15 Minute Chicken Ramen – Quick + Easy! (VIDEO)

What Kind of Noodles Should I Use?

I love to use fresh ramen if it’s available at my local Japanese grocery store. My go to brand is Sun Noodle (I find them in the refrigerated section) but if you can’t find fresh ramen noodles, a dried Japanese somen noodle will work well.

If you don’t have access to fresh ramen noodles, you can absolutely use instant ramen noodles! We’ll be making homemade ramen broth that will both taste better and be better FOR you, so toss the flavor packet or save it for another time!

Ingredient Tips for the Easiest Chicken Ramen

Ramen Broth

• 6 cups chicken broth or stock – this will be the base of your Chicken Ramen, so use the highest quality chicken stock or broth you have access to! Sometimes I will even use bone broth for the added health benefits and protein.
  • You can substitute with beef stock or vegetable stock.
  • You can also substitute with 4 cups of water and add 2 tsp of chicken bouillon powder
• 1 inch ginger, smashed
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 scallion
• 1/4 tsp white pepper – I use this for a less subtle heat vs black pepper. If you don’t have white pepper you can substitute with black pepper.

For Each Bowl

• 1 pack ramen, fresh or dried – see notes above
• 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce – to add umami and a bit of saltiness to the soup; this is “light” or “all-purpose” soy sauce.
• 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/8 tsp sugar – to provide sweetness and balance out the savory elements of the broth
• 1/8 tsp msg – I like to use MSG in moderation as a flavor enhancer; this is always optional.
• salt, to taste

Optional Toppings

• marinated soy sauce chicken (refer to recipe card) or Teriyaki Chicken
• my homemade Ramen Eggs
• sliced fish cake
• scallions
• nori
• sesame seeds
• togarashi seasoning

Recipe Instructions for Chicken Ramen at Home

1. Simmer the Ramen Broth

In a pot, add 6 cups of chicken broth, along with garlic, ginger, scallion and white pepper. Simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes. This will be the base of your Chicken Ramen.

2. Prepare the Ramen Bowl

In a noodle bowl, add light soy sauce, vegetable oil, sugar, and optional msg. This seasoning mix is a short-cut method to jam-pack your Chicken Ramen with a ton of umami!

NOTE – If you ever to go a traditional ramen shop, you can see them prep their bowls ahead of time with a tare (which we are emulating through this shortcut method).

Once the seasoning mix is in the bowl, use metal strainer to strain the hot Ramen broth into the bowl.

If you don’t have a metal strainer, remove the aromatics in the broth before pouring it into the ramen bowl with seasoning.

3. Add Your Ramen Noodles

Cook your ramen noodles in water, according to the package instructions or to your desired doneness. Once cooked, drain well and add to your ramen bowl with broth and seasoning.

4. Add Toppings to The Ramen

Top your bowl of ramen and broth with your garnishes – because this is Chicken Ramen, I’m going to add marinated chicken, a homemade Ramen Egg, fish cake, scallions, nori, sesame seeds and togarashi seasoning. Enjoy!

How to Garnish Chicken Ramen at Home

When I make Chicken Ramen at home, I like to have fun with it and garnish with all of my favorite ramen toppings!

• Of course, it’s not Chicken Ramen without marinated chicken!
• I’ll also add a homemade Ramen Egg, which I love to have in my refrigerator as a snack.
• I love the pop of color that fish cakes add.
• Curly scallions just make it homemade Chicken Ramen feel fancier.
  • TIP – to get the restaurant style curly scallions, cut them to thin strips and soak in ice water until they curl!
• Cut nori and sesame seeds add the perfect amount of texture!

Marinated Chicken Recipe:

If you want to top your Chicken Ramen with a quick and easy Marinated Chicken, here is the recipe –

• In a bowl, combine 2 skin-on, boneless chicken thighs with:
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp white pepper
• Mix and let marinated for at least 1 hour.
• Bake the marinated Chicken for 15 minutes at 400F – make sure the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165F!
• Slice and set aside to garnish your Chicken Ramen!

You can also garnish this Chicken Ramen with my one-pan Chicken Teriyaki!

I personally love something crispy on top of my Chicken Ramen, so I love garnishing it with my super crispy Chicken Katsu (or Air Fryer Chicken Katsu, if I don’t feel like frying that day)!

My favorite thing to eat alongside Chicken Ramen is a heaping plate of fresh, crispy Chicken Karaage! I don’t think there’s anything better than crunchy Japanese fried chicken with a bowl of homemade Chicken Ramen. If you don’t want to deep fry, you can use the air fryer to make Air Fryer Chicken Karaage instead!

Storage and Reheating

Ramen Broth:

• You can make this broth ahead of time.
• Store Ramen broth in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
• Once ready to make your ramen, you can just reheat this on the stove or in the microwave.

Ramen Noodles:

• If you have leftover Chicken Ramen noodles in broth, I recommend storing them separately – otherwise, the noodles will become soggy and expand as they continue to absorb the broth while it sits in it.
• Store cooked ramen noodles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can reheat cooked noodles in the microwave. NOTE – re-heated noodles will always be softer (but if you don’t mind that, totally OK!)