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Easy Ginger Chicken and Spinach Ramen, best for nights when you need a cozy but healthy dinner, but you’re craving your favorite bowl of ramen. This homemade ramen is simple and delicious. All made in the crockpot (instant pot and stove directions included), using healthy ingredients. It’s creamy, spicy, filled with veggies, chicken, and ramen noodles. Perfect for a cold night in after a long busy day.
We finally had our first snow on Saturday…cozy season has officially begun. It’s the time for mid-afternoon steaming mugs of hot chocolate, creamy pasta, chili, and soups for dinner.
So it’s my favorite time…sharing this ramen felt perfectly fitting for a chilly fall Monday. It’s the kind of ramen that’s so easy to prepare, so warming, and of course, delicious.
Let’s talk about the details
For this ramen, you can make it in the crockpot, instant pot, or on the stove. I’ve included directions for each, and either method works great! When I have the time, I love to cook the soup low and slow all day in the slow cooker.
It always makes the house smell so good. It’s also nice knowing early on in the day that dinner is basically ready to go.
For all three variations, the soup ingredients all go into one pot. They’re simmered together until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily.
Next, stir in a splash of coconut milk, which adds a heartiness and creaminess that I really love.
Then add the spinach and submerge the noodles into the broth to allow them to cook. It’s so nice not having to boil water for the noodles. For the noodles, I love using Brown Rice and Millet Ramen noodles. You can find them at Whole Foods and in many other grocery stores.
The curry roasted squash
This is “extra”, but for me, ramen is really so much about the toppings. I love them all! And this squash just makes the soup extra special.
Toss cubed acorn or butternut squash with spicy curry powder and then roast away until the squash is soft and browning on the edges. If you use the crockpot, do this just before serving. If you’re making this in the instant pot or on the stove, roast the squash while the soup simmers.
Finish it up
Ladle the soup into bowls, then top with all of your favorite ramen toppings. For me, that means lots of curry roasted squash and a soft boiled egg. Then I finish with carrots, green onions, and lots of cilantro, plus toasted sesame seeds and chili flakes.
This ramen is perfect for any night of the week. Whether it’s cool and crisp, pouring rain, or a night where you want a healthy dinner and want it fast.
It’s warm, a little creamy, and the sweet-spicy squash on top really seals the deal. It is so good…and so easy. Thankful for easy dinners like this!
Looking for other soup recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Brie and Cheddar Apple Beer Soup
Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken and Avocado Rice Soup
30 Minute Creamy Chicken and Parmesan Sage Dumplings
Lastly, if you make this Easy Ginger Chicken and Spinach Ramen, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Easy Ginger Chicken and Spinach Ramen
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 357 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup red curry paste
- 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon Chinese 5 spice
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 3/4 cup canned coconut milk
- 4 squares ramen noodles
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 1 acorn squash – cubed, or 3 cups cubed butternut squash
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon spicy curry powder
- kosher salt and black pepper
- soft or hard boiled eggs, for serving
- carrots, green onions, chilies, and cilantro, for serving
Instructions
Crockpot
- 1. In the bowl of the crockpot, combine the chicken, chicken broth, 4 cups water, soy sauce, curry paste, dried mushrooms, ginger, Chinese 5 spice, pepper, and honey, stir well. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-4 hours. 2. Before serving, preheat the oven to 425° F. On a baking sheet, toss together the squash, olive oil, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until tender.3. Crank the crockpot up to high. Shred the chicken. Stir in the coconut milk, and spinach. Then submerge the noodles in the broth. Let sit 8-10 minutes or until the noodles are soft.4. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with roasted squash and other desired toppings. Enjoy!
Instant Pot
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.2, In the bowl of the instant pot, combine the chicken, chicken broth, 4 cups water, soy sauce, curry paste, dried mushrooms, ginger, Chinese 5 spice, pepper, and honey, stir well. Cover and cook on 8 minutes. 3. On a baking sheet, toss together the squash, olive oil, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until tender.4. Release the steam and set the instant pot to sauté. Shred the chicken. Stir in the coconut milk and spinach. Then submerge noodles in the broth. Let sit 5 minutes, until the noodles are soft.5. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with roasted squash and other desired toppings. Enjoy!
Stove
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.2. In a large soup pot, combine the chicken, chicken broth, 4 cups water, soy sauce, curry paste, dried mushrooms, ginger, Chinese 5 spice, pepper, and honey, stir well. Set over medium heat on the stove and bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily.3. On a baking sheet, toss together the squash, olive oil, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until tender.4. Once done cooking, shred the chicken. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Stir in the coconut milk and spinach. Then submerge noodles in the broth. Let cook 3-5 minutes, until the noodles are soft.5. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with peanuts and toasted sesame oil. Enjoy!
Notes
Storing the Soup and Noodles: I recommend storing the soup and noodles separately. Then add the noodles just before serving. If you let the noodles sit in the soup, they will soak up all the broth and become very mushy.
I usually love all of Tieghan’s recipes but this ramen was super hot and we like spicy food. I might try this again but cut back on red curry paste. Maybe a tbsp instead of 1/4 cup and then add more if necessary. The sweetness of the squash was an awesome addition. I make her katsu chicken ramen all of the time as it is a staple in our house.
Hi Angela! I’m so sorry this recipe wasn’t enjoyed! Thanks so much for the feedback, I really appreciate it 🙂 xTieghan
WOW! This was so delicious. I found it to be better than my local ramen spot. It was warming, herby, full of flavor and filling. I had trouble finding porcini mushrooms so I just used chopped bellas and it was totally fine. Cannot wait to have the leftovers for lunch today. This will definitely be a winter staple for sure.
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I hope you loved it! Have a great week 🙂 xTieghan
This is delicious and very easy to make. We didn’t have Chinese 5 spice but substituted with garam masala. We also left out the mushrooms. It turned out great!
Hey there! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Have a lovely week! xTieghan
I made this exactly according to the recipe except for the dried mushrooms (the store was out of them). This was perfect for me (I love spicy food) but WAY too spicy for my family. I will make it again for sure but cut back on the red curry paste. Super easy and you are right – our home smelled so good while it was cooking in the crockpot all afternoon.
Hey there! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Have a lovely week! xTieghan
The flavor was great! I did not add the coconut milk as the broth was already tasty and I used sweet potatoes instead of the squash, a Portobello mushroom instead of dried mushrooms and tofu instead of chicken. Delicious and easy!
Hey there! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Have a lovely week! xTieghan
This recipe is AMAZING! I made a couple changes based on what I had in the pantry…skipped coconut milk since the broth was amazing on its own (though I am sure adding it would have been awesome too). Used kale instead of spinach, and tofu instead of chicken. I will definitely make this again and again!
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have a wonderful week! xTieghan
I made this for college daughters who are sick of dorm food and requested a good meal. We all loved it. 4 c water and 4 c chicken broth?
This recipe was amazing and so easy to make! It was very spicy. So if you only want moderate spice I would recommend adding less red curry paste but the flavors were incredible, will definitely be making again! Thank you so much!
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Do you use 4 cups of broth and 4 cups of water or choose one?
Hello! I would use 4 cups broth since it gives it more flavor 🙂 xTieghan
Just clarifying – all the recipes say 4 cups of broth AND 4 cups of water. Is it 8 cups TOTAL liquid? THANK YOU!!!
Hi there! Yes, that’s correct! Enjoy 🙂 xTieghan
This is so good!!!! I used shredded rotisserie chicken and added some better than boullion to the broth to compensate for not cooking the chicken. Topped with green onions, cilantro and left over crispy wanton chips from a restaurant. Next time I’ll try topping with peanuts (they’re not in the ingredient list but are mentioned n the instructions….so I didn’t know to pick some up). Planning to make again this week (big deal for me as I love to try new recipes but this one will be a staple I am sure). Thank you!
Do you throw in the dried porcini’s as is or do you soak them first and then put them in?
This was absolutely delicious. Perfect fall/winter ramen! I used soba noodles as it is what I had on hand. Will be making this again very soon!
This one’s a keeper, for sure. We ate it all and are making it again four days later.
This was so so so good! And easy! Will definitely make this again!
Hi there! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it! xTieghan
Made this without chicken meat and use dried morels from my woods in Lieu of porcini. . I also used cashews instead of peanuts. The roasted butternut squash was a beautiful addition. A+ on nummy combination of flavors.. ♥️
Hi there! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it! xTieghan