These saucy Chicken Ramen Noodles with broccoli and a simple stir-fry sauce makes an easy weeknight meal the whole family will be obsessed with!
Try some of other easy ramen recipes like this Ground Beef Ramen, Egg Roll Noodles, or Chili Garlic Noodles next.
author’s note
Better-Than-Takeout Chicken Ramen!
This Beef and Broccoli Ramen has been a reader favorite for years ever since it was published! So I decided it would be fun to make a twist on that recipe with chicken and broccoli, instead of beef. And coming from my chicken-obsessed boys, they declared this “the best meal ever.”
I’ll admit they’ll claim meals as the “best ever” rather frequently, but these noodles were slurped up in record time nonetheless!
Chicken Ramen Noodles are easy to make, especially with some recipe shortcuts I’ll share below.
Shortcut Prep Ideas
Chicken Ramen Noodles are fairly quick to make, and here are some ideas to shorten the prep even more.
- Onion: Use pre-diced or frozen onions. Cook frozen until water evaporates. A food processor works too.
- Garlic: Jarred minced garlic saves time.
- Ginger: Use ginger paste or 1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground ginger.
- Broccoli: Pre-chopped broccoli saves time. Cut smaller if needed.
- Chicken: Add diced rotisserie chicken with the sauce. Warm just until heated.
- Sauce: Make ahead and refrigerate to speed up dinner.
Chicken Ramen Noodle Sauce Ingredients
The sauce is the star of this dish and comes together fast by whisking everything in a bowl or jar. If you cook Asian dishes often, you might already have the ingredients.
- Soy sauce: Use reduced or low-sodium soy sauce so this dish isn’t too salty. After all, you can always add some salt at the end, but you can’t take it away.
- Chicken broth or stock: Again, I recommend low-sodium products so you can control the amount of salt in this dish.
- Corn starch: This helps thicken the sauce. Here is a list of substitutes if needed.
- Sesame oil: For a great authentic flavor, sesame oil really delivers! (This oil is typically found with the Asian ingredients area, rather than with the other oils in the grocery store.) We love the flavor of toasted sesame oil best in this meal.
- Rice vinegar: This balances the sauce and adds a subtle tang. If you see a label saying rice wine vinegar, it’s the same thing.
Sauce Ingredients, Continued
- Honey ensures the dish is not too spicy and adds a nice soft sweetness.
- Hoisin sauce is thick and fragrant with a sweet and salty taste; it’s another “secret” to the amazing flavor in this dish.
- Ground white pepper is a common spice, found among other spices in the grocery store.
- Oyster sauce makes this dish taste like it’s from a restaurant by adding a delicious, rich flavor.
- Sriracha® sauce adds heat and flavor to these Chicken Ramen Noodles. You can of course reduce (or even leave out) this if you’re not a fan of heat. And of course, add more or drizzle extra on your bowl if you love the burn!
Chicken Ramen Noodle Toppings
This ramen is delicious right out of the skillet, but here are some of our favorite toppings. Add as many or few as you’d like; cashews and green onions are our favorite toppings.
- Sesame oil is a finishing oil that is great to drizzle on at the end. Even though there is some in the sauce, we like to add a little to individual dishes as well.
- Sriracha® sauce adds some heat to individual plates for those that like things a bit spicier.
- Green onions add a bright, crisp, and fresh aspect to these Chicken Ramen Noodles.
- Toasted sesame seeds add a soft sweet taste and smell with a nutty flavor.
- Cashews add a great crunch and finishing touch of seasoning. We love dry-roasted and lightly salted cashews best.
More Saucy Asian-Inspired Meals:
Chicken Ramen Noodles
These saucy Chicken Ramen Noodles with broccoli and a quick stir-fry sauce make an easy, crowd-pleasing weeknight dinner!
Video
Equipment
- Large skillet 12-inch, or wok
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 heaping tablespoon garlic 4 cloves
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 3/4 pound chicken thighs 12 ounces, diced
- 5 cups diced broccoli 4 to 5 small heads
- 3 (3-ounce) packages instant ramen noodles seasoning packets discarded
Sauce
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce see note 1
- 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha optional
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper or 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- Optional garnish see note 2
Instructions
- Use a fork to whisk together the cornstarch and soy sauce in a bowl. Once smooth, add the remaining sauce ingredients. Whisk until smooth, then set aside.
- Prepare the veggies before cooking—it all goes quickly! Dice the onion. Finely mince the ginger and garlic. Finely chop broccoli (1/2-inch pieces). Thinly slice green onions. Trim chicken thighs of excess fat and cut into small (1/2-inch) bite-size pieces. Once everything is cut, set a large pot of water to boil.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large 12-inch skillet (or wok), over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until onion is turning golden, about 5–7 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook another 1–2 minutes or until fragrant. Press to the edges of the pan and add chicken to the center in a single layer. Cook chicken until browned but not cooked through, about 4–5 minutes. Incorporate the onion, garlic, and ginger as you cook the chicken.
- Meanwhile, add broccoli and ramen to the boiling water. Immediately press all the ingredients under the water. Don’t salt the water; the sauce will season these ingredients. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 90 seconds (see note 3). Promptly remove and drain. Give everything a quick rinse (10 seconds) in cool water and shake off excess water.
- Give the sauce one more quick stir and pour the sauce into the chicken and cook, stirring near-constantly until chicken is fully cooked through and the sauce thickens and begins to bubble at the edges, about 2–4 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add drained ramen and broccoli on top and gently toss with tongs to combine and coat the noodles.
- Once everything is coated in the sauce, remove the pan from the heat. Add desired garnishes: a sprinkle of roasted and salted cashews, green onions, and sesame seeds. I usually add a drizzle of sesame oil and (for those that like heat) Sriracha to individual serving bowls. Enjoy hot.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: I recommend light soy sauce and low-sodium chicken broth for this recipe. Regular soy sauce and chicken broth made this dish a little too salty for my taste!
Note 2: Optional garnish: Roughly chopped roasted and lightly salted cashews, 3–4 green onions, a few drizzles of sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds, and extra Sriracha sauce.
Note 3: Any brand of ramen noodles works, but make sure to get 9 ounces. Discard (or save for another recipe) the seasoning packets and just use the noodles. Otherwise, the dish will be too salty and the flavor will be off. Whatever ramen used, reduce cooking time by 90 seconds, since they’ll continue to cook when added to the sauce.
Storage: For storing leftovers, keep the chicken ramen noodles in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you need to reheat, just pop it in the microwave or heat on the stove with a splash of water to loosen up the sauce.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 621kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 2192mg | Potassium: 1412mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1873IU | Vitamin C: 269mg | Calcium: 189mg | Iron: 6mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was made as written ( except used gluten free noodles) and was excellent!
Yay! So thrilled to hear this! Thanks Liza!
This was delish! I added a little red pepper for color and a small can of baby corn I cut up. Easy, once prepped.
So glad to hear it was a hit 🙂 Thanks for the comment!!
Looking forward to trying this – could I leave out oyster sauce or sub anything for it? Thx!
I hope you love it if you end up trying it! 🙂
The oyster sauce is a big part of the sauce flavor here so I’m worried the dish would be lacking flavor without it! You could try additional hoisin and soy sauce, but I’m not sure how much to recommend or if it would end up too salty!
will be making this soon can i use mushrooms and vegetable broth instead as am a vegan perfect for my after office meals will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Hope it’s enjoyed! 🙂