When it’s cold outside, nothing will warm you up quite like this Easy Ginger Chicken Ramen. It’s got garlicky chicken, spinach, baby corn and loads of wiggly ramen noodles soaking in a warm ginger miso broth.
A cozy meal for the cozy season! And you won’t believe how simple it is to make.
What is ramen broth made of?
Traditional ramen broth is made of at least two, sometimes more, broths: animal broth of some kind (could be chicken, pork or beef) and dashi. Dashi is a broth made from kelp and dried bonito flakes. It is a main ingredient in traditional ramen, and it gives the broth its distinct brininess.
For this this Easy Ginger Chicken Ramen, we are simplifying the ingredients list to make it easier and more accessible. We’re skipping the dashi and, instead, we’re enriching chicken broth with natural flavor enhancers like miso, ginger and lots of garlic.
This means your flavorful broth will be ready faster and your ramen will be on the table in no time.
What’s in this Homemade Chicken Ramen
If you’ve been to a ramen restaurant, you know that the options to customize your bowl are endless. There are so many different flavors and textures to enjoy!
Here’s what you’ll need to make this Ginger Chicken Ramen, and feel free to add or remove ingredients to suit your own taste:
- Chicken. We’ll be slicing it into strips, so buying pre-sliced chicken tenderloins will save you a step.
- Ramen noodles. Traditional ramen noodles are made with wheat flour. If you’d like a gluten free option, there are now ramen noodles that you can buy at the grocery store that are made from rice. If you’re not able to find gluten free ramen noodles, any other kind of rice noodles will work beautifully. They may just not be curly noodles like traditional ramen.
- Carrots. Matchstick carrots are easy and often available already bagged in the produce section of your supermarket. I like to shred my carrots into ribbons using a vegetable peeler because they are more delicate. It’s up to you.
- Baby corn. Cause who doesn’t love it?
- Baby spinach. I like spinach in soups because it is mild in flavor and not chewy. It also doesn’t really require any cooking. You just throw it into the broth just before serving. It will wilt a little bit, and then it’s ready. But you could really swap in any kind of other green you like. Bok choy is a popular option.
- Eggs. Because it just ain’t ramen without the egg.
How to make a perfect ramen egg
Making the perfect soft-boiled egg is a science, and if you follow these simple steps exactly, your eggs will come out right every time:
- Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Yes, actually measure the inch.
- Place your eggs into the saucepan and cover them tightly.
- Leave them alone for 6 minutes exactly!
- Plunge them into a bowl of ice water.
Once they’re cool enough, peel the shells off.
Does ramen have dairy?
Plain ramen noodles do not contain any dairy products or animal ingredients, but the flavoring packet does. Depending on the flavor you choose, the soup base could contain milk in addition to other animal products like beef fat, beef extract, pork extract or chicken fat.
The dairy ingredient issue can be averted by simply discarding the seasoning packet and using your own seasonings, which is what we’re doing with this Easy Ginger Chicken Ramen.
Discarding the flavor packet will also eliminate artificial ingredients like monosodium glutamate (MSG), disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate.
But be careful if you’re eating the instant ramen noodles that already come in a cup (the ones where you only have to add hot water). Cups of instant noodles (Maruchan ramen noodles, for example) have the seasonings already mixed in and they cannot be separated.
It’s always a good idea to read the label of whatever ramen noodle package you’re buying to review it for any extra ingredients that may be undesirable.
How to modify this ramen recipe for a vegan option
If you follow a vegan diet, vegetarian diet or just want to avoid any animal-derived ingredients, here are some simple modifications that you can make to create a vegan ramen soup:
- Omit the chicken or replace it with extra firm tofu or shiitake mushrooms. Squeeze as much moisture as possible from the tofu and cut it into cubes. Then, marinate and cook it according to the instructions in the recipe card, just as you would the chicken.
- Omit the honey from the marinade, or replace it with agave syrup.
- Replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth.
When you make this Easy Ginger Chicken Ramen, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy!
For more cozy soup recipes, try these:
- Italian Chicken Orzo Egg Drop Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup with Garlic Cheddar Biscuits
- Creamy Vegan Celery Soup
For more Asian-inspired recipes, try these:
- 30 Minute Saucy Ginger Sesame Noodles with Vegetables
- Gluten Free Pad Thai with Shrimp
- Asian Salmon Noodle Bowls
Easy Ginger Chicken Ramen
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 12 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups baby spinach leaves
- 3 pkg. ramen noodles, flavor packets discarded 9 oz.
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup matchstick or shredded carrots
- 1 15 oz. can baby corn
- 1 bunch scallions (green onions) diced, whites and greens separated
- 2/3 cup white miso paste
- 4 Tbsp. sesame oil divided
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 4 Tbsp. + 1/2 tsp. minced fresh ginger divided
- 2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. minced garlic divided
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
Instructions
- In a shallow dish, combine the soy sauce, 1/2 tsp. ginger, 1 tsp. garlic, honey and turmeric. Cut the chicken into strips and toss in the marinade.
- Heat 2 Tbsp. sesame oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook the chicken until browned outside and tender inside, about 7-8 minutes. Remove onto a separate plate.
- Make the soft-cooked eggs: Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Carefully place the eggs into the saucepan and cover tightly. Cook for exactly 6 minutes. Remove eggs and immediately plunge into a bowl of ice water. When cool enough to handle, peel off the shells. Slice each egg in half.
- Heat the remaining sesame oil in a stock pot. Cook the remaining garlic, ginger and white parts of the scallions until sizzling, about 1-2 minutes. With the heat on medium low, pour the broth into the pot.
- Allow the broth to warm. Then, ladle out 1 cup of broth. Stir the miso paste into the warm cup of broth until dissolved. Add it back into the pot.
- Add the noodles and chicken to the broth. Cook 5-6 minutes. Add the carrots and corn. Turn off heat and stir in the spinach. Divide the soup between 4 large bowls. Garnish each bowl with one soft-cooked egg and the green parts of the scallions.
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