I’ve been working on some recipes using ramen noodles lately. My youngest brother is going to college soon and asked for some delicious, cheap, easy recipes, and he loves ramen noodles. Here’s a more complicated ramen recipe using an inexpensive but totally delicious chicken: thighs. Now, if you’re stuck (aka empty wallet syndrome), you can totally make this recipe without the chicken. Ramen without chicken is on its own, but hey, if you want some meat, there you have it.
Pro tip for staying cheap: Buy your spices from the bulk bin. Bulk bins are popular in grocery stores these days. Bulk spices are a great deal! You can refill your spice jars for less than a dollar, sometimes pennies.
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Ready: 50 minutes
yield: 4 parts
raw material
4 large chicken thighs
1 lemon
2 tsp paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
4 tablespoons butter, divided
6 cups chicken broth
3 packages ramen noodles, spice packet discarded
4 boiled eggs
fresh cilantro
instruct
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a glass dish or baking dish. Cut the lemon in half. Slice half of it and save the other half for later. Place slices on the bottom of a glass dish.
2. Combine the spices in a small bowl. Rub under and over the skin of each chicken thigh with 1 teaspoon of the spice mixture. There will be leftover spice blend for later use. Place the chicken thighs in a glass pan and arrange on top of the lemon slices. Squeeze the remaining half of the lemon over the chicken, reserving the zest for later. Put 1/2 teaspoon of butter on each chicken thigh. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, until the chicken reaches a safe temperature of 165 degrees.
3. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in large saucepan. Stir in remaining spice mixture and roast for 30 to 60 seconds. Pour in chicken broth, add half of the used lemon and bring to a boil. Cook ramen noodles until tender, about 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Serve ramen noodles with 1 chicken thigh, fresh cilantro leaves, grilled lemon slices, and desired hard-boiled egg.
