Chicken Curry Ramen
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Chicken Curry Ramen combines grilled chicken thighs with tasty broth, veggies, and ramen noodles. Add plenty of curry powder, fresh garlic, and fresh ginger for an extra flavor-packed meal that the whole family will love!
Try my Crunchy Curry Chicken Salad or Chickpea Spinach Curry next!
Curry Ramen Recipe
While there are many ramen creations on the internet, this one is a fairly easy recipe and combines easy-to-find ingredients. The curry powder is key for flavor and is in the spice section in most grocery stores.
The nice thing about ramen is that you can use a variety of ingredients, swapping out many of them according to what you like best. Use any protein, a different combo of veggies, and different types of ramen noodles.
What is ramen?
Ramen is a Japanese noodle dish. It consists of noodles served in a meat-based broth, often flavored with soy sauce or miso, and uses toppings such as pork, chicken, veggies, an egg, scallions, and other things.
This recipe is not exactly a traditional ramen, but it’s close enough and we love it!
Ingredients Used for Curry Chicken Ramen:
- Chicken – I like to use chicken thighs for this one because you get tender chicken every time. However, chicken breasts work great too (but be careful to avoid drying it out).
- Curry Powder – Curry powders usually consist of turmeric, cumin, ginger, and black pepper. While some blends contain garlic and cinnamon as well, curry has a warm and robust pungency that adds incredible flavor to everything it touches.
- Veggies – Really, any combo of veggies is nice. I used a combo of carrots, mushrooms (Bella or Shiitake mushrooms), and spinach for this go-around. Bell peppers would be nice too.
- The broth – The broth is key to good ramen. Make sure you add all of the ingredients listed including fresh garlic and fresh ginger!
- Ramen – Of course you’ll need to add some ramen noodles (ditch the seasoning packet) for the complete experience.
- Large Eggs (optional) – We like serving this with soft cooked eggs and some diced green onions. A pinch of chili flakes or a drizzle of chili oil would also be delicious.
How to make Chicken Curry Ramen:
Step 1
Prep the chicken. No need to add a marinade to the chicken. Just add the curry powder, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper to the chicken. You can also add a drizzle of olive oil if desired. I like to let it sit out for about 30 minutes prior to cooking.
Step 2
Grill the chicken. Light a grill to medium heat. When hot, add the chicken thighs, flipping it to get grill marks on both sides. Grill until golden brown, approximately 165 degrees f on a digital thermometer.
Let the chicken rest for about 6-7 minutes. Then slice it into strips or bite-sized pieces.
Step 3
Cook carrots and mushrooms (or other veggies). Meanwhile, cook the veggies. In a medium stock pot, add a drizzle of sesame oil, and then add the chopped carrots and mushrooms. Cook until softened, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove veggies and set aside on a plate.
Step 4
Make broth. Use the same pot to cook the broth. Add additional oil to the pan over medium-low heat. (Don’t let the pan get too hot when cooking garlic or you’ll burn it!) Add the garlic and ginger and stir for a minute or so, until fragrant.
Then add the remaining broth ingredients – the chicken broth (or chicken stock), soy sauce, and fish sauce. Add additional salt and pepper as needed. Bring the broth to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes (or longer) to enhance the flavor of the broth.
Step 5
Add spinach and ramen. At the last minute, add the ramen noodles and break apart with a fork. Then add the spinach and let simmer for another couple of minutes and give a good stir until the ramen and spinach are softened.
Step 6
Assemble bowls. To individual serving bowls, add the broth and ramen mixture. Top with the veggies, the sliced grilled chicken, and sliced green onions.
Optional. You can add a soft-boiled egg as well. Optional but delicious!
Recipe FAQs:
It should be noted that instant ramen noodles are different from fresh ramen noodles, which are traditional Chinese or Japanese noodles. They are a shortcut I used in this dish, but traditional noodles can be used as well.
The easiest answer is both. If you add enough broth it becomes a tasty soup. If not, it’s more of a noodle dish.
We like to eat our ramen with chopsticks and a spoon. But you can use a fork as well. Also, the broth shouldn’t be skipped and it’s ok to slurp it up by drinking from the bowl after all the goodies are gone!
Yes, ramen is delicious as leftovers and makes great meal prep, in fact. I recommend storing the chicken and veggies separately from the broth.
Recipe Tips:
- Grilling the chicken with a few smoky chips adds incredible flavor to this dish. You could also cook the chicken on the stovetop as an alternative.
- Tailor the veggies to what you prefer. I like to use a variety of different mushrooms like Bella, Cremini, Shiitake, and White. You can also add cauliflower, bok choy, or snap peas.
- If you prefer more of broth-based ramen, use less noodles or more broth!
- While I use cheap ramen noodles (instant noodles) as a shortcut, you can use other common ramen noodles like soba, somen, and udon noodles.
Kitchen Tools Used:
xoxo ~Sue
Chicken Curry Ramen
Ingredients
- 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- 2 Tablespoon curry powder
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
For the veggies:
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 8 oz. mushrooms – I use Bella
- 2 cups carrots – chopped
For the broth:
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 Tablespoons garlic – minced
- 2 Tablespoons ginger – minced
- 8-10 cups lower sodium chicken broth – or combo of broth and water
- 4 Tablespoons lower sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons fish sauce
- 9 oz. ramen noodles
- 4 cups baby spinach
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
- diced green onions and/or jalapeño slices – to serve
Instructions
- Prep the chicken. No need to add a marinade to the chicken. Just add the curry powder, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper to the chicken. You can also add a drizzle of olive oil if desired. I like to let it sit out for about 30 minutes prior to cooking.
- Grill the chicken. Light a grill to medium heat. When hot, add the chicken thighs, flipping it to get grill marks on both sides. Grill until done, approximately 165 degrees F on a digital thermometer.
- Let the chicken rest for about 6-7 minutes. Then slice it in strips or bite-sized pieces.
- Cook carrots and mushrooms (or other veggies). Meanwhile, cook the veggies. In a medium stock pot, add a drizzle of oil and then add the chopped carrots and mushrooms. Cook until softened, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove veggies and set aside on a plate.
- Make broth. Use the same pot to cook the broth. Add additional oil to the pan over medium heat. (Don’t let the pan get too hot when cooking garlic or you’ll burn it!) Add the garlic and ginger and stir for a minute or so, until fragrant.
- Then add the remaining broth ingredients – the chicken broth, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Add additional salt and pepper as needed. Bring the broth to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes or longer.
- Add spinach and ramen. At the last minute, add the ramen noodles and break apart with a fork. Then add the spinach and let simmer for another couple of minutes, until the ramen and spinach are softened.
- Assemble bowls. To individual serving bowls, add the broth and ramen mixture. Top with the veggies, the sliced grilled chicken, and sliced green onions.
- Optional. You can add a soft cooked egg as well. Optional but delicious!
Notes
- Grilling the chicken with a few smoky chips adds incredible flavor to this dish. You could also cook the chicken on the stovetop as an alternative.
- Tailor the veggies to what you prefer. I like to use a variety of different mushrooms like Bella, Cremini, and White. You can also add cauliflower, box choy, or snap peas.
- If you prefer more of broth-based ramen, use less noodles or more broth!
- While I use cheap ramen noodles as a shortcut, you can other common ramen noodles like soba, somen, and udon noodles.
Tastes Great. Less Filling. Repeat. Love this recipe and it’s fun to eat meals as a bowl!