Easy Homemade Chicken Ramen

Easy homemade chicken ramen in a simple but flavorful broth with roasted chicken, mushrooms, noodles, and a jammy egg – a simple, comforting, Japanese-inspired meal in as little as 30 minutes!

In Japan, ramen made from scratch is practically an artwork and a skill that takes years to perfect; from crafting the perfect noodle to the ultimate full-bodied broth. Luckily, for those of us living elsewhere, you can still create a delicious “cheat” version at home using a fairly quick and simple method and easy-to-find ingredients. Plus, you can use several “shortcuts” for an even quicker meal on your table in as little as 30 minutes!

Not only is this homemade ramen recipe packed with flavor, but it’s super easy to customize to taste. For this version, you can combine store-bought or homemade rich chicken broth with garlic, ginger, soy, mirin, and sesame oil for a full-bodied yet easy ramen broth.

To that, add shiitake mushrooms (and optionally more veggies), noodles (ramen, soba, instant, etc.), and tender chicken slices (freshly cooked, leftovers, or store-bought). Finally, top the bowl off with a jammy egg (ramen egg, boiled, fried, or poached), scallions, and sesame seeds.

The combination is warm, soothing, delicious, nutritious, soulful, and the best chicken ramen noodle soup from home.

Love brothy soups? You might also like this simple chicken rice soup or healthy lentil and chard soup.

Chicken Ramen Ingredients

• Chicken stock: For a delicious, wonderfully full-bodied flavor, I recommend using rich chicken stock – store-bought or homemade. I prefer the latter, only lightly salted.
• Chicken: You need roasted chicken breast, sliced or shredded. You can roast it fresh, use cooked leftovers, or even buy cooked chicken from the store.
• Sesame oil: Just a little provides the broth with a toasty, nutty flavor.
• Aromatics: Make a fairly typical ramen broth base with fresh garlic and ginger. Remove either, though, if you aren’t a fan of their flavor.
• Soy sauce: To add an umami-rich salty, savory flavor. Use reduced-sodium soy sauce if preferred. If you’re gluten-free, use tamari or coconut aminos.
• Mirin: (rice wine) This sweet rice wine adds amazing depth to the broth. You could replace it with Shaoxing wine or white wine/white wine vinegar and a pinch of sugar. For an alcohol-free version, a small amount of white miso paste will provide umami.
• Shiitake mushrooms: You can use fresh or dried (as you’ll rehydrate them).

Feel free to add more (lightly steamed) vegetables, like bok choy, carrot, green beans, bell pepper, corn, broccolini, sliced cabbage or spinach, etc. Raw cucumber, radish, and bean sprouts will also work.

• Eggs: (tamago) Use sweet soy marinated ramen or jammy boiled eggs. A fried egg or poached egg would also work.
• Noodles: Wavy ramen noodles work particularly well for this light chicken broth, but straight ones will also work.
• To garnish: I love sprinkling finely chopped scallions (green onions) and (black or white) sesame seeds. You might also like serving it with a lime wedge, nori or furikake, and/or fresh chili slices.

For vegetarian ramen: Use vegetable broth and replace the chicken with cubed or fried tofu puffs.

What Type of Noodles Are Best for Ramen?

You can use several types of noodles for ramen based on the type of broth used and personal preference. These include:

• Chukamen: aka classic wheat ramen noodles. There are straight and wavy versions, with the former best for heavier broths and the latter best for light broth.
• Soba noodles: thin, nutty, and slightly chewy. Use 100% buckwheat for gluten-free.
• Udon noodles: thick and slightly chewy.
• Instant ramen noodles: without the seasoning packet. It’s best to slightly undercook them so they don’t become soggy when sitting in the ramen broth.
• Wide rice noodles: fairly delicate but may work in a pinch. Gluten-free.

You could also use zucchini noodles or shirataki noodles (made from konjac root) for a low-carb version.

How to Make Chicken Ramen

While simple to make, this easy chicken ramen recipe requires preparing several elements before assembling them.

Cook the Chicken breast: If you don’t already have cooked chicken, first season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, brush lightly with oil, and roast in a preheated oven at 425ºF/220ºC for 15-18 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 160-165ºF/71-74ºC. Then leave it to rest under foil until needed.

Make the soft-boiled eggs: If you don’t already have ramen eggs prepared/ready to use, you can make regular soft-boiled eggs. To do so, add the eggs to boiling water and simmer for 7-8 minutes (depending on how runny you prefer the yolk). Then, immediately transfer them to an ice bath and wait at least 5 minutes before peeling the eggs and slicing them in half.

Make the Ramen Broth: First, clean the mushrooms if needed, mince the ginger and garlic, and slice the scallions.

Then, heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 1-2 minutes until softened.

Add the soy sauce and mirin, stir well, and cook for a minute.

Then pour in the chicken stock, cover, and bring to a boil before removing the lid and reducing it to a simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in the mushrooms and allow the mixture to simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Cook the noodles: You can cook the noodles in the same water used to boil the eggs or in fresh water. Refer to the package instructions for the cooking time (usually just 2-3 minutes).

Assemble the chicken ramen bowl: First, slice the chicken. Then divide the noodles and chicken between two large bowls (or into as many portions as you are making) and pour the broth over that. Add the sliced egg halves and finally sprinkle them with the scallions and some sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Is Chicken Ramen Healthy?

By using homemade and primarily unprocessed ingredients (i.e., home-roasted chicken vs. processed meats and homemade chicken broth with vegetables), this ramen recipe is a simple but fairly healthy meal lacking the unhealthy additives and preservatives of “instant” versions.

You can boost the nutrient levels further with other vegetables. However, the only thing to watch out for is the sodium levels, especially if you’re using store-bought chicken broth + soy sauce + soy-marinated ramen eggs.

More Soup Recipes

• One-pot turmeric ginger pumpkin soup
• Roasted garlic, mushroom, and potato soup
• Creamy butternut squash carrot soup
• Copycat Olive Garden Minestrone Soup

If you try this chicken ramen noodles recipe, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations – tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!