Chicken and Shiitake Mushroom Ramen with Ginger Honey Bok Choy
This is warm soup is perfect for dinner. Chicken thighs are cooked in sesame oil, garlic and shiitake mushrooms. Topped with a marinated soft-boiled egg. Pan seared baby bok choy adds the perfect sweetness with ginger and honey to the salty broth. Garnished with seaweed, carrots, green onions and fresh lime.
prep time: 15 minutes
cook time: 30 minutes
servings: 4
Ingredients:
MARINATED EGGS
4 eggs
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3/4 cup water
RAMEN SOUP
4 pkgs ramen noodles
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 cloves minced garlic
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
2 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
4 oz of shiitake mushrooms
4 cups of chicken broth (32 oz.)
2 cups water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
Juice of 1 lime
PAN SEARED BOK CHOY
1 bunch baby bok choy, cut in half length wise
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp fresh ginger
2 tbsp honey
pinch of red chili pepper flakes
FOR TOPPING
fresh carrots, sliced thinly
dried seaweed sheets
sliced lime
Directions:
Start by boiling a pot of water. Once the water is boiling, add in your four eggs gently. You want the water to cover the eggs completely. Set a timer for 8 minutes.
While the eggs are cooking, there are two things to do! First, get a bowl and put some water and ice in it. In another bowl, combine the 1/4 cup of soy sauce, 1/4 cup of rice vinegar and 3/4 cup water.
When the 8 minutes is up, take your eggs and gently put them in the ice water for about 3 minutes. Then peel them gently. They are not fully hard-boiled so you want to be quite careful. Place the peeled eggs in the marinade you made. I let these sit just while I finished cooking, however they would be even better if they had a few hours to sit in the marinade.
In a large soup pot, add your 2 tbsp of sesame oil, minced garlic, and fresh ginger. Take the white and light parts of your chopped green onions and add them in as well. Cook just until fragrant, and then add the mushroom. Stir for about 1 minute, and then start adding your liquids: chicken broth, water, soy sauce, fish sauce and lime juice.
When the liquid starts to simmer, add in your chicken thighs. You can trim off excess fat beforehand, however the lean fat from the chicken adds wonderful flavor to the broth. Let simmer until the chicken is cooked thoroughly.
I first tried cooking the ramen noodles in same pot as the broth, but the noodles drank up all of the yummy broth. To remedy this, cook the noodles in a separate pot, and if you would like to infuse them with a little flavor, use the seasoning packets and cook according to instructions. Once cooked, you can drain the excess liquid.
While the chicken and noodles are cooking, take a pan and add in sesame oil, fresh ginger, 1 tbsp of honey, and red chili pepper flakes. Stir until fragrant. Place the bok choy down on one side and cook until browned. Drizzle the next 1 tbsp of honey on the other side of the vegetable, and flip until that side is browned as well. Once cooked, set aside.
Once the chicken is cooked, use a fork and pull apart the chicken to more bite sized pieces.
Once everything is cooked, it’s time to put it all together! Scoop your noodles into a bowl, and ladle lots of the soup on top. Take your bok choy and push them into the soup. Take your chopped green onions and sprinkle them on top. Make room for the carrots, sliced lime and a sheet of sea weed. Lastly top with your marinated egg, I like to cut mine in half. Eat!