Easy Chicken Ramen

Thanks to binge-watching Korean dramas ( I love them!), ramen has been on my to-cook list for a while. Everytime I see those munch-munch scenes on kdramas, I want to rush to the kitchen and cook an exact copy. I’ve resolved to cook all those appetizing Korean dishes and bring it to you 🙂

Ramen is a noodle soup dish popular in Japan and Korea, and has endless varieties. Preparing an authentic ramen dish does sound like an extensive process so I found out the simplest one, easy for anyone to prepare.

Ramen is a wholesome meal. The ramen noodles are dipped in a healthy soup, and topped with blanched vegetables, chicken, egg, and seasoned with sesame paste and chili oil.

You can omit the chicken and add more vegetables if you want a vegetarian ramen. You can use spinach, shitake mushrooms, celery, basil, bean sprouts, and shredded carrots. Blanch all the vegetables in hot water for 5 minutes before using them in your ramen.

In the long form recipe of ramen, chicken or vegetable broth is made from scratch for the ramen soup which can be time-consuming. I make broth from scratch or use store-bought chicken broth. Both work perfectly. I have made ramen using unsweetened soy milk, unsweetened almond milk, and fat-free milk. You will enjoy all the versions.

Ramen is spiced with a paste made from chili oil and sesame paste (tahini). What I like about the dish is that you can add the spice paste while serving because it allows you to adjust the spice levels according to your taste. I like mildly spiced food, my daughter doesn’t like spicy food, and my husband craves for spicy, pungent food. So ramen is the right fit for my family!

Chili oil is easily available in stores but I decided to make my own since the recipe is quite simple and I had all the ingredients in my kitchen.

So, let’s get started with our chicken ramen! Prepare your ramen in this order so that the main ingredients don’t cool off by the time you serve. This recipe serves 3.


Ingredients & Method for Chicken:

1 chicken breast
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1. Marinate the whole chicken breast in all the above ingredients for 10 minutes.
2. Drizzle a teaspoon of oil in a frying pan, place the chicken breast, cover, cook on low heat for about 10 minutes. Flip the chicken breast and cook for another 10 minutes. Prepare the soup while the chicken cooks.
3. Insert a fork or a sharp knife in the center of the chicken to check if its cooked.
4. Once cooked, cut the chicken horizontally into 4 -5 thin slices. Sprinkle sesame seeds.

Ingredients & Method for Ramen Soup:


1 cup water
1 cup unsweetened soy milk or almond milk, or fat-free milk
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 tsp chili oil
1/2 tsp of sesame seeds


1. Add the water, milk, and broth in a saucepan. Cover and bring to boil over low to medium heat. Once done, keep aside covered.

Ingredients & Method for Vegetables:

1 bokchoy
1 bunch of spinach or baby spinach
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms, white or shitake
1 cup chopped spring onions for garnish
2 – 3 eggs, boiled and sliced lengthwise

1. Bring a cup of water to boil. Turn off the flame. Blanch each vegetable topping in the hot water separately and keep aside.

Ingredients & Method for Ramen:

1. Cook 2 portions of noodles (ramen / hakka / egg / veg noodles) according to packet instructions. Drain the noodles and keep aside.

Serve:

In a deep soup bowl, add a tablespoon of chilli oil and sesame paste mix. Pour the soup till the bowl is half full. Drop in as much ramen noodles as you like. Top with vegetables, chicken, and egg. Season with spring onions. If you want it more spicy, pour a teaspoon of the chili oil.