Chicken Ramen Stir Fry

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This Chicken ramen stir fry is a delightful and flavorful dish that combines the comforting elements of ramen noodles with the bold and vibrant flavors of a stir fry. By adding protein and vegetables, you can make it a complete meal.

For more takeaway-style Asian meals, see our recipes here.

Ramen noodles have a nostalgic appeal for many people, reminding them of their childhood or college days. It’s food that brings back memories of late-night study sessions, quick and easy meals, or comforting moments shared with friends and loved ones. I love having these on cold, rainy nights. Adding chicken and vegetables makes for a more substantial meal.

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Reasons To Love This Chicken Ramen Stir Fry

Flavorful and savory: The combination of heat from the chili, saltiness from soy, sweetness from sugar, and the umami from chicken creates a satisfying and mouthwatering dish.

Versatile and customizable: Chicken ramen stir fry offers endless possibilities for customization. You can add your favorite vegetables, such as bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, or snap peas, to enhance the dish’s nutritional value and texture.

Budget-friendly: Ramen noodles are affordable and readily available, making chicken ramen stir fry great to feed a crowd.

chicken noodle stir fry
fried ramen — Chicken Ramen

Ingredient List for Chicken Ramen Stir Fry

Ingredients for chicken noodle stir fry — Chicken Ramen Stir Fry

Oil: Choose a neutral-smelling variety, such as peanut oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, or grapeseed oil.

Garlic: Garlic adds a wonderful aroma to your stir-fry. I have minced the garlic so it flavors the oil well.

Onions: Onions tend to add deeper flavor to sir-fries. I have used white onions.

Chicken: I have used chicken breasts. They sliced well, and since we are going to velvet them, there is no issue with them going dry and chewy. You can also use prawns, pork mince, beef, or tofu.

Vegetables: I have kept it simple and just added spring onions and spinach. Feel free to add other vegetables like snow peas, sugar snap peas, bean sprouts, etc. See tips for stir-frying vegetables below.

Soy Sauce: Soy is used twice here: once to velvet the chicken and secondly in stir-fry as a sauce.

Sugar: A little bit of sugar balances this ramen dish’s spicy and salty flavors.

Chili flakes: Sichuan Chili flakes, regular chili flakes, Korean Pepper Flakes (Gochugaru), and Japanese Red Pepper Powder all work here. Adjust the quantity according to your tolerance level. It is better to add less, taste test, and adjust accordingly.

Sichuan Pepper: While Sichuan pepper is commonly referred to as a pepper, it is not particularly spicy in terms of heat. Instead, it provides a mild, numbing sensation that complements its other flavors.

A great substitute for chili flakes and pepper is readymade chili oil. I have used Lao Gan Ma chili oil, which is also used for other easy dishes like these chili noodles.

Sesame Oil: Sesame oil gives a wonderful nutty flavor to your dish.

For more Asian noodles, try these Noodles In Chilli Oil

Love shrimp? Serve up these noodles with Hibachi Shrimp. Just four ingredients and delicious!

Step-By-Step Process to Create Chicken Ramen Stir Fry

Cook ramen according to instructions (simmer for 2 minutes), drain, and keep aside.

1. Velvet the chicken with soy sauce and cornstarch.

chicken breast stir fry — 2. Stir-fry chicken over high heat and keep aside.

Slice chicken into thin strips and marinate it in soy sauce and cornflour. This process is called velveting, and it keeps the chicken soft and prevents it from drying out during stir-frying.

Heat oil in a wok or deep pan, and stir-fry over high heat till cooked. Keep aside to be added back later.

Add more oil, and stir-fry the minced garlic

Mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, pepper powder, cornstarch, and water.

Add onions, chili oil (or chili flakes and Sichuan peppers)

Add soy sauce and sugar, and simmer for a few seconds.

Now add the cooked chicken and toss well.

stir fry ramen with chicken and spinach — Add the spinach and mix well.

chicken stir fry with ramen noodles — Toss in the cooked noodles.

Stir fry till ingredients are all mixed well, and the ramen noodle stir fry looks glossy.

stir fried ramen recipe
chicken ramen stir fry — Chicken Ramen Stir Fry

Some Useful Tips For Ramen Stir Fry

Options for chili heat

Use a mixture of chili flakes and Sichuan peppers.
Use a ready chili oil mix like Lao Gan Ma
If you purchased a spicy ramen pack, use the spice packets that come with the noodles.

Other Tips

Boil water in a kettle for the noodles. This will save you time cooking the noodles on the stovetop.
If your ramen gets stuck in a lump after cooking and draining, run it under cold water and gently shake it loose.

fried ramen stir fry in bowl with chopsticks

Tips to Stir-Frying Vegetables

Feel free to load up your ramen with a variety of vegetables, such as carrots, bok choy, mushrooms, bell peppers, and snow peas.

1. Cook harder vegetables first, like carrots, white parts of spring onions, and whites of bok choy. Once they look crispy, add softer vegetables like mushrooms, bell peppers, and snow peas. Leafy parts of bok choy, spinach, or spring onions should go in last. This is the same sequence one would follow while making mason jar salads.

2. Do not cook too many servings in the wok. Home-use gas stoves are too small to generate the kind of heat a commercial wok has. To get around this problem, only stir-fry 2 portions at a time to get that smoky char or wok-hei flavor.

3. Always keep the heat high, and do not crowd the vegetables at the center of the wok. They will start sweating and turn mushy. We need them to be stir-fried quickly and at high temperatures.

4. Mise En Place: This is a French term for keeping everything ready and in order. This is especially important during quick stir-frying. I keep the ingredients in the order in which they go in the wok. This takes the guesswork out when you are working and makes the workflow very smooth and enjoyable. Don’t forget an extra plate to keep the chicken, prawns, and cooked vegetables aside after cooking.

ramen stir fry recipe — Ramen Stir Fry Recipe

Frequently Asked Questions About Chicken Ramen Stir Fry

Gluten-Free

For a gluten-free alternative, use rice noodles instead of ramen. Cook the noodles as per the instructions and keep aside until ready to stir-fry.

Can I use ramen noodles in stir-fry?

Yes you can! Instant noodles tend to cook really fast and go mushy quickly. It is important to cook them for just 2 minutes, drain and run them under running water, so they do not continue cooking in residual steam. This makes them easier to stir fry and not break too easily.

Are these noodles dairy-free?

No dairy is added to the recipe. However, always check your package labels for allergen warnings.

Should you put soy sauce before or after cooking ramen?

The sauce here is made by simmering the chili in oil, garlic, soy sauce, and sugar. The ramen is then added on top to create a delicious stir fry.

Can i add chicken to instant ramen?

Absolutely! Adding chicken adds proteins and makes your meal more satisfyig and filling.

How do I make the Chicken Ramen Low Carb?

Edamame beans, Shirataki Noodles ( also known as Konjac Noodles), and Hearts of Palm Noodles are all low-carb options. Shirataki noodles are a traditional Japanese product made from a fiber called glucomannan, which is produced from konjac, an Asian root vegetable. They are the lowest-carb option for noodles.
Due to the nature of Konjac noodles, the prepared dish will be soft in texture, but they are a good alternative once they soak up all the soy-chili sauce.

Vegan

To make this recipe Vegan, swap the chicken for firm tofu and use egg-free noodles.

How long can I store this?

In The Fridge: 2-3 Days

Can you freeze chicken noodle stir fry?

I do not recommend freezing this ramen dish. Instant noodles tend to be really soft and do not fare well when frozen and thawed. They might end up mushy. If you need to prep ahead, I suggest stir-frying the chicken with the sauce and vegetables and freezing them in a freezer-safe container. Once thawed, add the boiled noodles and heat well.