Chicken Ramen (Tori Kotteri)

#chickenramen #ramen #homemaderamen #chicken #dinnerideas #lunchideas #dinner #lunch #recipes

My brother-in-law's girlfriend/my friend loves the chicken ramen from Waggamama's in Boston. Too bad Boston's a long drive from here. We made some ourselves here at home and we did not regret it. This is fairly simple and a great recipe to make on the weekends, especially when it's cold outside.

For the chicken:

1 lb chicken thighs, skin removed and bones removed and set aside

1/2 cup soy sauce

4 tbsp rice wine vinegar or Balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp ginger, grated

Combine all ingredients and marinate for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350. Oil a piece of aluminum foil and place the chicken pieces so that they're not touching each other. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Keep warm.

For the ajitsuke tamago (marinated eggs):

4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled (I boil them for about 8 minutes and then immediately submerge them in a bowl of ice water)

1/2 cup soy sauce

4 tbsp rice wine vinegar or Balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp ginger, grated

1/2 cup cold water

Marinate everything for 1-2 hours.

For the dashi (broth):

4 1/2 cups chicken stock (store-bought, or you can make your own)

4 cups water

Bones from the chicken thighs (it's OK if there's still some meat on them)

1 root ginger, peeled and chopped into pieces

1 carrot, peeled and cut into chunks

3 cloves garlic, peeled

2 bay leaves

1 cup soy sauce

3 tbsp miso paste or miso powder

1 tsp whole black peppercorns

Heat a drizzle of oil into a large stockpot. Season the chicken bones with salt and pepper. Brown the chicken bones on medium-high heat. Set aside on a plate. In the same pot, brown the ginger, carrots, garlic and peppercorns. Turn the heat down and add the chicken stock and water. Bring to a boil and add the chicken bones and any juice accumulated on the plate. Add the bay leaves. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for 1 hour. After 1 hour, add the soy sauce and the miso paste/powder. Simmer for another 30 minutes.

To assemble:

Pea shoots or bean sprouts

Menma, if desired (marinated bamboo shoots)

Kikurage, if desired (marinated black woods mushrooms)

Thinly-sliced, deep-fried garlic

Ramen or kotteri noodles, boiled and rinsed with cold water

Green onions

Sesame Seeds

Sesame Oil

Place 1 handful of noodles and fold over into a bowl. Ladle the broth on top. Cut the chicken into slices and fan on the noodles. Slice an egg in half and prop on the noodles, against the chicken. Drizzle very sparingly with sesame oil and sesame seeds. Top with bean sprouts or pea shoots.