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Easy chicken ramen

Not a three-day tonkotsu: a 35-minute miso-chicken broth with a jammy egg and springy noodles.

35 min 25 min hands-on Serves 2 Asian

This easy chicken ramen brings a comforting bowl of noodles in savoury broth to a weeknight without a days-long stock. A quick broth built on good stock, soy, and aromatics carries the dish. Top it with a soft egg and your favourite garnishes for a satisfying meal.

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs, large, from the fridge
  • 700 ml chicken stock, low-salt
  • 1 thumb ginger, peeled and grated
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated
  • 2 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
  • 2 tbsp white miso paste
  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 200 g ramen noodles, 200g dried or 300g fresh
  • 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 sheet nori, cut into quarters (optional)

Method

  1. Grate the ginger and garlic, slice the spring onions and cut the nori into quarters. Fill a kettle for the noodle water, and warm two deep bowls with hot water from the tap; ramen cools fast in a cold bowl.
  2. Put the stock, ginger and garlic in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over a medium heat. Add the chicken thighs, cover and poach gently, barely bubbling, for 12 to 15 minutes, until cooked through with no pink in the middle and the juices run clear. Lift out onto a board.
  3. While the chicken poaches, bring a small pan of water to a steady boil. Lower in the eggs straight from the fridge with a spoon and cook for 7 minutes, for a jammy yolk that is just set at the edge. Move them into a bowl of cold water and peel once cool enough to handle.
  4. Take the stock off the heat. Whisk the miso in a small bowl with a ladle of the hot stock until smooth, then stir it back into the pan with the soy sauce and sesame oil. Taste and add a splash more soy if it needs it. Keep it hot over the lowest heat, well below a boil, so the miso keeps its flavour.
  5. Cook the noodles in a large pan of boiling water from the kettle according to the packet, usually 2 to 4 minutes, until tender with a little chew. Drain well and shake off the water, so it does not thin the broth. Meanwhile, slice the chicken and halve the eggs.
  6. Empty the water from the bowls, divide the noodles between them and ladle over the broth. Top with the chicken, egg halves and spring onions, and tuck the nori against the side. Eat straight away, while the noodles are springy.

Tips

  • Cook the ramen noodles separately and add them to the bowl so they do not turn soft sitting in the broth.
  • A jammy soft-boiled egg, cooked for 7 minutes straight from the fridge, makes a classic topping.
  • Simmer the ginger and garlic in the stock first, then stir in the miso and soy off the boil, so the miso keeps its flavour.

Common questions

Can I use instant noodles?

Yes, just use the noodles and discard the seasoning packet, then serve them in your own broth for a much better bowl.

How do I make a jammy ramen egg?

Boil eggs straight from the fridge for 7 minutes, then cool them in cold water before peeling for a soft, just-set yolk.