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Whole30 Tantanmen Ramen with creamy rich bone broth and juicy caramelized chicken. These healthy low-carb Whole30 ramen noodles come with loads of fresh vegetables and ramen toppings. It’s a super quick dinner idea for Tantanmen ramen lovers!
Whole30 Tantanmen Ramen
Are you a ramen lover? I remember when I was in my 20s and early 30s Japanese ramen is one of my favorite go-to winter comfort food. My favorite flavors are Japanese miso ramen and tantanmen ramen (also known as dan dan ramen). Found this recipe in hot summer? Check out my chilled summer version – Chinese dan dan noodles here.
I love the creamy and umami-rich bone broth and the toppings that come with the ramen noodles are always great additions to have. Imagine how fabulous it would be for a low-carb Tantanmen ramen that tastes just as delicious yet without the carbs, plus much easier to make!
How to Make Easy Tantanmen Ramen (shortcut version)
You’ll need a really flavorful chicken bone broth in order to make this shortcut version truly delicious. I tried a few store-bought chicken bone broth from WholeFoods to Trader Joe’s and the results are not as spectacular. I recommend either using homemade chicken bone broth if you have it at home or my favorite store-bought version from Kettles & Fires for a rich flavorful broth in no time. I want to emphasize that this is not a sponsored post.
Whole30 Tantanmen Ramen Paste (soy-free, easy, low-carb)
To make Japanese tantanmen ramen paste you’ll need tahini paste (or Japanese white sesame paste). The coconut aminos will replace soy sauce and add extra umami flavor. Tantanmen is originated from China so it’s common to see the usage of cumin and five-spice powder in the recipe. The cashew butter or macadamia butter adds a smooth and naturally creamy taste to the paste.
Be sure to sip the tantan ramen broth as you enjoy this low-carb chicken tantanmen ramen. It is out-of-this-world creamy delicious and even I can’t believe this shortcut version would taste so good!
If you give this Whole30 Tantanmen Ramen a try, be sure to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’ll help me and my blog tremendously. Also, hit the share button and pin it to your Pinterest boards if you want to make it for later. Thanks in advance!
Whole30 Tantanmen Ramen
Video
Ingredients
- 4 pieces chicken thighs , boneless
- your favorite chicken/poultry seasonings (see notes)
- 1 tbsp avocado or olive oil
Ramen Toppings of choice:
- 2 large soft boiled eggs
- 3-4 bundles baby bok choy , quartered (or baby spinach)
- 5 oz. brown beech mushrooms or enoki mushrooms
- 1 cup bean sprouts (optional)
- 2 medium size zucchinis , spiralized
- 2 bulbs scallions , chopped
Whole30 Tantanmen Ramen paste (divided for 2 ramen bowls):
- 3 tbsp tahini paste
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- ⅛ tsp cumin powder
- ⅛ tsp five spice powder
- 1 to 1.5 tbsp cashew butter or macadamia nut butter
Other:
- 2 cups or more chicken bone broth , kettle and fire recommend or homemade
- Toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Chicken: Season chicken with poultry seasonings. See notes section for my recommendation. Grill them in a well-heated skillet with 1 tbsp oil until the chicken is completely cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Set the chicken aside. Deglaze the skillet with 3-4 tbsp chicken stock and scrap off the brown bits. Pour the sauce over chicken. Cover the bowl and keep it warm.
- Toppings: In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to boil. Lower the heat to simmering. Carefully and slowly add the eggs and low simmer for 6-7 minutes. Soak in cold water to stop cooking. Use the same water to blanch bok choy for 30 seconds and mushrooms and sprouts for 5-10 seconds. Soak them in cold water to stop cooking then set aside to drain well.
- Paste and Broth: Prepare two large noodle bowls. Combine and stir-well Whole30 Tantanmen Ramen paste and divide the paste evenly over two bowls. Preheat chicken bone broth in a soup pot until it’s nice warm and hot ready to use.
- Assemble: Add 1 cup chicken bone broth to each noodle bowl. Gently stir with a spoon or whisk to combine the paste and broth well. Add zucchini noodles, chicken, ramen toppings, and scallions. Drizzle the pan juice from the grilled chicken over the noodle bowl. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds, if using. Serve hot and immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Also check out my Paleo Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad, Paleo Chicken Katsu, Keto Bulgogi Beef Sushi Rolls, and Paleo Soy-Free Cashew ‘Tofu’ Salad.
Oh wow, this looks unbelievably flavorful and gorgeous! I love ramen, and it’s the one thing I miss alot after going gluten free. Can’t wait to try this out!
Ooo the tantanmen paste ingredients are super fun – we love those flavors! Looking forward to trying this!
I’m obsessed with ramen and am always on the hunt for a new recipe. This one looks DELICIOUS!! Cannot wait to try!
Delicious, quick Whole30 ramen–thank you! Made it tonight, only suggestion would be to boil extra bone broth so you can top off the bowl with piping hot liquid after you’ve added all the blanched veggies so you have a hot soup. I also topped mine with seaweed too!
That sounds perfect! Yes I am a soup/broth girl, too. Wonderful great idea! Thank you, Liz!
Made this today. It was wonderful, and oh so filling. Have been wanting to make ramen at home for a while now. This made it easy.
That’s so wonderful, Lisa! This is exactly my type of winter comfort food!
Thank you for the great recipes! This was so yummy! Great flavor on the chicken and the paste was amazingly good! We need to get some bigger bowls for these ramen bowls!
LOL! You are so cute, Jamie! Thanks again! XO!
This bowl of ramen looks amazing. I might just have to give this recipe at try! Thanks for sharing.
I’ve never had cashew or macadamia nut butter. I’ll pick up some soon, but in the meantime do you think sunflower seed butter would work in this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Tricia, yes sunbutter works, too!
I can not believe how gorgeous this looks!! It looks identical to my Tonkatsu FAVE from a restaurant next to my home (DOMU in WP, Fl) I’m hoping this is as good if not better than it looks! Question, do you prefer using the cashew vs macadamia butter? I’m not familiar with eather one. I usually do not like dishes with peanut because the flavor is so overpowering and is all I taste, I’m wondering if those but butters you mention are less potent. Thank you in advance for your help!
Hi Jean, thank you so much! The nut butter adds a nice creamy and naturally sweet flavor to the savory broth. It works well with unsweetened tahini paste. I like both (either cashew or macadamia). Macadamia is lower in carbs than cashew so it depends on you. Make sure to pick the unsweetened ones. All the ingredients will be cooked by then before you assemble them in a bowl so you can taste and make adjustments – start with smaller quantity of nut butter if you aren’t sure. :))
We made this Whole30 Ramen recipe today. It was the best thing we’ve ever had!! Thank you!!
Wow! You are fast! I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you!!