan of water to a rolling boil. Lower the eggs into the water with a slotted spoon. Boil the eggs for 6 minutes EXACTLY and plunge into a bowl of ice water. Peel the eggs.
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Add the tare to the strained and skimmed broth and warm over med heat until very hot. Taste and adjust seasoning.
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Fill each bowl with one portion each of cooked ramen noodles, shredded chicken, roasted mushrooms, spinach, and scallions. Ladle the hot broth into the bowl and top each bowl with a halved 6-minute egg, a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds, and a drizzle of toasted sesame seed oil.
- A rich and savory broth is synonymous with the best ramen. The answer to achieving this umami-rich broth is a long, slow simmer with plenty of aromatics.
- I love the flavor of chicken thighs and the amount of shredded chicken I have for the finished soup. Drumsticks, chicken breasts, or even wings (although yield of shredded chicken will be reduced) can be substituted if you prefer. Just be sure you use bone-in, skin-on chicken.
- You can skim and use the broth after it’s strained, but I recommend chilling it overnight so the fat solidifies on the top. This makes it easy to skim and results in a clear, non-greasy broth.
- Be sure not to over-cook the ramen noodles before adding the hot broth. Also, no need to salt the water as you cook the noodles as they are already well-seasoned.
- Taste your broth and adjust the seasoning before and after adding the shoyu tare. Remember that soy sauce has a high sodium content. Adjust the seasoning to your preference.
- The toppings listed are my favorites, but add or substitute items to suit your tastes.
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