Quick, easy and nutritious, this Easy One Pot Chicken Ramen is packed full of delicious Japanese umami flavours – like seaweed, miso and soy sauce – but takes just 20 minutes to make and only uses one pot. Perfect when you need dinner in a hurry, but don’t want to compromise on flavour!
What is Chicken Ramen?
Ramen is a Japanese dish that typically consists of noodles in a meat or fish-based broth, often flavoured with soy sauce or miso, and finished with toppings such as meat, hard boiled eggs, seaweed, beansprouts and spring onions.
It is hugely popular in Japan and has become very popular in the West too in recent years, in large part thanks to the Wagamama chain of restaurants.
Chicken Ramen but way easier!
I am always looking for shortcuts, cheats and tricks to make classic dishes quicker and easier to make, and at least as delicious as the original – if not more so!
I have been tinkering away at my version of the classic Japanese dish of ramen for a while now.
Most recipes seem to involve lots of pots and pans and faffing about… but really there’s no need. So long as you get your timings right, you can absolutely make Chicken Ramen in one pot – and, better still, it’s a super speedy recipe when you cut all the faffing about out.
To successfully make my Easy One Pot Chicken Ramen, all you need to do is prep everything in advance and then stick to the timings of the recipe and it’s practically foolproof!
And, of course – only one pot to wash up afterwards 😀
Packed with umami deliciousness
Have you heard of ‘umami’?
It’s supposed to be the fifth taste (the other 4 being sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness).
Umami is a Japanese word, roughly transalted as “pleasant savoury taste” or just utter deliciousness!
Well, this Easy One Pot Chicken Ramen is packed full of umami!
The seaweed, miso, soy sauce, chicken and mushrooms are all foods considered high in umami. Just one of these flavours is delicious, but put them all together in one dish and you have something rather special on your hands.
Not a classic presentation
OK, so I’ll admit – my version of this dish is not classic in its presentation.
Typically all the elements of a ramen (broth, noodles, meat, eggs and vegetables) are cooked and presented separately.
Because my version of ramen is all cooked in one pot, you do lose a little in the aesthetics department. But I can assure you, my version more than makes up for that in the taste department…
(I realise this is a bold statement to make, but I think my version of Chicken Ramen tastes EVEN BETTER than the Wagamama version!)
As always, I have prioritised deliciousness and easiness over everything else. So I hope you will forgive the rather atypical presentation.
Make it your own
This Chicken Ramen recipe is really easy to adapt and make your own.
You could:
- swap the cooked chicken for leftover roast pork
- leave out the chicken and add in a large handful of cooked prawns, just before serving up
- make it veggie (and indeed vegan) by using tofu instead of the chicken
- use a chicken stock cube instead of the miso
- use whatever green vegetables you like in place of the broccoli / pak choi / green cabbage combo I’ve used
- use fresh wild mushrooms instead of dried ones
- add in a handful of beansprouts just before serving up
- add chilli sauce to make it hotter
Or whatever you want to! This is a very flexible dish and you are limited only by your imagination!
What are the best noodles for Chicken Ramen?
‘Ramen’ is actually the name of the noodles typically used in Ramen dishes. Ramen noodles are Japanese wheat noodles, made from wheat, water and salt.
You can buy ramen noodles in specialist shops and some larger supermarkets, but be careful – what is often sold as ramen noodles are actually more like flavoured instant noodles – not what you want in this recipe!
My absolute favourite noodles for Chicken Ramen are wholewheat noodles – they are utterly delicious and I think add yet another umami dimension to this umami-rich meal. However, you can totally make this recipe with whatever noodles you like best!
I actually used regular Chinese-style medium egg noodles for the photos here and that works very nicely too.
What to eat with Chicken Ramen?
I think Chicken Ramen is a complete meal on its own, but if you feel you want more, you could absolutely serve this alongside a few of your favourite Japanese dishes, such as edamame with sea salt, gyoza, yakitori, kimchi… or just some plain rice.
What to drink with Chicken Ramen?
The best wine match for Japanese noodle dishes, like Chicken Ramen, is invariably an aromatic white wine.
My top picks would be a dry Riesling, a Gruner Veltliner from Austria, an Albarino from Spain/Portugal or a lighter style of Sauvignon Blanc from France or Chile.
If you prefer beer, go for a crisp refreshing premium lager.
Alternatively, for the full Japanese experience, go for sake or green tea!
Can you reheat Chicken Ramen?
I really wouldn’t recommend it. This really is a dish best served as soon as it is made – while it is piping hot and before the noodles have soaked up all the broth.
At a push, you could make the broth, but leave out the noodles and green vegetables. Then the next day, simply reheat the broth and then cook the noodles and green vegetables in the broth… but really it’s best to make it fresh!
Can you freeze Chicken Ramen?
Again, I really wouldn’t recommend it. This dish is far better served fresh.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
- Chicken and Prawn Yaki Soba (Wagamama Copycat)
- Easy Homemade Chicken Stir Fry
- Easy Homemade Stir Fry Sauce
- Sticky Chicken Traybake
- Easy Quorn Stir Fry with Noodles
Sticky Chicken Traybake
Easy One Pot Chicken Ramen
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons white miso (I like Yutaka)
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce (I like Kikkoman All Purpose)
- 2 litres boiling water
- 5 g crispy seaweed (I like Itsu), roughly torn
- 4 spring onions sliced finely
- 40 g dried wild mushrooms (or 250g fresh wild mushrooms)
- 800 g cooked chicken sliced or shredded
- 250 g wholewheat noodles (or medium egg noodles)
- 160 g tenderstem broccoli (broccolini)
- 100 g dark green cabbage / spring greens sliced thickly
- 2 pak choi white part sliced thickly, green part left as whole leaves
Instructions
- Mix together the miso and soy sauce to make a smooth paste. Tip the paste into a very large saucepan and add 2 litres of boiling water.
- Place the saucepan on the hob and bring the broth to the boil.
- Add the seaweed, dried mushrooms and spring onions. Put a lid on and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add the cooked chicken and noodles and gently separate the noodles.
- Add the broccoli, cabbage and white parts of the pak choi. Stir everything together and simmer with the lid on for 2 minutes, or until the noodles are almost-but-not-quite cooked.
- Add the green parts of the pak choi on top of everything else, but don’t stir them in, and cook for 1 more minute with the lid on.
- Serve in bowls or on pasta plates – make sure everyone gets plenty of the broth.
- Eat straight away while the broth is still hot and before the noodles get a chance to soak all the broth up and go stodgy!
Video
Notes
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Sisley White says
This looks absolutely incredible and I love that it is all in one pot!
Eb Gargano says
Aw – thanks! I’m a huge fan of one pot cooking 😀 Eb x
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
This has made me think of my recent trip to Japan! We didn’t have much ramen when we were there because a lot of the broths were fish based and I don’t eat fish. Love the idea of making it myself so I know exactly what is in it.
Eb Gargano says
Aw – so jealous! I’d love to go to Japan one day. You should definitely have a go at this ramen… it’s so easy and, like you say, you’ll know exactly what’s in it! Eb x
Michelle Rolfe says
Yum, love a ramen bowl and totally get the need to make it in one pan. I’,m all about styling if there is time but normally I just want dinner on the table and noodles are a firm favourite in our house. Cheers, Michelle
Eb Gargano says
Yeah – I love making food look pretty most of the time, but this ramen… let’s just say what it lacks in presentation, it more than makes up the flavour and ease-of-cooking departments! Eb x
Karen says
I DO love a good ramen and this looks absolutely delicious! There’s something about a bowl of noodles that is just so comforting. Karen
Eb Gargano says
Yes! Couldn’t agree more… comfort food at its finest 😀