Spicy Chicken Ramen
This spicy chicken ramen is packed with layers of heat, umami, and tender chicken, delivering a deeply savory broth in under an hour. With perfectly jammy eggs and chewy noodles, it's a restaurant-quality bowl made surprisingly manageable for a weeknight.
Equipment
- Large pot or Dutch oven - 4-quart capacity minimum
- Medium saucepan - for cooking eggs
- Fine-mesh strainer or ladle - for skimming broth
- Sharp chef's knife
- Cutting board
- Box grater or microplane - for grating ginger
- Tongs - for handling chicken
- Ladle - for serving
- Large ramen bowls - for serving
- Slotted spoon - for eggs and noodles
- Small bowl - for mixing miso tare
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs - 680g
- 6 cups chicken broth - 1.4L
- 3 tablespoons white or yellow miso paste
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons gochujang - Korean chili paste
- 2 tablespoons chili oil - plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds - for garnish
- 6 garlic cloves - minced
- 1 inch fresh ginger - grated, about 1 tablespoon
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil - vegetable or avocado oil
- 4 portions fresh or dried ramen noodles - about 12 oz or 340g total
- 4 large eggs - for soft-boiled eggs
- 3 green onions - sliced thin
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach or bok choy - 60g, roughly chopped
- 4 sheets dried nori - halved
- 1 cup bean sprouts - 90g, optional
- salt - to taste
Instructions
- Boil eggs for 6 minutes and 30 seconds, then immediately transfer to an ice bath for 5 minutes. Peel and set aside.
- Simmer chicken in broth for 15-18 minutes until cooked through, then remove and shred. Keep the broth in the pot.
- Whisk miso and gochujang with a few tablespoons of warm broth until smooth. Sauté garlic and ginger in oil for 1 minute, then combine with broth, dissolved paste, soy sauce, chili oil, and sesame oil. Keep at a simmer.
- Cook ramen noodles according to package until al dente. Drain and rinse with warm water, then divide among serving bowls.
- Add spinach or bok choy to the hot broth and stir for 30-60 seconds until just wilted. Remove pot from heat.
- Ladle broth with greens over noodles, then top with shredded chicken, halved eggs, bean sprouts, nori, green onions, sesame seeds, and a drizzle of chili oil. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Always whisk miso paste with a small amount of warm liquid before adding it to the broth to prevent clumping and preserve flavor.
- Cook ramen noodles just until al dente as they will continue to soften in the hot broth. Drain and rinse with warm water to remove excess starch.
- Let poached chicken rest for 5 minutes before shredding to keep it juicy and tender.
- Use fresh ginger for a brighter, more aromatic heat that elevates the broth significantly.
- Do not boil the broth after adding miso; high heat destroys its delicate flavor compounds. Keep it at a gentle simmer.
- The broth can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Reheat gently before serving.
- For a less spicy version, reduce gochujang to 1 teaspoon and chili oil to 1 teaspoon. Skip the final chili oil garnish.
- Store broth and noodles separately for leftovers. Broth keeps up to 4 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.