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This chicken ramen noodle soup has crispy, juicy chicken, chewy noodles, and a creamy sesame broth that’s milky yet light. Add bok choy and soy sauce eggs, and you have a satisfying one-bowl meal that warms you from head to toe on a cold day.
Crispy chicken, creamy sesame broth
I love Japanese-style chicken ramen, and the versions I had in Japan came with crispy chicken. This is my easier homemade version.
- Crispy, juicy chicken. The chicken is seasoned all over, with golden, crispy skin and juicy meat inside.
- Milky yet light broth. Combining chicken broth with unsweetened soy milk is a Japanese-style way to make creamy ramen soup. Sesame paste adds a roasted, nutty flavor, and the broth stays savory and light.
- Everything in one bowl. Crispy chicken, chewy noodles, and fresh veggies in a creamy broth—it’s everything you’ll love in one satisfying bowl.
Key Ingredient Notes
These are the main ingredients to look for, plus a few things I learned from testing. See the recipe card below for the full list and amounts.
- Chicken thighs: Use boneless, skin-on thighs. I buy Bell & Evans, and you can also find them at Wegmans. If you can only find bone-in, skin-on thighs, follow my step-by-step deboning photos below. Boneless, skinless thighs also work, but need less cooking time and won’t give you crispy skin.
- Chicken broth and soy milk: Use unsweetened soy milk. I tested a 50/50 mix, but the soy milk flavor was too strong for me. Two cups of chicken broth to one cup of soy milk gave me a lighter, more savory balance. Oat milk also works and tastes less beany.
- Sesame paste: I tested Chinese sesame paste, Japanese sesame paste, and tahini—all three work. The Chinese paste had the deepest roasted flavor, the Japanese paste tasted more balanced, and tahini was the mildest. I love the Chinese and Japanese versions equally.
- Ramen noodles: You can use fresh, wavy ramen, dry, straight ramen, or gluten-free ramen. Follow the package cooking instructions; no seasoning packets are needed. For more help identifying noodle varieties, see my Chinese noodle guide.
- Eggs: Make my soy sauce eggs ahead, or top each bowl with a hard-boiled or poached egg.
How to Make Chicken Ramen Noodle Soup
Making this chicken ramen soup is easier when you break it into three parts: crisp the chicken, prepare the broth and vegetables, then assemble. Use two pots—one to keep the broth hot and another to blanch the bok choy and cook the noodles. Have your eggs and green onions ready before cooking the noodles.
Step 1: Season and crisp the chicken
Pat the chicken dry and make a few shallow cross-cuts on the meat side to cut through the tendons and help the chicken stay flat as it cooks. Season both sides, then dust lightly with starch. I tested the chicken with and without starch—both turned out crispy, but starch gave the skin extra crunch.
Place the chicken skin-side down in the lightly oiled basket. Spray evenly with oil so no dry starch spots remain. Air fry at 400°F for 10 minutes, then flip, spray again, and cook for 10 more minutes. Rest the cooked chicken uncovered on a wire rack while you finish the soup.
Stovetop and oven instructions are in the recipe notes.
Step 2: Prepare the broth and bok choy
While the chicken cooks, gently heat the chicken broth and soy milk over medium-low to low heat for 7–8 minutes, until hot and steaming. Don’t let it boil—the milk can separate. Cover and keep the broth warm over the lowest heat while you prepare the other ingredients.
In a second pot, bring water to a boil. Blanch the cleaned, separated bok choy leaves for 30–40 seconds, then lift them out to drain. Keep the water for cooking the noodles.
Step 3: Cook the noodles and assemble
Cook the ramen in the same water according to the package instructions. Drain without rinsing.
Divide the bowl seasonings between two large bowls. Pour in the hot broth and stir until the sesame paste is fully blended. Add the noodles and bok choy, then the sliced chicken, eggs, and green onions. Keep the chicken skin above the broth as much as possible and serve immediately.
Tips for Keeping the Chicken Crispy
- Skip the air fryer liner. I tested cooking the chicken with a liner, but moisture collected underneath and kept it from crisping properly.
- Rest uncovered on a rack. This lets steam escape instead of collecting underneath and softening the chicken.
- Keep the skin above the broth. Add the broth and noodles first, then arrange the chicken on top, skin-side up.
Chicken ramen noodle soup recipe
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 2 piece boneless & skin-on chicken thighs
- ½ tsp coarse sea salt divided, about ¼ tsp per thigh
- sprinkle Ground black pepper
- sprinkle Garlic powder
- 2 tbsp potato or tapioca starch divided, about 1 tbsp per thigh
- Avocado oil spray
Broth:
- 2 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup unsweetened soy milk or oat milk
Noodles:
- 2 packet Fresh Ramen or dry ramen
Bowl seasonings — divide evenly between 2 bowls:
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Chinese sesame paste Japanese sesame paste, or Tahini
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- ½ tsp grated garlic
- ¼ tsp chicken bouillon powder or shiitake mushroom seasoning
Toppings:
- 2 whole Soy sauce eggs halved
- 2-3 small heads baby bok choy
- 1-2 green onions thinly sliced into rounds
Instructions
- Season the chicken: Pat the chicken dry. Make a few shallow cross-cuts on the meat side to help the chicken cook evenly. Season both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Dust both sides with starch, using about 1 tablespoon total per thigh.
- Air fry the chicken: No air fryer? See the recipe notes below for stovetop and oven instructions. Spray the air fryer basket with a thin layer of oil. Place the chicken skin-side down in the basket. Spray the top evenly with oil so no dry, white starch spots remain. Air fry at 400°F (204°C) for 10 minutes. Flip the chicken skin-side up, spray evenly with oil, and air fry for 10 more minutes, until cooked through and crisp. Transfer to a wire rack and rest uncovered while you finish the soup.
- Heat the broth: While the chicken cooks, combine the chicken broth and soy milk in a separate pot. Heat over medium-low to low heat until hot and steaming, about 7–8 minutes. Avoid boiling, which can cause the milk to separate. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cover to keep warm.
- Blanch the bok choy: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Separate the bok choy into individual leaves and rinse thoroughly under running water. Blanch for 30–40 seconds. Lift the bok choy out, leaving the water in the pot, and set aside to drain.
- Cook the noodles: Use the same pot of water to cook the ramen according to the package instructions. Drain without rinsing.
- Assemble and serve: Divide the bowl seasonings evenly between two large ramen bowls. Pour the hot broth evenly into the bowls and stir until the sesame paste is fully blended. Add the noodles and bok choy. Slice the chicken and arrange it on top, skin-side up, keeping the skin above the broth as much as possible. Add the halved soy sauce eggs and green onions. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Stovetop chicken: Heat a cast-iron skillet, then add 1 tablespoon avocado oil per chicken thigh. Pan-fry the chicken skin-side down over medium heat for 5–6 minutes, maintaining a gentle sizzle throughout. Flip and cook for about 4 more minutes, until cooked through. Use a splatter guard. Transfer to a wire rack to rest uncovered.
- Oven chicken: Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Set a wire rack over a baking sheet and brush the rack with oil. Place the chicken skin-side up on the rack. Spray evenly with oil so no dry, white starch spots remain. Bake for 20 minutes, then broil on high for about 3 minutes, until golden and cooked through. Watch closely during broiling. Rest uncovered on the rack.
- Air fryer liners: I tested this recipe with liners, but moisture collects underneath and keeps the chicken from crisping properly. For the best results, skip the liner.
- Do I need to coat the chicken with starch? I tested the chicken with and without a starch coating. Both versions turn out crispy, but a light dusting of potato or tapioca starch gives the skin extra crunch. You can skip the starch if you prefer.
- Milk choice: I prefer unsweetened soy milk for this broth. Oat milk also works and tastes less beany.
- Make ahead: Prepare the soy sauce eggs ahead. Wash the bok choy and pat dry before refrigerating. Cook the chicken and noodles just before serving for the best texture.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftover broth, chicken, noodles, and toppings in separate airtight containers for up to 3 days. Keeping the noodles out of the broth prevents them from soaking it up.
- Reheat: Warm the broth gently over low heat, stirring without boiling to keep the milk from separating. Reheat the chicken separately in the oven or air fryer until hot.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Asian Noodle Soups to Try
- Try my chicken katsu ramen bowl for crispy chicken cutlets served with a clear, savory broth.
- Have extra cooked chicken or turkey? My Asian chicken noodle soup turns it into a cozy dinner with shiitake mushrooms and bok choy.
- For a little heat, make my spicy chicken noodle soup with Korean chili flakes, miso, and mushrooms.
Made a dish and loved it? Please rate the recipe and leave a comment in the section below! It helps my blog grow organically, allowing me to continue sharing free and awesome content with you. Thank you!
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!!