Family Favorite Ramen Night
A warm, comforting meal featuring a rich homemade stock, shredded chicken, and all the flavorful topping options
Happy December, my friends. I am not sure how we are nearly a week into the month, but here we are. Ever since Thanksgiving I’ve found myself settling into more of a winter’s pace. Waking up slower, savoring the sunlight streaming through the Christmas wreaths on the front door, and watching the fire dance in the wood stove as I sip my morning coffee. On days we have to be out the door early, I’ve made it a point to wake up and prepare a hot meal ahead of time. Something about coming home to a comforting, nourishing dinner after you’ve been out all day feels like a necessity during these colder, shorter days. The favorite this week was a pot pie.
As I was making a list of soups I wanted to share with you all this winter, ramen bowls were at the top of my list. Growing up, ramen was something I associated mostly with my mom’s delicious Chinese chicken salad. The crunchy noodles are sprinkled over chopped cabbage, shredded chicken, mandarin oranges, and slivered almonds. The tangy rice vinegar dressing drizzled over everything and tossed together. I need to recreate and share this recipe asap.
In the creating of what’s become our family’s staple ramen recipe, I got thinking about how it came to be. About ten years ago, we introduced our kids to this dish after a new Asian restaurant opened in a town nearby. We quickly fell in love with the hearty, brothy noodle bowls topped with seaweed, green onions and a perfect soft boiled egg.
While it may not be authentic, this recipe is definitely reminiscent of ramen served at a restaurant, and is one of our family's all-time favorite meals. I start by simmering a whole chicken, sometimes with the addition of pig feet, in a stock pot of water. Thanks to our local farms, finding sustainably raised pig feet isn’t difficult. You can simply omit them from the broth recipe, but they do add a depth of flavor that is hard to beat.
Star anise is a powerhouse spice that I love adding to this soup. You might remember it gained attention during 2020 for its high levels of shikimic acid, which is known to help mitigate spike proteins. Overall, this is such a warming, comforting spice - perfect for this time of year. I love making a soothing tea by simmering a few pods with orange peels for 10-15 minutes, then sweetening it with honey.
As for noodle options - I am sharing my favorites below. Ideally I would have a recipe for homemade sourdough ramen noodles - but I am still working on it. In the meantime, I really like these three brands. The ingredients for all of them are simply flour, water, and salt. The millet and brown rice noodles can be found at Costco. The others I’ve found at most local grocery stores in the Asian aisle.
Okay - now let’s make some ramen!
Family Favorite Ramen Bowls
Serves 6-8
TOOLS
Large Stock Pot or Crock Pot
Strainer
Knife
Cutting Board
INGREDIENTS
Broth
1 whole chicken
1-2 pig feet (optional)
3-4 quarts water - just enough to cover to the top of the bird in the pot
1 onion, cut in quarters
1 head garlic, cut in half, horizontally
1 cup dried or fresh mushrooms
1” ginger, chopped
3-4 star anise pods
Soy sauce
Rice Vinegar, plum vinegar, or Mirin
Fish Sauce (optional)
Salt and Pepper
Toppings
Ramen Noodles of choice - pre-soaked
Green onions
Soft boiled eggs
Ramen noodles
Sesame seeds
Chili Onion Crunch
Sliced Jalapenos
Mushrooms
Seaweed sheets
Sriracha
Kimchi (optional)
METHOD
To make the broth: Combine broth ingredients in a large stockpot or slow cooker and simmer for four hours, never letting the liquid come to a full boil. Skim the foam off the top a few times as it simmers.
Strain the broth and shred the chicken: Once broth has simmered for four hours, remove whole chicken and pig feet and strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer, discard veggies and star anise then pour the stock back into the pot or slow cooker. After the chicken has cooled a bit, remove the meat from the bones and discard the bones along with the pig feet.
Add the shredded chicken back into the broth and season to taste: salt, pepper, soy sauce, rice vinegar or mirin.
To cook the soft boiled eggs: bring a pot of water to boil and just before it boils, lower the eggs into the water, not crowding the pot. Boil the eggs for 6.5 minutes, then move to a bowl of ice water. Once cool enough to handle, peel and place peeled eggs on a clean plate.
To cook the ramen noodles: place them in a 9x13 glass pan and pour boiling water over the top. Let noodles sit in the water for 3 minutes if using the Oceans Halo, and 12 minutes if using the Hakubaku. Pour water off the noodles after soaking.
Assemble Ramen Bowls: Assemble ramen bowls by setting up a buffet style with each topping in small containers.
In each bowl, layer noodles, broth and chicken, green onions, soft boiled egg, sesame seeds, chili onion crunch, seaweed sheets, and kimchi.
Enjoy!
So glad you shared this recipe. I’ve been looking for a warm bowl option that’s not soup! 🤍