Ramen

Pulled this chicken ramen bowl recipe off AllRecipes because I wanted a weeknight-friendly starting point — something with structure before I start improvising. First attempt at ramen from scratch at home, so I wasn't trying to reinvent anything yet.

The recipe is straightforward: chicken thighs simmered in a soy-mirin-based broth, soft-boiled eggs, noodles, green onion. I followed it pretty closely, which is rare for me, but I wanted a clean baseline read on what I was working with.

The broth is where this falls short. It's thin. Not offensive, but it doesn't have that depth you expect from ramen — no real body, no fat layer on top, nothing that makes you want to drink it out of the bowl when the noodles are gone. I let it simmer longer than the recipe called for and it still felt like seasoned chicken water more than a proper ramen base. The soy-mirin ratio is fine, just underseasoned overall. Needed more salt and honestly a hit of something funky — white miso, maybe fish sauce.

Chicken came out decent. Thighs stayed moist, sliced well. The soft-boiled eggs I nailed — six minutes, ice bath, peeled clean. That part wasn't the recipe, that's just knowing how to cook an egg.

Noodles were slightly overcooked by the time everything came together, which is a timing issue I own. Should've pulled them earlier.

End result: edible, warm, not embarrassing. But it tastes like a home cook approximating ramen rather than actual ramen. The recipe is a safe entry point with a low ceiling.

I've got three more attempts planned. Next one I'm going to build a proper tare and see what that does to the broth situation. That's the fix this version needed.

**Shio Ramen — Attempt #2** *Serious Eats recipe | July 8, 2024*

After that AllRecipes disaster in May, I needed to actually take this seriously. The first attempt gave me a bowl that tasted like watered-down chicken soup with noodles thrown in — functional, forgettable, 2 out of 5. The broth had no depth and the seasoning felt like an afterthought. So I went to Serious Eats this time, specifically their shio ramen recipe, because if I'm going to do this, I should at least follow someone who understands what shio is supposed to be.

Night and day difference in the recipe itself. The AllRecipes version was vague — "cook until done" energy throughout. The Serious Eats approach is methodical: building the tare separately, thinking about the fat component, actually explaining *why* you're doing each step. I followed it pretty closely this time, resisting the urge to riff.

The broth came out clean and genuinely complex. Light golden color, good clarity. The chicken and kombu base had this delicate salinity that shio is supposed to deliver — not soy-forward, not heavy. I got that. Where I fell short was the tare ratio. I went slightly under on the salt tare, thinking I'd adjust at the end, and the bowl needed more than I anticipated. The flavor was there but it needed more assertiveness.

Noodles I cooked correctly this time — properly salted water, pulled them at the right moment. Texture was good. Toppings were basic: soft-boiled egg, chashu I had leftover, scallion. Nothing fancy but they didn't distract either.

This is a 3.5 for me. Real improvement over attempt one — the technique is sound now and the broth proves I can actually build something worth eating. The tare calibration is the fix for next time. I know exactly what to adjust.

**Ramen Attempt #3 — Bon Appétit | October 7, 2024**

After that Serious Eats shio ramen in July hit a 4/5, I was in a good place mentally about where my ramen was heading. Confident enough to try a different approach. Found a Bon Appétit recipe that pulled me in because of how it handled the broth construction — less precise and technical than Serious Eats, more intuitive. I wanted to see if that looser style would cost me or free me up.

Short answer: somewhere in between.

The broth came together cleaner than my July attempt, actually. I followed the aromatics closely — ginger, garlic, the whole situation — and didn't rush the simmer. Where I diverged was the tare. The recipe kept it simple and I respected that, but I ended up adding a touch more soy at the end because the salt level felt flat coming out of the pot. That adjustment was right.

The noodles were the real issue. Bon Appétit's timing left them slightly overcooked by the time they hit the bowl. I should've pulled them 30 seconds earlier and let the hot broth finish the job. I knew that. Didn't do it. That's on me.

Toppings were solid — soft egg nailed, chashu was better than both previous attempts because I let it chill fully before slicing. That step makes a real difference and I finally stopped being impatient about it.

Compared to Attempt #2, the broth here is more approachable but slightly less layered. Serious Eats gave me more depth. Bon Appétit gave me more ease. The noodle texture drop hurts this one.

Calling it a 3.5/5. Good bowl, not a great one. One more attempt to go and I know exactly what I'm fixing.

**Ramen Attempt #4 — The Kitchn | March 10, 2026**

Four attempts in, I'm not walking into anything blindly anymore. After the Bon Appétit bowl in October hit a solid 4/5 with that double broth situation, I wanted to see how a more accessible recipe handled the same dish. The Kitchn's "best ramen at home" promised approachability without dumbing it down — figured it was worth a run.

Broth-wise, this one leans on a combination of chicken stock and dashi as the base, with a shoyu tare stirred in at the end. Simpler build than what Bon Appétit was doing, but honestly not worse for it. I kept my heat controlled during the soy tare reduction, which paid off — no bitterness, clean salt hit. The depth wasn't as layered as my Serious Eats shio attempt, but the balance was right. Sweet, savory, just enough umami backbone.

Where this pulled ahead of attempt #3 was the egg. Bon Appétit's timing left me with a yolk that was barely jammy. The Kitchn's method — six and a half minutes, ice bath immediately — gave me exactly what I wanted. Custardy center, soy-marinated white, no overcooking. That detail alone pushed this bowl up.

Noodles were fresh Sun Noodle brand, same as I've been using since attempt two. Cooked them 30 seconds under the package time and finished in the broth. Texture held. The toppings were clean — chashu I made from a separate reference, nori, scallions, bamboo shoots.

Overall this is probably a 4/5 as well, maybe a narrow edge over attempt #3 on execution. The recipe is simpler, which forced me to be more precise. I think I'm close to having a go-to process. One more focused broth attempt and I might actually lock something down.