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Hands holding a bowl of miso ramen on a white background.
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5 from 5 votes

Chicken Miso Ramen

An easy miso ramen with a slightly sweet, nutty, moderately spicy umami broth topped with sticky soy marinated chicken. A simple yet scrumptious recipe that promises to have you lost in a world of umami deliciousness after just 40 minutes of cooking and prep time.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese
Servings: 2
Calories: 873kcal
Author: Helen

Equipment

Ingredients

Chicken & marinade

  • 2 chicken thighs (Note 1)
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce (Note 2)
  • 2 tbsp mirin (Note 3)
  • 1 tsp sugar

Ramen ingredients

  • 2 tbsp neutral oil (Note 4)
  • 2 portions ramen noodles (Note 5)
  • 2 cloves garlic finely grated
  • 2 scallions/spring onions (white parts only) finely grated
  • 2 tsp ginger finely grated
  • 2 tbsp miso paste (Note 6)
  • 1 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • ½ tbsp Doubanjiang or chilli oil (optional) (Note 7)
  • 1 tsp sugar (Note 8)
  • 2.5 cups chicken stock (Note 9)

Toppings

  • 1 cup corn (Note 10)
  • scallions/spring onions (green parts only) thinly sliced
  • 2 soft-boiled ramen eggs (optional) (Note 11)
  • toasted sesame seeds
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Chicken Marinade

  • In a bowl, combine the marinade ingredients (soy sauce, mirin, and sugar) and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
  • Remove any fat from the chicken thighs with scissors or a sharp knife.
  • Add 2 chicken thighs to the marinade, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (ideally overnight).

Cook the chicken

  • Place a pan on a medium heat and add half of the neutral oil. Add the chicken thighs when the oil is hot and fry for a few minutes on each side until brown.
  • Increase the heat, pour in the rest of the marinade, and leave the chicken to simmer in the marinade, until cooked through. At this point the marinade will have reduced to form a sticky glaze.
  • Remove the chicken from the pan when done, place onto a board and slice each thigh into ⅓ inch/1cm thick pieces.

Make the ramen broth

  • Place a Dutch oven or large pan on a medium heat and add the remaining oil.
  • Add the minced ginger, garlic and scallions/spring onion and fry for a minute or two until fragrant.
  • Then add the miso paste, tahini, sesame oil, soy sauce, chilli oil and sugar and stir until incorporated.
  • Pour on the chicken stock and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, cook the ramen noodles according to packet instructions (plan to have them ready for when the ramen is ready to be assembled). Drain them while they are still slightly underdone. They will cook a little more when you add them to the broth.

Assemble

  • Add a portion of cooked ramen noodles to each bowl and pour on the hot broth.
  • Top each bowl with the cooked chicken, corn, soft boiled eggs and sliced scallions/spring onion. Serve immediately.

Notes

  1. Chicken thighs: you can substitute with chicken breast, pork or use tofu or fried mushrooms for vegetarian ramen. You can also use leftover cooked meat. In this case, skip the marinade, but you can make the sticky miso glaze using the marinade ingredients to give the meat extra flavor. 
  2. Soy sauce: use regular or light, dark will be too rich. 
  3. Mirin: Substitute with Chinese cooking wine OR dry sherry + 1 tsp white sugar.
  4. Oil: Use a neutral oil with a high burn point like sunflower, vegetable oil, canola or ground nut.
  5. Ramen noodles: Use fresh or dry or substitute with egg noodles. For gluten-free options use gluten-free ramen noodles or rice noodles.
  6. Miso paste: white miso paste is best and also the most readily available. Avoid using red miso, it will make the broth too strong.
  7. Doubanjiang: A spicy Chinese bean paste that also brings a slightly sweet umami flavor. Substitute with Chinese chili oil or feel free to leave it out if you prefer a non-spicy ramen.
  8. Sugar: used to balance out the saltiness of the broth rather than as a sweetener. 
  9. Chicken stock: can use homemade or store-bought.
  10. Corn: use canned or frozen corn that has been thawed and warmed.
  11. Ramen eggs: make my Easy Soy Marinated Ramen Eggs or cook up regular soft-boiled eggs in simmering water for 6 minutes, leave to chill in icy or cold water and peel carefully. 
Nutritional information: is for one bowl of ramen topped with 1 chicken thigh, corn and a soft boiled egg. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 873kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 58g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Monounsaturated Fat: 28g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 284mg | Sodium: 2935mg | Potassium: 987mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 689IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 4mg