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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 just made this for my parents and me and it was absolutely delicious! The acorn squash was amazing!
Hi there! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I hope you enjoyed it! Happy Weekend 🙂 xTieghan
This was amazing. So amazing, in fact, that even my 3 and 4 year old devoured their full bowls! So thank you Tieghan for adding another meal to my repertoire that my kids will actually eat.
I loved how easy it was in the crock pot, and although I wasn’t convinced by the idea at the start, adding the crispy, spicy squash topping was just divine, I went back and added another handful to my bowl 🙂
Delicious!
Hey! This is awesome, I’m so happy to hear this recipe turned out the way you’d hoped! 🙂 xTieghan
Made this tonight and followed directions exactly. Whoa…it is very spicy. I’m not used to cooking with red curry paste but have eaten plenty of red curry dishes . Are there some pastes that are stronger than others?? Even my Indian husband was struggling. Will definitely try this again with less curry paste and see if that helps, because behind all the hot spice, it seemed to be very tasty!
Hi there! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I hope you enjoyed it! I’m so sorry about the spice! Happy Weekend 🙂 xTieghan
Wow! This was so easy and had amazing flavor. Halved the recipe but followed Slow Cooker recipe exactly. It was perfect!
Hi Jody! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I hope it was delicious! 🙂 xTieghan
I haven’t made yet, looks delicious! Any comparable substitute for coconut milk? I’m allergic unfortunately
Hi there! You can just use whole milk or almond milk 🙂 xTieghan
This was the most delicious ramen recipe I ever made! I loved the broth and the addition of the squash on top was amazing. I will definitely be making this again. I followed the recipe pretty closely and only made some minor changes. I ended up adding the whole can of coconut milk so it didn’t go to waste and adding some leftover onion/garlic I had in the fridge to use it up. I sautéed the onions/garlic in a little coconut oil before adding the remaining ingredients.
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I hope it was delicious! 🙂 xTieghan
This was yummy and went together fast. I actually assembled it all the night before in my crockpot so that the chicken could defrost overnight. In agreement with other comments, I liked the flavor without the coconut milk, so I omitted that. And I used baby bella mushrooms because I couldn’t find dried porcini at my grocery store. The curried roasted squash is wonderful by itself and I would totally serve it as a side dish!
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 xTieghan
I loved this recipe. I usually make just a traditional ramen bowls, but I loved the curry twist on it. (Though be forewarned, your house will smell like curry for the next two days!) and served it with toasted naan
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so much for giving it a try 🙂 xTieghan
I loved this! Unfortunately I didn’t measure the curry paste because I thought I was out ? but it came out delicious! The broth really balances out the curry taste of the squash! I think next time I’m going to omit the chicken and add tofu. I also used dried shiitake mushrooms because it’s what I had and it came out so good!
Hi Jenni! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, and I also appreciate the feedback 🙂 xTieghan
Delicious! It made my husband sweat but we both enjoyed the flavor. I like this way of roasting butternut squash.
Hi there! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! xTieghan
Ooh boy, this one was a hit! It’s spicy, creamy, easy, and totally hits the spot. Serious comfort food for those chilly evenings.
Hey Holly! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
Made it to the recipe, except added the whole can of coconut milk and about half the red curry paste to lighten up the spice, also used a pound of chicken thighs instead of breast because that is what I had. Everyone at the table loved it and was excited there were leftovers for lunch the next day. I made a charcuterie board to sit on the table with all the toppings and also added avocado and lemons, but wondered if limes would have been better. Great meal and will do again! Thanks!!!
Hey Katy! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
Pretty good but the Chinese Five Spice was a confusing flavor in the broth that definitely did not reminisce of ramen. I liked the kick from the curry paste though. Try adding some fresh minced garlic upon serving!
Hey there! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! And I appreciate this feedback! xTieghan
Words spoken at the dinner table: “Wow, this is amazing! You could make this again!” I didn’t let on how easy it was ?. Thanks so much.
Hey there! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
Easy and delicious!!! I may use leas noodles otherwise it was perfect!
Hey Margie! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
This was a very easy weeknight meal, (crockpot method)but it was too spicy for my kids which was a big bummer. I used the brand of red curry paste recommended which had nice flavor, but in the future I will use half as much. The kids did enjoy choosing their own toppings and customizing their bowls. To salvage the leftovers I may add more chicken stock to dilute out the spice. Will definitely make again with modifications.
Hi there! I’m so sorry this turned out to be spicy, but I’m glad it was still enjoyed! Thank you for the feedback! xTieghan
Love love love this!!! We found it to be a little spicy but can easily adjust that to our tastes! Love the flavor and the acorn squash!!!! Thank you