Creamy Chicken Tahini Ramen
To skip the post and step-by-step instructions and go straight to recipe, click here.While there may be lots of great ramen shops in the Portland area, something about making and eating a big, hot bowl of steamy ramen that you made with your own two hands feels way more special (and cozy) than eating out. And I have my wonderful friend Emily (also the inspiration behind my portobello alfredo pizza recipe) to thank for its creation! As I’ve mentioned on this blog before, I’m an Italian food girl. But, my friends and family are always inspiring me to branch out. So when I asked on my Instagram story if there was anything my followers were looking for a recipe for, Emily responded “Ramen!!”, and I figured I’d give it a try! It may not be the most traditional, but it is delicious. I hope you all love what I came up with.
This ramen consists of slurpy noodles (of course!), steamy bok choy, savory shiitake mushrooms, and marinated chicken in a chicken and soy broth with a creamy, spicy tare base. “Tare” (Japanese for “sauce”) is the main flavoring component in most ramen, and is usually placed into the bowl before the other ingredients are added. Tare typically consists of such tasty and umami ingredients as soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, and ginger. Ours is thick and savory, made with tahini, chili, garlic, and vinegar, making for a wonderfully creamy and richly flavored end result.
Recipe Notes:
Tare at the bottom: The tare, as stated above, is the main flavoring component of the ramen. While it may seem more logical to just mix the tare ingredients straight into the broth and then pour it over the noodles, when I tried this method, it was a textural failure. When placed into the bottom of the bowl, it gives it time to slowly incorporate into the ramen bowl, getting a little flavor in each bite and melting the tahini slowly. However, when blended straight into the broth, it melted too quickly and left us with a grainy broth with chunks of unmixed tahini in it.
What kind of ramen is this?: Well..it’s my kind of ramen, I guess! During my journey of ramen recipe development, I read up on many kinds of ramen, and I’m not sure mine quite matches up with any of the traditional types. It’s really a fairly quick method, seeing as the broth isn’t slowly simmered to develop flavors - rather the majority of the flavor comes from the tare, which is quick and simple to make. I suppose you could say that it’s somewhere between instant ramen and gourmet ramen. Just a good, hearty, noodle-y dish.
Alternative Toppings: If there’s anything included in this recipe that you’re not a big fan of, there are plenty of other delicious ramen topping options to choose from. Here are a few suggestions for you.
Proteins: soft boiled egg, bacon, pork (chashu or ground), pan-grilled whitefish, tofu
Vegetables: corn, peas, carrots, enoki mushrooms, seaweed, sauteed onions, jalapenos, bean sprouts
Keeping Leftovers: If you’re only going to eat one bowl of ramen and want to keep all of the different components good to assemble another bowl the next day, I would recommend storing the tare, the broth, and the toppings separately. I like to put the leftover toppings together in one container, the tare in another smaller one, and the broth in a jar.
Step-By-Step Walk-Through
If you’re feeling confident in your cooking skills and want to skip the walk-through, click here.
Step 1:
Marinate Chicken
Trim the fat and connective tissue from a chicken breast. Pound it to an even thickness throughout.
In a large ziploc bag, bowl, or container, combine 1 teaspoon of peeled and freshly grated ginger, 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon of chili garlic sauce (I use Huy Fong brand, which can be found in most grocery stores).
Add the chicken to the marinade and toss it a few times to get it fully covered. Leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 2-6 hours.
Step 2:
Prep Vegetables
Separate the leaves of 1 head of bok choy and rinse them well.
Wash 2 cups of shiitake mushrooms, remove the stems, and slice them thinly.
Slice 1 green onion.
Step 3:
Cook Chicken
Heat a large frying pan over medium heat.
Once hot, drizzle about a tablespoon of vegetable oil in the pan for frying.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and add to the pan.
Cover the pan and cook, undisturbed, for 5 minutes.
Flip the chicken breast, cover again, and cook undisturbed for another 8 minutes.
Test the temperature of the chicken. If the chicken is below 165 degrees fahrenheit, flip it again and continue cooking, checking the temperature at 3 minute intervals until it reaches at least 165 degrees.
When the chicken is at 165 degrees fahrenheit or higher, remove and set aside on a cutting board to rest.
Step 4:
Cook Mushrooms
Without turning off the heat, add the mushrooms to the pan that the chicken was cooked in.
Sautee until browned, about 3-5 minutes.
Transfer mushrooms to a bowl and set aside.
Step 5:
Cook Noodles
Bring 5 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot.
Add 2 squares of dehydrated ramen noodles.
Boil for 2-4 minutes until softened.
Drain and set aside.
Step 6:
Toast Sesame Seeds
To a cold, ungreased frying pan, add 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds. Place over medium heat.
Let toast, stirring occasionally, for 8-12 minutes, until lightly browned and toasty.
Transfer to a separate dish and set aside.
Step 7:
Make Broth and Cook Bok Choy
To a medium pot, add 3 cups of chicken broth (I like to use water with roasted chicken Better Than Bouillon), 1 cup of water, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce.
Place the broth over high heat and bring to a boil.
Add the bok choy leaves. Let boil for 4-6 minutes until softened.
Remove the bok choy from the broth and set aside.
Remove the broth from the heat.
Step 8:
Make Tare
In a small mixing bowl, mix together 3 tablespoons of tahini, 1 ½ tablespoons of chili garlic sauce, and 2 teaspoons of rice vinegar.
Step 9:
Assemble
Split the tare between 2-4 serving bowls.
Place the noodles on top of the tare.
Pour the broth over the noodles.
Slice or shred the chicken breast.
Arrange the chicken, mushrooms, and bok choy on top of the soup.
Sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onion on top of the soup. Serve and enjoy!
Creamy Chicken Tahini Ramen
Servings: 4 Time: 3-8 hours (total with marinating time), 75-90 minutes (active)
Difficulty: Medium/Difficult
Ingredients
For Chicken:
1 chicken breast
1 tsp. peeled and grated fresh ginger
2 TBS. sesame oil
2 TBS. white vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 TBS. soy sauce
1 TBS. chili garlic sauce (Huy Fong brand recommended)
For Broth:
3 cups of chicken broth (I use water with roasted chicken Better Than Bouillon)
1 cup water
1 TBS. sesame oil
1 TBS. soy sauce
For Tare:
3 TBS. tahini
1 ½ TBS. chili garlic sauce (Huy Fong brand recommended)
2 tsp. rice vinegar
Other:
1 head of bok choy
2 cups shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
1 green onion
1 TBS. sesame seeds
2 squares dehydrated ramen noodles
Directions
Step 1: Marinate Chicken
Trim the fat and connective tissue from a chicken breast and pound to an even thickness. In a large ziploc, container, or bowl, combine the remaining chicken marinade ingredients and mix well. Add your chicken breast and turn a few times to coat. Place in the refrigerator to allow to marinate for 2-6 hours.
Step 2: Prep Vegetables
Separate the leaves of the bok choy and rinse them well. Wash the shiitake mushrooms, remove the stems if you haven’t yet, and slice thinly. Thinly slice the green onion.
Step 3: Cook Chicken
Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, drizzle about a tablespoon of vegetable oil in the pan for frying. Remove the chicken from the marinade and add to the pan. Cover the pan and cook, undisturbed, for 5 minutes. Flip the chicken breast, cover again, and cook undisturbed for another 8 minutes. Test the temperature of the chicken. If the chicken is below 165 degrees fahrenheit, flip it again and continue cooking, checking the temperature at 3 minute intervals until it reaches at least 165 degrees. When the chicken is at 165 degrees fahrenheit or higher, remove and set aside on a cutting board to rest.
Step 4: Cook Mushrooms
Without turning off the heat, add the mushrooms to the pan that the chicken was cooked in. Sautee until browned, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to a bowl and set aside.
Step 5: Cook Noodles
Bring 5 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot. Add 2 squares of dehydrated ramen noodles. Boil for 2-4 minutes until softened. Drain and set aside.
Step 6: Toast Sesame Seeds
To an ungreased frying pan, add sesame seeds. Let toast, stirring occasionally, for 8-12 minutes, until lightly browned and toasty. Transfer to a separate dish and set aside.
Step 7: Make Broth and Cook Bok Choy
To a medium pot, add chicken broth, water, sesame oil, and soy sauce for broth. Place the broth over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the bok choy leaves. Let boil for 4-6 minutes until softened. Remove the bok choy from the broth and set aside. Remove the broth from the heat.
Step 8: Make Tare
In a small mixing bowl, mix together all ingredients for the tare.
Step 9: Assemble
Split the tare between 2-4 serving bowls. Place the noodles on top of the tare. Pour the broth over the noodles. Slice or shred the chicken breast. Arrange the chicken, mushrooms, and bok choy on top of the soup. Sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onion on top of the soup. Serve and enjoy!