Roasted Turkey Ramen

Published Nov. 27, 2022

Roasted Turkey Ramen
Chris Simpson for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Sophia Pappas.
Total Time
6 hours
Rating
4(118)
Comments
Read comments

On Thanksgiving night, with dinner pillaged and in ruins, Joshua Mangerson picks off the remaining meat from the turkey carcass, submerges it in chicken stock and lets it simmer. The next day, turkey leftovers are transformed into turkey ramen, with mushrooms, scallions and a six-minute egg in each bowl. The rich, cloudy broth is an ode to the Strongbow Inn, the turkey restaurant that Mr. Mangerson’s great-grandmother opened in 1940 on the family turkey farm in Valparaiso, Ind. Mr. Mangerson, who worked summers at Strongbow as a teenager, makes his own chicken stock first, with chicken backs and necks collected over a summer of grilling, but you can use store-bought stock and still get a strong boost of flavor. The recipe may look labor-intensive, but “I wouldn’t want anyone to be scared away,” he says. “It’s not difficult to do. It just takes time, and you have to care.” —Ligaya Mishan

Featured in: Got Thanksgiving Leftovers? Make Turkey Ramen.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

    For the Base Stock (see Tip)

    • 8 to 10chicken backs and necks
    • Extra-virgin olive oil, for coating
    • Kosher salt and black pepper
    • 2tablespoons apple cider vinegar

    For the Turkey Stock

    • 1leftover carcass from a 16- to 18-pound roasted turkey, preferably including neck, wing and leg bones
    • 3chicken or turkey necks (optional)
    • Extra-virgin olive oil, if needed
    • Kosher salt and black pepper
    • 1tablespoon apple cider vinegar

    For the Ramen

    • 4tablespoons unsalted butter
    • 1garlic clove, chopped fine
    • 1small shallot, chopped fine
    • 1cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
    • 1cup white button mushrooms, sliced
    • 1cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
    • ¼teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
    • 2tablespoons soy sauce, plus more for serving
    • 1tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    • 6 to 8large eggs
    • 6 to 8packages ramen noodles (3 to 5 ounces each) , seasoning packs discarded
    • Leftover slices and/or large chunks of roasted turkey
    • 8 to 10scallions, chopped into ¼-inch pieces
    • Sriracha, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

285 calories; 20 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 19 grams protein; 397 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

    Make the base stock: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Rub the chicken backs and necks with olive oil to coat. Season liberally with salt and pepper and arrange in a single layer on 2 sheet pans. (The pans’ rims will contain the rendered fat.) Roast for 40 minutes, until golden brown.

  2. Step 2

    Transfer the contents of both sheet pans — chicken pieces, rendered fat and crispy bits — into a 16-quart stock pot. Use a spatula to scrape up all the drippings. Pour in enough water to cover the chicken by 4 inches. Add the apple cider vinegar and bring to a heavy boil. Continue boiling over high for 2 hours or reduce the heat to low and simmer for 12 hours, breaking up the chicken pieces intermittently with a wooden spoon, until the backs and necks are very soft, completely clean and broken apart. (Consider roasting the chicken the night before and then starting the boil the next morning if slow-simmering over low.)

  3. Step 3

    Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve, using a large wooden pestle or spoon to press out the fat from the meat, bone and cartilage. The solids should be almost dry when you are finished. Discard the solids and set the base stock aside; you should have 6 cups. (This stock can be made in advance and frozen.)

  4. Step 4

    Make the turkey stock: Take the turkey carcass and pick off the meat, using a knife or your hands. Refrigerate the picked or sliced meat. Separate the breast plate from the spinal column and remove the thigh and leg bones. The turkey carcass pieces do not need to be roasted again. If using additional chicken or turkey necks, roast them: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat the necks with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a sheet pan. Roast until golden brown.

  5. Step 5

    Pour the base stock into a 16-quart stock pot. Submerge the turkey carcass pieces in the stock and add the additional roasted necks and drippings from the sheet pans (if using). If the stock does not cover all the pieces completely, add water until covered. Add 1 teaspoon salt and the apple cider vinegar and bring to a heavy boil. Continue boiling over high for 2 hours or reduce the heat to low and simmer for 12 hours, breaking up the turkey pieces intermittently with a wooden spoon. When finished, it should be opaque and have a silky viscosity that feels slippery on your tongue when you taste it.

  6. Step 6

    Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve, using a large wooden pestle or spoon to press out the fat from the remaining meat, bone and cartilage. Discard the pressed material. Taste the broth: It should be rich, smooth and salty. Add salt to taste if needed. Pour the broth back into the pot and keep over low heat.

  7. Step 7

    Make the ramen: In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium. Add the garlic and shallot and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook, stirring often, for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the salt and pepper and continue cooking until the mushrooms begin to sweat, then add the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms start to absorb liquid again. Set aside.

  8. Step 8

    Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower the eggs into the pot. Leave uncovered. Set a timer for 6 minutes. Fill a bowl with an ice and water. When the timer goes off, transfer the eggs immediately to the ice bath and let sit for 2 minutes. Drain the eggs, then peel and set aside.

  9. Step 9

    Return the large saucepan of water to a boil and cook the ramen noodles according to package instructions. Drain and divide among 6 to 8 bowls. Add the sautéed mushrooms and reserved turkey meat to each bowl. Slice each boiled egg in half — the yolks should be slightly runny — and apportion two halves to each serving. Ladle the hot turkey broth over everything in each bowl. Sprinkle the scallions over the top and serve with soy sauce and sriracha on the table.

Tip
  • To save time, you can substitute 6 quarts of store-bought chicken stock for the base stock.

Ratings

4 out of 5
118 user ratings
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Comments

I almost didn't get to the end of of this complicated, time-consuming recipe, even thought I was greatly intrigued. Thank goodness for this at the end: "Tip To save time, you can substitute 6 quarts of store-bought chicken stock for the base stock."

I don't know how many family members the author of this recipe has but the ingredients here seem a bit unrealistic 8-10 chicken Backs? Three chicken necks? And 6 to eight quarts ie: 2 gallons of broth??? Most of my relatives go home after Thanksgiving dinner so whois going to eat all those ramen noodles before they go soft and mushy?

I started with store brought chicken stock to make the turkey broth. If you skip to that step the recipe is very manageable and was a real crowd pleaser. Sriracha, gochugang, or some sort of heat is really a must.

This has been a post-thanksgiving hit for the last two years at our house. Perfect meal as the weekend winds up. Love it!

I simplified the stock making process and used turkey wing tips and bones. I also halved the recipe which made 3 hearty servings. Otherwise kept to instructions but did add a squirt of lime juice and a few basil leaves as a garnish. My family enjoyed it and we will make it again.

I tried making this last night and the stock-making was a disaster. There are omissions and contradictions in the recipe that I wish someone would clear up. 1. Steps 3 & 5: Boil covered or uncovered? 2. 6 cups or 6 quarts of chicken stock (see step 3 vs. tip) If you boil to 6 c., you have a richer, velvety stock, but there's no way it will endure another 2 hours of high heat cooking. I know. The stock was gorgeous after step 3 but a charred mess after step 5. I'll try again in November.

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Credits

Adapted from Joshua Mangerson

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