It's cold out, the sweaters are out and the leaves are starting to turn into beautiful fall colours. Yup, it's officially comfort food season. Comfort food doesn't have to always be about pastas, lasagnas, and cheesy casseroles (although, don't get me wrong, those are pretty amazing!). Comfort food to me also means warm soups, and healthy miso ramen with chicken is no exception.
Here in Vancouver, ramen is kind of life. The line ups outside many of the ramen places in downtown is pretty crazy. But being a new mom, I just don't have the time to wait outside for half an hour in the cold like I may have in the past. So when my hubby prepared ramen at home, and I mean restaurant-quality ramen, I fell in love with him even more. This stuff is good, real good.
How to Make Vegan Ramen Soup Base
The secret to the perfect ramen is pretty much 90% in the soup base, if not 100%. Almost all ramen shops serve their ramen in a pork broth soup base, or sometimes chicken. This one my hubby has come up with is completely vegan. It is made using miso, onions, tomato, garlic and ginger for ultimate umami results. It's soo good guys! It's thick and cloudy and screams absolute perfection.
How to Make Healthy Miso Ramen
- Make the tomato miso soup base. Heat oil over medium heat, and add onion, tomato, and garlic. Cook until tomatoes are soft and mushy. Add water and ginger and bring to a boil. Stir in miso paste and dissolve. Simmer.
- Make the chicken. Prepare marinade (salt, pepper, sugar, soy sauce, and cayenne pepper) and marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes. Air fry at 375 F for 12 minutes. You can also pan-fry the chicken.
- Make the noodles. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook ramen noodles for 2-3 minutes.
- Make the soft-boiled eggs. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add eggs and cook for 6 minutes, while continuously stirring the eggs for the first minute. Once done, remove the eggs and immediately place them in an ice water bath for a few minutes. Peel and slice in half.
- Assemble the ramen bowls. Evenly divide the noodles, corn, chicken, scallions, and egg into two bowls. Pour miso broth on top. Garnish with seaweed nori, grated carrots, and sesame seeds.
Ramen Toppings
We top off this miso ramen with a perfectly boiled ramen egg, scallions, seaweed, carrots, sweet corn, and strips of air fryer chicken breast. But do not worry if you don't have an air fryer, although it does yield the best results for this dish, you can also just pan fry the chicken instead. In fact, many of these toppings are customizable. You can easily swap out corn or carrots for a different vegetable of choice.
Trust me guys, this one is a keeper.
Recipe
Healthy Miso Ramen with Chicken
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings
Description
Satisfy your ramen cravings with healthy miso ramen with chicken from the comfort of your own home. Weeknight dinners have never been tastier!
Ingredients
Tomato Miso Soup Base:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ large onion, chopped
- 1 large tomato, sliced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced (approximately 4 cloves)
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
- 2 tablespoons organic miso paste
Marinated Chicken Breast:
- 1 lb. chicken breast, cut into ½-inch thick strips
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Ramen Toppings:
- 2 servings ramen noodles
- 1 teaspoon scallion, chopped
- 1 (6" x 6") seaweed nori, cut in half
- 1 + ½ tablespoons carrots, grated
- ⅓ cup frozen sweet corn, thawed
- 2 eggs, soft-boiled (see notes below for recipe)
- 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
Tomato Miso Soup Base:
- In a large pot, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Add onion, tomato and garlic. Stir and cook for 5 minutes until tomatoes are soft and mushy.
- Add water and ginger and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes.
- Stir in miso paste and dissolve into the soup. Simmer for an additional 3 minutes.
Marinated Chicken Breast:
- Add seasoning (salt, pepper, sugar, soy sauce, and cayenne pepper, if using) in a medium Ziploc bag. Shake well to mix together. Add the chicken strips to the Ziploc bag. Press the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Press the marinade around the chicken to coat.
- Place in the fridge and allow chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.
- Remove the marinated chicken strips out of the bag and place them on the air fryer basket. Space them evenly and cook at 375 F for 12 minutes. Take out the basket once halfway through and shake it a little bit so that each side cooks evenly.
- Cooking the chicken in an air fryer yields the best results. However, if you do not have an air fryer, simply pan-fry the marinated chicken on medium heat for approximately 7 minutes until fully cooked through, while stirring continuously.
Assembling the Ramen Bowls:
- In a medium pot, bring water to a boil and add the ramen noodles. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until soft, or according to package directions. Divide the noodles into two large bowls.
- Evenly divide and add in corn, air-fry chicken strips, chopped scallions, and one soft-boiled egg to each bowl. Pour in miso broth over top.
- Garnish each bowl with seaweed nori and grated carrots. Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top. Enjoy!
Notes
- How to get the perfect soft-boiled ramen egg: In a small pot, bring water to a boil. Add eggs and cook for 6 minutes, while continuously stirring the eggs clockwise in boiling water for the first minute to allow the egg yolk to sit right in the centre. Once done, remove the eggs and immediately place them in an ice water bath for a few minutes. Peel the egg shell and slice eggs in half.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Soup
Wendy Vuksanovich says
Amazing excellent 5 star recipe
Mel says
This was amazing! Even my daughter loves it, which is a feat in and of itself. Will make again!
Haley says
I've never made ramen before but this was easy and so delicious and filling. I absolutely scarfed it down. The recipe says it yields 2 servings but I actually have a lot left over! It's snowing today, and this really warmed my soul.
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you so much! I guess we eat really big servings over here hehe 😛
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says
With the weather turning cooler, I’m all about soup! This looks perfect for a cool fall day! I can’t wait to try this!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
This is SO perfect for a cool fall day! Can't wait for you to try it!
Jacqui Debono says
We are big ramen fans - cannot wait to try it out!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Yay! Let me know how it goes!