Name: Chicken Curry Ramen
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1kg (2 1/4 lb.) chicken breasts and/or thighs, cut into thin strips; Salt and pepper to taste; 2 tbsp rapeseed (canola) or coconut oil; 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 1 x 2.5cm (1 inch) galangal or ginger, minced (preferably galangal); 6 spring onions (scallions), cut into 2.5cm (1 inch) pieces; 3 tbsp Thai red curry paste (shop bought is fine for this one; 1/2 tsp ground turmeric; 2 litres (8 cups) Asian chicken stock; 2 x 400ml (14oz) tins (cans) thick coconut milk; 1 tbsp fish sauce; 6 packs of instant ramen noodles; OPTIONAL GARNISHES; Coriander (cilantro); Crispy fried onions; Julienned carrots; Chinese chilli oil; Sriracha

Jump to Recipe

Chicken curry ramen can be made in under 30 minutes.

Who doesn't love a good bowl of curry ramen noodles? This curry ramen can be made with instant or better quality ramen noodles and it's so easy to prepare. If you use instant noodles, you can make this whole recipe in one pot. That's what I did today. I was cooking for eight people and wanted to make things really easy on myself.

A bit about this curry ramen recipe...

This recipe is something like Caroline and I had for the first time at a restaurant in Bangkok. Ramen is of course from Japan, but the chef at the restaurant whipped up his signature Thai curry ramen for us.

I didn't get the exact recipe but but he did tell me how he made it so it was quite easy to come up with this version when I got home.

In addition to the ingredients he told me he used, I also added a generous teaspoon of S&B Oriental curry powder which we both really liked. I have since made my own homemade version of S&B curry powder and will be posting it on the blog soon.

Getting this curry ramen recipe right

Although you can make this recipe with chicken stock cubes, I recommend making your own. It's a lot better.

I usually make a huge batch of chicken stock and then freeze what I don't use. That way, I always have some on hand.

Here's the recipe for Thai chicken stock from my cookbook 'The Curry Guy Thai.

Which curry paste?

You can use a good quality shop bought Thai green curry paste for ease. I used homemade which, of course tastes better!

So little paste is used in this curry ramen recipe, so use either.

Which ramen noodles are best?

To be honest, I find instant ramen noodles really good. I was surprised to find that many quality restaurants in the Far East actually serve instant ramen noodles. They are good and that's why I used them in this recipe.

You could go upmarket and purchase other fresh or dried ramen noodles. Most only take a few minutes to cook so you could say all ramen noodles are instant. If you use other ramen noodles, you'll still be able to prepare and cook this curry ramen recipe in under 30 minutes.

Do I have to add chicken?

Nope. You could use vegetable stock and leave the chicken out. I made this curry ramen once for a veggie friend with fried tofu. It was great!

To fry tofu, simply add cubes of tofu to the pan at the beginning of this recipe instead of the chicken.

Can this curry ramen be frozen?

Although you could freeze it, I don't recommend doing so.

The coconut milk and the noodles don't freeze well. That said, you could prepare the recipe up to when you add the coconut milk. Leave it out and freeze the unfinished curry.

Then you can defrost it and add the coconut milk and ramen noodles, even quicker for an amazing curry ramen.

Are there other types of curry ramen?

You bet. One of my favourites is to serve ramen noodles with this Japanese chicken curry.

If you have a curry you really like, whether it be Thai, Indian or other, it will be delicious served with ramen noodles.

Here's a Mexican style birria ramen I made a few weeks back and it was amazing too.

Curry ramen in pictures...

Ingredients for curry ramen — Get your ingredients together before you start cooking. It's easier that way.

Frying chicken — Fry your chicken over a medium high heat. You might need to do this in a couple batches. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and set aside.

Frying garlic, galangal and spring onions (scallions) — Fry the garlic, galangal and spring onions for about a minute or until fragrant.

Adding curry paste to the pan. — Stir in the green curry paste and fry, stirring often for another minute.

Simmering chicken stock in the pan. — Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Continue simmering for about 5 minutes to reduce some.

Adding curry powder to the stock. — Add the curry powder. This is optional but good!

Coconut milk in the stock. — Stir in the coconut milk and bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes.

Cooked ramen noodles — While the stock is simmering, pour boiling water over the instant noodles. They should be ready in a couple of minutes.

Galangal vs. Ginger

Although galangal and ginger look similar, they have different flavours.

You can prepare this delicious curry ramen with galangal or ginger. Galangal is preferred in Thai cooking. It has a piney flavour and is quite mild. It also has a woody texture so it needs to be finely chopped. Ginger, on the other hand is spicier and has a citrusy flavour. It can be finely chopped or grated.

Although they do have different flavours, both will work in this curry ramen recipe.

You might like to try some of these Thai recipes too.

THAI SOUPS

CURRIES

THAI NOODLE RECIPES

FRIED THAI

STIR FRIES

THAI BBQ

Have you tried this chicken curry ramen recipe?

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Yield: 6

Chicken Curry Ramen

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

1kg (2 1/4 lb.) chicken breasts and/or thighs, cut into thin strips
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp rapeseed (canola) or coconut oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 x 2.5cm (1 inch) galangal or ginger, minced (preferably galangal)
6 spring onions (scallions), cut into 2.5cm (1 inch) pieces
3 tbsp Thai red curry paste (shop bought is fine for this one
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2 litres (8 cups) Asian chicken stock
2 x 400ml (14oz) tins (cans) thick coconut milk
1 tbsp fish sauce
6 packs of instant ramen noodles
OPTIONAL GARNISHES
Coriander (cilantro)
Crispy fried onions
Julienned carrots
Chinese chilli oil
Sriracha

Instructions

Season the chicken strips with salt and pepper to taste and then heat the oil in a large wok or high sided frying pan.
Place the chicken in the hot oil and fry for about 10 minutes, turning often until it is all cooked through and lightly browned on the exterior. Chicken needs to be cooked to 75c/165f. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
Add a little more oil to the wok, if necessary and fry the garlic, galangal/ginger and spring onions (scallions) for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Then stir in the ground turmeric and the Thai curry paste. Let this all sizzle for about a minute, stirring continuously.
Stir in the chicken stock and bring to a rolling simmer for about 8 minutes or until it has reduced by about a quarter.
While the stock is simmering, cover the instant ramen noodles with hot water. They usually only need to soak for about 10 minutes but follow the packet instructions.
Once the stock has reduced some, add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Stir in the fish sauce and then taste it. You can spice it up by adding more green paste or add a bit more salt or some sugar: I’m sure you get the idea here. Make it taste perfect for your preference. Reduce the heat to low to keep warm.
To serve, divide the cooked ramen noodles between 6 bowls. Top with some of the cooked chicken and pour the sauce over them.
Garnish each as you like with the above mentions options or whatever sounds good to you.

Notes

There is a lot of liquid going into this recipe so you will need a pan that holds at least 4 litres.

Comments

Christine says

October 21, 2023 at 4:27 pm

Which book is this in please

- Dan Toombs says
  
  October 24, 2023 at 2:19 pm
  
  This is in my book that has just come out The Curry Guy One Pot
  Thanks
  Dan
  
Karen says

January 13, 2024 at 12:51 am

Hello, the recipe card says to use Thai red curry paste and your notes say green. Do you recommend one over the other? Thank you for the recipe.

- Dan Toombs says
  
  January 17, 2024 at 4:53 pm
  
  Thanks for pointing that out, I’ll correct.
  You could actually use either but I meant to state red.
  Dan