This easy and comforting one-pot homemade chicken ramen features tender chicken thighs seasoned with the ramen packets, savory noodles, jammy eggs, shiitake mushrooms, blanched baby bok choy, sweet corn, and a final drizzle of sesame oil topped with toasted sesame seeds and green onions. Cozy, customizable, and ready in about 30 minutes!
Gather 4 large bowls you will be using for serving your ramen. Set aside, but keep close by. Fill a separate bowl with ice water and also set aside.
Boil water in a large pot. Blanch the bok choy for 2-3 minutes, remove and set aside. Work in batches if necessary.
Next, cook the noodles al dente. Drain and divide the noodles into the bowls you gathered earlier.
In the same pot of boiling water (the water may be murky, but it’s OK), cook your eggs to your desired doneness, 8 minutes for a softer yolk and 10 minutes for a firmer yolk. Drain and transfer the eggs to the bowl of ice water and gently stir to help the eggs cool down. Once cooled, about 10 minutes, peel and set aside.
Pour out the water in the pot, rinse, and return to the stovetop empty. Heat the oil on medium high while you season each chicken thigh with the seasoning packets from the noodles.
Sear the chicken until fully cooked, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Once cooked, place on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
To the pot, add the ginger and garlic, sauteing until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the sliced shiitake mushrooms and saute for about 2 minutes.
Deglaze the pot with the chicken broth, add the dashi powder or miso paste if using, and simmer covered until the mushrooms are fully cooked through. Adjust seasoning with salt or soy sauce.
Ladle 1 ½ cups of the hot soup base with the mushrooms over your noodles. Slice each chicken thigh and place into the bowls. Slice the eggs lengthwise, and place one half into each bowl. Add the blanched bok choy as well.
Garnish each bowl with ⅛ cup corn, 1 teaspoon of sesame seed oil, 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame seeds, and green onion. Mix together and enjoy!
Notes
Bone-in skin-on proteins: I don’t recommend using any proteins with bones or skin. They take a lot longer to cook, will require you to use your hands to eat, and the skin will get rubbery in the soup. However, if that kind of protein is your preference, I recommend serving it on the side and not combining it with the ramen.
Baby bok choy: It is really important to cut your bok choy in half and wash it thoroughly or even soak it in some water. Sometimes bugs and dirt can get into the cracks of the leaves so make sure you don’t skip this step!
Dashi powder or miso paste are optional. However, you can easily find these at the Asian market. I love using dashi powder as a base for soup - it amplifies "umami" factor. If I want to add a nutty, savory, and slightly salty flavor to my ramen, I go for white miso paste—it’s my favorite. Honestly, for this chicken ramen, I’d use both dashi powder and miso paste. For a clearer broth, use the dashi powder. For a milkier broth, use the miso paste.
If you cook each portion of noodles separately, you will have perfectly portioned bowls of noodles!
Some ramen seasoning packets can be quite salty! What I usually do is open a seasoning packet, taste a tiny bit, and determine the saltiness level. If it is really salty, I only use ½ pack of seasoning per chicken thigh. For my homemade ramen, I used 1 packet per thigh and even though the chicken was a bit saltier than I normally like, combined with the rest of ingredients, it balanced out quite well. Use your best judgment!