An incredibly flavorful homemade chicken ramen with authentic flavors, but easy enough to make for dinner! Topped with caramelized soy chicken and a ramen egg. This classic shoyu chicken ramen can be made in about 45 minutes, and 30 minutes for the easier version.You also have the option of marinating the chicken and ramen eggs overnight to increase flavor. INTERMEDIATE - This is an overall easy recipe, but it does have several components. It's recommended to make each component separately the first time you make this, but afterwards, it'll be easier to multitask and make the components simultaneously. An easier version of the recipe is also included. Makes 4 servings of chicken ramen.US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Common Measurement Conversions. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results.
Regular soft boiled eggs (if you don't want to make ramen eggs)
4large eggs
Steamed greens
1large bunch of yu choy OR spinachor any Asian greens
Soy sauceto taste
Sesame oila drizzle
2 - 3clovesgarlicfinely sliced, to taste
Ramen toppings (optional, and can be substituted with whatever you prefer)
4spring onions / scallionsfinely sliced
Sliced radishes or bean sprouts
Ramen eggsmarinated or plain
Chili garlic oil
Instructions
Caramelized soy chicken
Place all the ingredients for the chicken marinade in a bowl. Mix well to coat the chicken. If time permits, allow the chicken to marinate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 425°F / 218°C, and place an oven rack in the top third of your oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the chicken pieces on the baking sheet, skin side down (or smooth side down), evenly spaced apart. Then place the baking sheet in the preheated oven (upper third).
Let the chicken roast for 15 minutes. While the chicken is cooking, mix the brown sugar and dark soy sauce for the glaze, and start making the ramen.
2 tsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp dark soy sauce (or mushroom dark soy sauce)
After 15 minutes, flip the chicken pieces over and spoon the glaze over them. Let the chicken cook for a further 10 - 15 minutes. Then remove from the oven and let them cool down.
Slice the chicken and set aside.
Ramen
While the caramelized soy chicken is cooking in the oven, make the ramen base.
Place two saucepans on the stove.
As an optional step, you can chop the garlic and ginger. Or you can add them whole or sliced, and strain the ramen stock to remove the large pieces of garlic and ginger later.
In one saucepan (Pot 1), place the stock, ginger, garlic, spring onions, chili (if using), soy sauce, and mirin. Stir and cover the pot. Let it come to a boil at medium high - high heat. Then lower the heat to medium and let it simmer for 20 - 25 minutes. Taste the base and add more salt if needed.
4 - 5 cups good quality chicken stock, 4 spring onions / scallions, 4 - 5 cloves garlic, 2 inch piece of ginger, 4 fresh red chili, ¼ cup light soy sauce, ¼ cup mirin
To add more flavor to the stock base, you can also add dried shiitake mushrooms to the broth. The dried mushroom will reconstitute as the stock heats up and add a lot of umami flavor to the broth.
6 pieces dried shiitake mushrooms
While Pot 1 is simmering, add water to the second pot (Pot 2), and bring it to a boil. Add the dried noodles to the boiling water and cook according to package directions. I prefer to cook the noodles for ONE MINUTE LESS than what's recommended on the package, since the noodles will continue to cook for a bit longer when served with hot broth. The straight ramen noodles I use here take 3 minutes to cook. Drain the noodles and divide into 4 bowls and set aside.
12 - 13 oz dried ramen noodles
When the ramen base in Pot 1 has cooked for about 20 - 25 minutes, strain to remove the garlic, ginger, chili, and spring onions (or only the spring onions and chili). If you added dried mushrooms, remove these. Slice these mushrooms and set aside.
Add the strained stock back into the pot and add the mushrooms (fresh and reconstituted dried mushrooms) , and let it cook for a further 5 minutes until the fresh mushrooms have softened. The ramen base is now ready.
To make regular soft boiled eggs - bring a pot of water to a boil. Lower 4 large eggs carefully into the water and cook the eggs for 6 - 6 ½ minutes.
Immediately place the eggs in cool running water or an ice bath for a few minutes. Peel and set aside until ready to serve. This can be done BEFORE you cook the ramen as well.
Steamed greens
Wash the greens and cut them in half, or into sections if necessary, to separate thick stems from the leaves.
1 large bunch of yu choy OR spinach
Place the greens in a bowl and drizzle a little soy sauce and sesame oil (and garlic) on top. Toss to combine.
Soy sauce, Sesame oil, 2 - 3 cloves garlic
Cover and microwave in 1 minute increments until the greens have softened, but not too wilted.
Alternatively, you can heat a non-stick pan with a little oil, and pan fry the greens with soy sauce and garlic for about 2 - 4 minutes. You can also blanche the greens in the ramen broth for about 1 minute. Remove the greens and then drizzle soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and toss to mix.
To serve
Evenly divide the hot stock between the four bowls with ramen noodles.
Top with the steamed greens, sliced soy chicken, ramen eggs, spring onions, radishes, and other toppings you like.
4 spring onions / scallions, Sliced radishes or bean sprouts, Ramen eggs, Chili garlic oil
Notes
For an even easier chicken ramen version
Without cooking the chicken separately, you can marinate the chicken overnight and then add it to the stock at the same time as the garlic, ginger, and spring onions. This will allow the chicken to cook at the same time as the stock is being infused with all of the flavors.Once the chicken is cooked (about 20 minutes), you can chop or shred it and add it back to the base, along with the mushrooms.
Adding more flavor to the broth
MSG
You can add MSG to the broth to increase the umami flavor. Just add a pinch at a time, as you don't want the MSG to overpower the flavor of other seasonings.
Using dried shiitake mushrooms
If you can't find fresh shiitake mushrooms, you can use any type of fresh mushroom. However, you can also substitute with dried mushrooms. Add dried shiitake mushrooms to the stock at the beginning, so that the mushrooms can soften in the stock, AND add more umami flavor to the ramen broth. You can add a few pieces of dried mushrooms to the stock even if you use fresh mushrooms. Once the broth has simmered, and the mushrooms have reconstituted, remove them from the ramen broth and slice the softened mushrooms. Add them back to the broth, or serve separately over the ramen noodles.