Chicken Ramen

This recipe combines

Tare

A lighter, faster ramen: boneless chicken thighs braised in water until they make a clean broth, seasoned with tare, and served over noodles with wilted napa cabbage. The method is the same as pork ramen — only the amount of water and the braising time change — and the seasoning that carries the bowl is tare, a salty-sweet soy-mirin-sugar reduction, included here so you can make the whole thing from scratch. The tare also stands on its own.

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the tare (about ¾ cup)

• ½ cup Japanese soy sauce
• ½ cup mirin
• ¼ cup sugar

For the ramen

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 5 cups water
• 1 leek, white and light green parts only, sliced and rinsed well
• 1 head garlic (8–12 cloves)
• ½ cup neutral oil (only if making garlic oil)
• 1 lb napa cabbage, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil, divided
• 16–20 oz fresh ramen noodles, 10–12 oz dried, or noodles from 4 packages of instant ramen
• Salt, as needed
• Sliced scallions, soft-boiled eggs, and chili oil, for serving (optional)

Stocks & Soups

Chicken Stock Beef Stock Pork Stock French Onion Soup Ham and Beans Creamy Potato Soup with Cheddar and Chives Pork Ramen Gumbo

Building Flavor from Water→

Method

Make the tare

Combine the soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in a small saucepan, bring to a gentle simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then simmer 5–8 minutes, until slightly syrupy but still pourable, and let cool (or microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each, about 2–3 minutes total).

Braise the chicken

Heat the oven to 325°F. Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the chicken thighs well on both sides, in batches if needed. Add the water and leek, bring to a bare simmer, and skim off any foam. Press a sheet of foil over the pot, set the lid on top, and braise in the oven 1 hour 15 minutes, until the thighs are tender. Remove the chicken and set aside, strain the broth, discard the leek, and return the broth to the pot, then shred the chicken once cool enough to handle.

Season, cook, and assemble

Add the garlic: for the strongest flavor, purée or finely grate the whole head and stir it into the hot broth to take off the raw edge; for garlic oil instead, thinly slice the garlic, start it in the ½ cup oil in a cold saucepan, and cook over low heat until pale gold, serving it on the side. Stir ⅓ cup tare into the broth and taste before adding more — it should be savory, lightly sweet, and seasoned enough to carry plain noodles; if it's still flat, add salt, and keep at a bare simmer. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat, add the napa cabbage, and cook, tossing, until the white parts begin to soften but the leaves stay bright, 3–4 minutes, then add to the broth and simmer another 2–3 minutes. Cook the noodles separately per package instructions (discard any instant flavor packets), drain well, and divide among four bowls, then add the chicken, ladle over the cabbage and hot broth, and finish with garlic oil, scallions, a soft-boiled egg, or chili oil if using.