Miso Ramen with Shiitake and Chicken ~ this Japanese noodle bowl is an easy 30-minute meal full of protein and the healthy benefits of miso.

Miso ramen is a Japanese noodle soup with a chicken or vegetable broth as its base. The defining characteristic is the addition of miso paste, and the fermented soybean paste contributes a unique salty, umami, and slightly sweet flavor to the broth. My version is a quicker, easier version of the original, but it is no less satisfying and delicious.
This is heartier than my Miso Soup but it’s based on similar flavors. The noodles, chicken, egg and the extra vegetables elevate miso ramen to a satisfying main meal. Everything is fresh, barely cooked, and delicate but the flavor is robust thanks to the red miso paste, a hot chili pepper, the rich shiitake mushrooms, and a drizzle of sesame oil.
miso ramen ingredients
- ramen noodles
- water or chicken stock
- shiitake mushrooms
- chili pepper
- baby bok choy
- corn
- scallions
- red miso paste
- cooked chicken breast
- bell pepper
- egg
- sesame oil
- sesame seeds
My easy miso ramen a symphony of textures, too, from the slightly chewy mushrooms and noddles, to the crunch of the corn and red bell pepper, to the juicy bok choy, and finally the creamy egg.
You’ll find ramen noodles in the Asian section of your store, you can even use the noodles straight from instant ramen packages, just discard the flavoring packet. They cook up in just 4 minutes and are much less starchy than pasta, so they don’t get sticky.
The Japanese have the longest life expectancy on the planet, so it makes sense to explore their diet and take a few tips from how they eat. I do always feel instantly healthier when I eat Japanese food. This miso ramen contains minimal fats and no artificial ingredients, and has a beautiful visual appeal. The only thing it has in common with the little packets of ramen is that it’s budget friendly.
more Japanese recipes to try
- Japanese ochazuke with fried rice cakes and salmon
- Japanese Carrot Ginger Dressing
- Japanese Chicken Katsu Curry Bowl
- Japanese Cucumber Salad (Sunomono)
- Japanese Pork Dumplings with Ginger
- Edamame Salad
Featured comment
“I tried this recipe to the T, and it really was a wonderful experience. The miso paste adds most of the flavor, and the bok choy and mushrooms add wonderful texture. Thank you for this recipe.” ~Bianca
Miso Ramen with Shiitake and Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 ounces dry ramen noodles, use rice noodles for gluten free
- 4 cups water or chicken stock
- 6 shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- 1 hot chili pepper, thinly sliced
- 2-3 baby bok choy, sliced (including the green leaves)
- 1 ear fresh corn, kernels removed
- 6 scallions, sliced
- 2 Tbsp red miso paste
- 1 cooked chicken breast, sliced on the diagonal
garnishes
- 1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 hard or soft cooked egg
- sesame oil
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cook the noodles in boiling water for about 4 minutes. Drain and put in two wide shallow soup bowls.
- While the noodles are cooking heat the water or stock to a simmer and add the mushrooms and the hot pepper. Simmer for a couple of minutes. Add the bok choy, corn, and the scallions and simmer for a minute or so more, just long enough to bring out the bright green color.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the miso paste. (You do this off the heat so as not to destroy some of the beneficial nutrients in the miso paste) Stir well until the paste is completely dissolved.
- Pour the broth with the veggies over the noodles in the two bowls. Arrange the chicken in the bowls as well.
- Garnish with the red bell pepper, and egg halves.
- Finish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a drizzle of sesame oil.
The first time I make a recipe, I usually follow it to a T, as I did with this soup. I rarely if ever change any of the ingredients or the amounts.
This soup makes a lovely presentation. BUT… the broth itself tasted bland, like a water soup without much taste. We added more miso paste and some soy sauce. It was OK, but still not that flavorful.
My measurements were exact and I had enough for 4 good sized bowls, and since there are only two of us, I had enough left over for two more bowls. So the next day, I heated a can of Swanson low sodium chicken broth and added the left over noodles and veggies and a about a half of a tablespoon of the miso paste.
It was excellent. The ‘new’ broth was perfect and changed the taste completely – from the original water broth to a rich flavorful broth. I will definitely make it again and again.
Thanks for the feedback, Nina. I do think miso broth is an acquired taste, it is very delicate and to our modern Western standards it may seem bland. I like that about it, but I can also appreciate that the chicken stock must have been wonderful!
Heavens this looks good! It would be a perfect addition to this month’s Yahoo! Shine Supper Club. Hope you’ll join us!
oh, yes. This looks amazing!!! Want to laugh? I was cleaning out my pantry just yesterday and I found a bunch of those noodles. I just stared at them and couldn’t remember for the life of me why I bought them. I tossed them… sad. I need to find a good gluten free noodle for dishes like this one. I’ve tried a few and they just haven’t been quite right. The search continues. P.S. When I do come and visit you, I’d like a first course of this soup, followed by your mushroom marsala pasta (that I still haven’t made yet!) and then chased by your refrigerator chocolate cake, your lemon poppyseed cake and at least 2 each of all your shortbread cookies. Okey doke? Oh, and I’ll need at least 6 of your thin mints for a midnight snack.
P.P.S. That is just off the top of my head. Now, if I were really planning a trip, I’d visit your recipe index immediately and provide you with a much more detailed list. I’m super easy like that. ๐
okay first of all I realize these are not the packaged little ramen noodles from the store but seeing the word reminded me of my brother who always tried to gain weight in highschool (yeah not fair I know) and he would come home and make like a huge bowl of ramen noodles from 3 packages and then put hot sauce and butter in it! I WAS LIKE WHAT! it was gross- yours are not the case though- this dish looks amazing, so flavorful with the mushroom flavor. I wish I had a huge bowl myself
oh Sue, I honestly think you’re gonna have to get the spare room made up for an impending visit… with the food you’ve been preparing lately I just have to move in!… this is divine!
This looks amazing! Real ramen for the win. ๐ It’s super hard for us to find ramen in restaurants since there is vegetarianism to consider–making it at home is clearly the best possible solution.
Ive been catching up on my Top Chef Masters episodes on m DVR and this looks like something the chef Takashi would make – and he keeps winning all the challenges! Gorgeous, Sue!
This looks beyond delicious. It looks perfect! I wish I could order this somewhere and have it at least once a week. It is beautiful. Oh maybe I should just make it!
It certainly is beautiful! We haven’t been able to do ramen for years because of allergies to all the additives so I can’t wait to try out your recipe! Just need to find some good noodles… Thanks for sharing!