We have another instant ramen upgrade for you! This time, it’s Soy Garlic Chicken Instant Ramen. Rather than a soup, it’s a dish in sauce, with crispy pan-fried chicken, inspired by our own Korean Fried Chicken recipe.
We partnered with Maruchan to bring you this recipe. As always on The Woks of Life, all opinions are our own. Enjoy!
An Instant Ramen Upgrade
As I’ve talked about in other posts, instant ramen has a special place in our family’s collective consciousness.
It was the first thing Kaitlin and I ever learned to cook. It was also the inexpensive meal my mom’s family would make when they first immigrated to the United States and times were tight.
But instant noodles aren’t limited to what comes in the packet. We enjoy jazzing them up using a few additional ingredients. Case in point, these recipes:
But while all those recipes still involve making Instant Ramen as a soup, you can also make them into a saucy dish like this!
My dad gets the credit for this recipe idea. Having developed our excellent (if we do say so) Korean Fried Chicken recipe, he wondered, why not make a soy garlic chicken ramen?
We’re using Maruchan Gold Soy Sauce Flavor Craft Ramen Noodles here. The seasoning packet is actually a liquid—mostly soy sauce—making it a great marinade as well as a sauce.
You’ll use one packet to quickly marinate the chicken, before dredging it in potato starch (for extra crunch!) and pan-frying it until crisp.
Then just use the other packet to make the sauce for the noodles, along with lots of minced garlic and shallot, mirin, sesame seeds, brown sugar, vinegar, and gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste) for a little kick.
The crispy chicken on top is the perfect complement.
Ok, let’s talk about how to make it.
Soy Garlic Chicken Ramen: Recipe Instructions
Bring 6 cups of water to a boil for the noodles.
Quickly coat the chicken using 1 of the sauce packets. (For instructions on how to debone chicken thighs, see this post, or the video on this page.)
Then immediately dredge the chicken pieces in potato starch on both sides.
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil, and pan-fry the chicken until crispy on both sides, about 5-6 minutes per side.
Remove the chicken from the pan, and set aside.
To the pan you cooked the chicken in (over medium heat), add the shallot and garlic, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the shallots begin to turn translucent.
Add the second sauce packet, mirin, sesame seeds, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and gochujang (if using).
Simmer for about 3 minutes, until thickened.
Meanwhile, add the noodles to boiling water and cook for 3 minutes.
Drain and add the noodles to the pan of sauce along with the scallion.
Toss to coat, and divide into 2 bowls. Top with the chicken, and serve.
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Recipe
Soy Garlic Chicken Instant Ramen
Ingredients
- 2 packages Maruchan Gold Soy Sauce Flavor Ramen
- 8 ounces skin-on chicken thighs (deboned and cut into large pieces)
- 3 tablespoons potato starch
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 small shallot (finely minced)
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 3 tablespoons mirin
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
- 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon gochujang (optional)
- 1 scallion (chopped)
Instructions
- Bring 6 cups of water to a boil for the noodles. Quickly coat the chicken using 1 of the sauce packets. Then immediately dredge the chicken pieces in potato starch on both sides.
- Heat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil, and pan-fry the chicken until crispy on both sides, about 5-6 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan, and set aside.
- To the pan you cooked the chicken in (over medium heat), add the shallot and garlic, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the shallots begin to turn translucent. Add the second sauce packet, mirin, sesame seeds, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and gochujang, if using. Simmer for about 3 minutes, until thickened.
- Meanwhile, add the noodles to boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and add the noodles to the pan of sauce along with the scallion. Toss to coat, and divide into 2 bowls. Top with the chicken, and serve.
Nutrition Facts
Looking for more Instant ramen hacks?
Check out this post and YouTube video, where we show you 10 of our favorite instant noodle hacks that transform those packets—from your bog-standard 25-cent Maruchan to slightly fancier $1.09 Chinese instant noodle brands—into something that feels filling and exciting. Full recipes in the post, and taste test reactions (plus minor shenangigans and some undignified noodle slurping) in the video!
