30-Minute Chicken Ramen Recipe
This chicken ramen recipe is so flavorful. Using a seasoned mix of three store-bought broths (chicken, fish, and beef), our 30-minute recipe uses quick-cooking noodles, rotisserie chicken, and shiitake mushrooms for flavor. It's topped with scallions, julienned carrots, a soft boiled egg, and fresh jalapeño for spice, fooling all of your guests into thinking it took much longer to make.
Ramen is traditional a dish that takes hours, if not days, to make right, according to food blogger and photographer Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant's Table. First, the broth is made from a mix of different proteins — usually pork, fish, and beef — all of which are simmered separately to give the dish its complex flavor. Then, ingredients like mirin, bonito flakes, and enoki or shimeji mushrooms are used to build the broth. Finally, accoutrements like chili oil are distilled, simmered, and cooked, only to be served on the side of the dish and to give even more layers of flavors. In short, cooking ramen is a labor of love for which many of us simply don't have the time.
Enter, our 30-minute chicken ramen recipe. This quick approach makes this complex dish easy, relying on store-bought ready-made ingredients that don't compromise the dish's characteristic flavor. The result is a beautiful, well-crafted bowl of Japanese comfort food. This dish is perfect for days when you simply don't want to leave the house, or when you want to impress dinner guests without going through too much fuss.
Gather the ingredients to prepare this easy 30-minute chicken ramen
To prepare this quick 30-minute chicken ramen recipe, we will rely on several store-bought ingredients, so a trip to a good market or grocery store is crucial for the success of the dish.
To make the broth, you will need sesame oil, fresh ginger, fresh garlic, soy sauce, chicken broth, beef broth, and fish or seafood broth. If your store does not have fish or seafood broth, feel free to use miso soup, but note that the flavor will be a bit different. You will also need some water for diluting the broths. As for fresh ingredients, you will need to shop for shiitake mushrooms. (You can also use half the amount of dried shiitake mushrooms here — just make sure to hydrate them in hot water for 15 minutes prior to cooking).
For assembling the ramen, you will need large eggs, shredded rotisserie chicken, packs of dried ramen noodles, fresh scallions, fresh julienned carrots, and fresh jalapeño slices.
Build up the flavor base
To build up the flavor base for your chicken ramen, you will sauté some garlic and ginger in a flavorful oil. In traditional ramen making, this is one of the most crucial steps, as it can really make or break the dish. Burning your garlic will impart an unpleasant, bitter flavor to the whole dish, and using stringy ginger can result in a stale aftertaste. So take care and pay attention to this seemingly simple, but potentially perilous step.
To a large pot set over medium heat, add 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, garlic, and ginger. Sauté for one minute. Add the soy sauce, and cook for another minute. Be really careful not to overcook.
Cook the ramen broth
Once the flavor base for the ramen is done, it's time to make the broth. Traditional ramen uses a mix of broth to reach its complex flavor. To create a quick cheat for that all-important step, we are going to use three store-bought broths: beef, chicken, and fish or seafood. As mentioned before, in the absence of fish, you can also use miso broth.
Add the three broths and 1 cup of water to the pot with the garlic and minced ginger. Cover the pot, and bring it to a boil. Let simmer, uncovered, for five minutes.
Add the sliced mushrooms, and cook for another 10 minutes. A word about the mushrooms: We recommend using fresh shiitake mushrooms. If, however, you are unable to find fresh shiitake mushrooms, you may also use half the stated amount of dried shiitake mushrooms, and soak them in boiling water for 15 minutes before attempting to slice or cook them. If you are unable to find any shiitake mushrooms, use regular button or cremini mushrooms.
Prepare the soft-boiled eggs
While the broth is cooking, boil 4 cups of water in a small pot. Once the water is boiling, gently lower the eggs into the water, taking care not to splash boiling water all over yourself. Cook the eggs for eight minutes for a soft-boiled yolk.
While the eggs are cooking, prepare an ice bath by placing ice cubes into a bowl and filling it with water. After eight minutes of cooking, remove the eggs into the ice water bath immediately. Let the eggs cool for five minutes in the ice bath before peeling. This will help soften their peel and prevent it from breaking all over and pieces getting lodged in the egg.
Cook the ramen noodles
In the same boiling water that you cooked the eggs, cook the ramen noodles according to packet instructions. (Usually, this is a matter of cooking the noodles for three minutes in boiling water.) Drain the ramen noodles, and transfer to soup bowls.
A word on this step: There are those who will simply add the ramen noodles to the finished broth and wait for them to cook. While this can be effective, it also releases extra starch into the broth and makes its texture too gooey. If you can avoid doing that and cook the noodles separately, we recommend doing so.
Shred the rotisserie chicken into bite-sized pieces. Warm it up in the microwave so it is nice and warm for your ramen.
Assemble your chicken ramen bowls
With your soup cooked, your soft-boiled eggs ready, the noodles softened, and the chicken shredded and warmed up, it's finally time to assemble the 30-minute chicken ramen bowls.
Into each bowl with noodles, add the shredded chicken. Top with ramen broth and a few pieces of mushroom each. Top each bowl with sliced scallions, julienned carrots, jalapeño slices (if using), and a drizzle of sesame oil. You can also drizzle a bit of Sriracha or chili oil, if desired. Serve immediately.
Leftover ramen will keep in a sealed container for two days, though the noodles will begin to fall apart quickly. This is such a tasty dish, and it's sure to please any crowd you serve it to!
- 3 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
- 3 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 cup fish or seafood broth
- 5 cups water, divided
- ½ cup fresh shiitake mushrooms
- 2 large eggs
- 2 (3-ounce) packages dried ramen noodles
- 1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
- ½ cup scallions, sliced
- fresh julienned carrots, for serving
- fresh jalapeño slices, for serving
- To a large pot set over medium heat, add 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, in addition to the ginger and garlic. Sauté for 1 minute. Add the soy sauce, and cook for another minute.
- Add the three broths and 1 cup of water, cover, and bring to a boil. Let simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, and cook for another 10 minutes.
- While the broth is cooking, boil 4 cups of water in a small pot. Once the water is boiling, add the eggs, and cook for 8 minutes for a soft yolk. Remove the eggs into an ice water bath immediately after cooking, and let cool for 5 minutes before peeling.
- In the same boiling water that you cooked the eggs, cook the ramen according to packet instructions (usually 3 minutes). Drain the noodles, and transfer to soup bowls.
- Warm up the rotisserie chicken in the microwave.
- Assemble the ramen bowls. To each bowl with noodles, add shredded chicken, then the ramen broth and a few pieces of mushroom each. Top each bowl with sliced scallions, julienned carrots, jalapeño slices (if using), and a drizzle of sesame oil. Drizzle a bit of Sriracha or chili oil, if desired. Serve immediately.