Slow-Cooker Chicken Ramen With Bok Choy and Miso

By Sarah DiGregorio

Updated Feb. 2, 2023

Slow-Cooker Chicken Ramen With Bok Choy and Miso
Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
6 hours 20 minutes
Rating
4(1,655)
Comments
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The slow cooker puts a weeknight ramen fix within reach; don't skimp on the toppings here, which you can customize to your liking. They make each bowl feel special. Miso soup is traditionally made with dashi, an umami-rich stock made from kombu seaweed and dried bonito, a kind of tuna. But this recipe takes a different path to those deep flavors, substituting chicken broth and optional dried shiitake mushrooms, found in the produce department or international aisle of many grocery stores. Finally, a quick kombu steep adds umami. The ingredient is available at more specialty grocers and online, but feel free to leave it out. The soup will still be delicious.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 5 servings
  • 3 to 3½pounds skin-on whole chicken legs (about 5 legs)
  • ½heaping cup sweet white or yellow miso, plus more to taste
  • 2scallions, trimmed and halved, plus more for topping
  • 3garlic cloves, smashed
  • 4dried shiitake mushrooms (optional)
  • 1(5-by-3-inch) piece dried kombu (optional)
  • 1pound baby bok choy, cored and roughly chopped
  • 2tablespoons tamari, plus more to taste
  • 2tablespoons mirin, plus more to taste
  • 12 to 16ounces ramen, cooked and drained
  • Soft boiled eggs, sesame seeds and toasted nori sheets, for topping
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (5 servings)

1181 calories; 71 grams fat; 22 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 28 grams monounsaturated fat; 14 grams polyunsaturated fat; 63 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 70 grams protein; 3210 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Put the chicken legs in a 5- to 8-quart slow cooker, and crumble the miso on top. Add the scallions, garlic cloves, shiitake mushrooms (if using) and 6 cups water. Stir well to combine. Cook until the chicken is tender, at least 4 hours and up to 6 hours on low. If it’s more convenient, you can let the slow cooker switch to warm after 6 hours. The soup will hold on warm for about another 2 hours before the chicken begins to dry out.

  2. Step 2

    Switch the heat to high. With a slotted spoon, remove the chicken, scallions, garlic and shiitakes, and place in a bowl. Set aside to cool. Stir in kombu, bok choy, tamari and mirin. Cover and let cook until the bok choy is wilted and tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove and discard the kombu. Coarsely shred chicken meat into the soup, discarding the skin, bone, scallions, garlic and shiitakes. Taste the soup and whisk in a few more spoonfuls of miso or tamari, if desired.

  3. Step 3

    Divide the noodles among 4 or 5 bowls, and ladle the soup on top. Top each with sliced scallion, a halved soft boiled egg, sesame seeds and a piece of nori.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,655 user ratings
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Comments

Christopher

I'll ask the question - how long in am Instant Pot?

efudd

Boil egg for 6.5 min, chill in ice water, peel, marinade in 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup mirin 3/4 cup water for several hours, slice and serve on hot broth

AK

Really delicious broth. I used the advice of other commenters and added ginger, star anise, and a pinch of chilli flakes. Also couldn’t get kombu, but added anchovy, local oyster mushrooms instead of shiitake was only available, and substituted rice vinegar for the mirin. Really a flexible recipe. Cooked in the instant pot on soup mode for 30 mins. Will be making again.

Maria

While the end result was tasty, the recipe as written wastes ingredients (shitaki, garlic and green onions), and defeats the purpose of using a slow cooker—namely, to be able to make dinner ahead of time. If I wanted to go all out on ramen, I would make soya eggs, have additional toppings like radishes and bean sprouts, and use pork instead of chicken.

Frank

A wonderful, satisfying dish! Perfect with a beer.

Carol from Chapel Hill

This is a favorite recipe! We have made it many, many times. When my son left for college, we got him a slow cooker primarily to make this recipe, although he makes other things too! Excellent and easy.

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