Shio Chicken Ramen

Chicken shio ramen is a comforting Japanese noodle dish featuring a light, savory salt-based broth paired with tender chicken and springy noodles. Check out this recipe to learn how.

✅ Why Make This Recipe

• Healthy and macro-friendly – By using some key ingredient swaps, we can make this dish low-calorie and macro-friendly.
• Comforting and effortless – With little to no prep, you can enjoy a warm, flavorful bowl of chicken shio ramen in under 15 minutes.
• Restaurant quality taste – With some of the right ingredients and techniques, you can achieve a delicious umami flavor similar to restaurant-style ramen.

💭 What is Shio Ramen?

Shio Ramen is a type of Japanese ramen that is served in a clear, salt-based soup. It’s served with your typical ramen toppings, such as soft-boiled egg, bamboo, and seaweed. 

This dish is perfect for those who love the umami flavor of ramen, but want a lighter option than the popular tonkatsu-style ramen. By pairing it with a healthy portion of chicken, we can also make this dish packed with protein.

🍏Calories and Nutrition – How to Make It Healthy 

A serving of this chicken shio ramen recipe has 479 calories with 35 grams of protein, 22 grams of fat, and 46 grams of carbs. 

When you order the dish at a restaurant, it will usually be served with chashu pork, but by swapping the meat for chicken, we lower the fat and calorie content by a significant amount. And by adding 4 ounces of chicken (way more than a couple of slices), we can ensure getting ample protein content.

I also made my own simple chicken stock using chicken bones, scallions, and garlic. 

By using ingredient swaps and portioning, we can lower the calorie and fat content of the dish. Here are the key modifications we made:

• Portioned 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. While sesame oil is high in fats, it is also essential for the flavor of the soup, so we use a small amount of it to retain the flavor. 
• Portioned 1 serving of the noodles.
• Swapped out chashu pork for shredded chicken. By using chicken, we can cut more than half the calories.

For a detailed breakdown of each ingredient, their portioning, and how they make up the nutrition profile of this shio chicken ramen recipe, you may refer to the table below:

📋 Ingredient Notes

To make the shio chicken recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Chicken Thigh – While most ramen recipes use chashu pork, we will be using chicken thigh in this recipe to optimize for calorie and macro content.

Sesame oil, garlic, scallions – The trifecta of these ingredients create the tare, which means sauce in Japanese, which is the main seasoning for the mazemen.

Chicken stock – I  made a simple chicken stock using chicken bones, scallions, and garlic. You can also use a good quality store-bought broth.

Dashi stock powder – Dashi stock powder is an instant seasoning that quickly adds the rich umami flavor of traditional dashi to soups, sauces, and ramen.

Ramen noodles – You can buy fresh ramen noodles from your local Asian grocery store.

Nori – Also known as dried seaweed. This topping boosts the umami flavor of the dish.

🔪 Step by Step Instructions 

Prepare the ingredients – Mince the garlic and scallions into small pieces for sauteing. Cut off the excess fat for the chicken thigh. Keep one piece of fat for the stock.

Prepare the soft-boiled egg – Bring a pot to boiling water and cook an egg in there for 7 minutes. Take it out and put it in an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

Make the stock – Bring a saucepan to medium heat. Add in the minced garlic, scallions, and the fat from the chicken thigh. Saute until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes, then add in chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add in the soy sauce, mirin, and dashi.

Cook the chicken – Add the chicken thigh into the pot and let poach in the simmering broth for about 10-15 minutes with the lid covered. Once the time is up, shred the chicken with a fork or chopsticks and continue to let cook if needed. 

Season the soup – Add salt and mix thoroughly, adding a little bit at a time and adjusting based on taste.

Cook the noodles – Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add in the noodles and cook for 2-3 minutes or until done. Strain and add into a bowl. 

Assemble the noodle bowl – Add the stock and chicken. Top with green onions, nori, and soft-boiled egg, and serve the delicious shio chicken ramen.

💭 Frequently Asked Questions

💡 Expert Tips

Make it yuzu – For a popular twist, make it a yuzu shio ramen by adding a bit of yuzu juice or flavoring. 

🍽 Related Recipes 

This shio chicken ramen recipe is a super versatile dish that can be paired with a wide variety of dishes including the following:

🍳 Recipe