This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase through our links, we may earn a commission.

Peanut miso chicken ramen is the rapid home version for those that worship at the temple of takeaway ramen. Marinated strips of charred chicken top an earthy broth of peanut and miso that’s swimming with slippery noodles and spiked with crunchy chili flakes. Add a vibrancy with shredded, raw carrot, tangy green onions and half a jammy egg. Don’t forget your bib.

Ramen-lovers, there’s more! Try this udon noodle soup next. Using thicker, straighter, eggless noodles and ground pork, it’s the next stop on this ramen ride.

Top down shot of bowl of chicken ramen with chopsticks

A few years ago, I was introduced to a London-based ramen shop of cult status: Bone Daddies. The Soho ramen hotspot is famous for two things: its agonisingly long-simmered bone broth and its rockabilly vibe.

To the soundtrack of AC/DC and The Rolling Stones, we ate the slurpiest noodles in the silkiest 20-hour pork bone broth, styled with a chashu pork belly quiff and golden-yolked egg. It was creamy, luxurious and unforgettable.

With seven branches and a spin-off or two, Bone Daddies is a London institution. But we don’t all live in London and we don’t all have 20 hours to boil bones, do we? So, here I come, more rolling pin than rock’n’roll, with a rebel ramen noodle recipe for you to enjoy to your own playlist.

Close up shot of chicken ramen with carrots, mushrooms and a boiled egg

Peanut butter ramen noodles

So, this ramen temple, it needs a strong foundation. Ramen noodle recipes are all about building from the bottom up- slick layer upon slick layer. More traditional ramen recipes will begin with making bone broth: pork, beef, chicken or plant based. But mine begins with chicken breasts.

This recipe does not have the hours- even days- of bone-steeping to back it up, so it’s important to compensate for this with other flavour-rich ingredients. I’ve made a quick chicken marinade of soy, mirin and sesame oil to infuse the chicken flesh.

The chicken marinade takes a mere 30 minutes and then the breasts are pan fried for a bonus smoky char before being cut into strips.

Next up, the broth. I’ve opted for a quick chicken stock with aromatics. Fresh garlic and ginger are fundamental. I’ve added a generous mound of This is an affiliate link.chili crisp because I love a bit of heat to my ramen (also controversial, I know) and those flakes give a subtle crunch if you’re into switching up the texture too.

On top of that, to replicate the smooth, earthiness of a classic bone broth, I’ve worked a little gastronomic alchemy. I combined white miso paste for umami, peanut butter for its natural sweet and salty duality, and tahini for a heavy sesame undertone. This paste base goes on top of the fried garlic, ginger and onions, before adding chicken stock.

Which brings us to the hall of the temple. Mushroom-hued and unctuous, waiting to be filled with wriggly noodles and snappy beansprouts. I’ve also included chewy shiitake mushrooms and bok choi.

And the final, crowning glory. A half an egg, yellow belly exposed and shimmering, julienned carrots, sliced spring (green) onions.

If you build it, they will come.

Process shots of ramen ingredients being prepared before cooked together in a pot

Recipe Tips and Notes

Ramen is famed for its hours-in-the-making bone broth. I’m talking six hours, eight hours, twelve hours…up to 48! But you KNOW I’m not doing that. This is my cheat’s version.
My secret is to pack in plenty of full-flavoured ingredients for a fast-lane noodle soup.
While we’re talking shortcuts, chili crisp is a condiment I can’t live without. Rather than using fiddly fresh chilies, I’m dumping a tablespoon of these smoky, crackling flakes straight into the broth.
The chicken in this ramen recipe is made doubly delicious by a speedy 30-minute marinade. The sweet mirin in the marinade will caramelise on frying adding another layer of flavour to the chicken itself and final bowl of broth.
I used fresh shiitake mushrooms- their unusual chew contrasts well with a slippery noodle. You can use dried then rehydrated ones if that’s what you have available.
Finally, cook the noodles separately. Cooking them in the broth will leave your soup murky and thick with starch.
Part of ramen’s appeal is the aesthetic. Make it a collage of colour and texture: yellow-yolked eggs, a stack of shredded carrots, mini discs of green onion, a sprinkling of black sesame seeds… let your imagination (or Instagram) guide you!

Serving suggestions

Make the most of your Japanese noodle soup by serving it with a selection of ramen-ya (ramen house) style sides. Try kimchi, or Korean carrot salad if kimchi is too much of a hot kick for you; steamed or fried gyoza (Japanese style dumplings), salted edamame beans in their pods, miso glazed aubergine, and sticky sesame chicken wings.

Storage and leftovers

Ramen chicken noodle soup is a one-meal wonder- savour that moment with Zen-like mindfulness as there’s no saving it for later. No fridge, no freezer. Ramen soup is at its best hot off the stove while the broth is silken and the noodles are just right.