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This quick and easy 30 Minute Spicy Miso Chicken Katsu Ramen is for those nights when you’re craving your favorite bowl of Ramen, but need it fast and made at home. All cooked in one pot, using healthy, pantry staple ingredients. This ramen is flavored with miso and chili paste. It’s creamy, spicy, and yes…filled with plenty of ramen noodles. Each bowl is topped with crispy sesame Katsu chicken for the best bowl of homemade ramen…even better than a restaurant! Best enjoyed on cold days, because there’s nothing better than a steaming bowl of ramen on a cold winter’s night.
I’m sure I’ve told this story a million and one times by now, but growing up there was a time when my mom and I practically lived on ramen (we called it Oodles of Noodles). I must have been in third or fourth grade because I know I got out of school earlier than my brothers.
I’m not going to lie, these were the school years that were my favorite. It’s no secret that as the only girl growing up in a house with five brothers, I craved my mom’s attention more than anyone. And trust me, her attention was hard to get. With six kids, she always had something to be doing. But when I was able to come home from school two hours earlier than my brothers (my school got out at 2:45 pm, but the middle didn’t get out until 4 pm) it meant that I had my mom pretty much to myself for two hours. Yeah, my younger brother Kai was home too, but he always entertained himself and never needed much. And then Red was just a tiny baby, so though he required attention, it honestly wasn’t much. Those were my two hours, five days a week and I loved them.
On the cold, rainy Cleveland days, I’d come home and my mom would make up ramen. We’d eat sitting by the fire while she worked away on whatever she was doing and I chatted her ear off…or just watched Gilmore Girls.
I know it doesn’t sound like much, but I loved that time. And to this day, I love ramen.
So do you see where I’m going with this? Ramen will always be a special dish for me. I love creating new versions every winter. This year’s version is hands down my favorite yet.
It’s all about the miso broth and that crispy sesame Katsu chicken. I’ve never done anything like it, but I am fully obsessed. The chicken on top really makes it that much more delicious.
This is quick, but you have to know, the broth is really the star of this ramen. It’s so simple, but the combination of miso and chili paste is just something extra special. I like to use white miso paste and my favorite chili sauce is Gochunchag, which is actually Korean chili paste. But it’s SO GOOD.
Crisp up some bacon in a big Dutch oven. I use the bacon only for flavor, but if you prefer to not use bacon, you can just omit it from the recipe and instead use a couple tablespoons of olive oil or sesame oil.
When the bacon is crisp, toss in lots of fresh garlic, shallots, ginger, and a good pinch of chili flakes. We LOVE this ramen spicy, but you can, of course, use as little or as many chili flakes as you’d like. Once everything is super fragrant, just pour in some broth, add some miso, chili paste, and a touch of coconut milk. Let this all simmer for a few minutes.
Yes, the broth is the star, but the chicken has a major supporting role. Really, it’s the broth and chicken together. They make for the best bowl of ramen.
I made sure to keep the chicken simple and easy. I used chicken cutlets, then simply breaded them in Panko and sesame seeds. Super simple, but atop the spicy broth…so delicious.
For the actual ramen noodles, I love using Brown Rice and Millet Ramen noodles (which you can find at Whole Foods and in many grocery stores). These taste just like real deal ramen noodles, but they are much healthier, gluten-free, and vegan. Also, I recommend storing the soup and noodles separately, then adding 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.
And of course, no bowl of ramen is complete without the toppings, they’re the best part after all, right? I do soft-boiled eggs, plenty of green onions, toasted nori sheets, and lots of chili oil.
Each and every bite is so good.
My two younger brothers, Malachi and Red have both been to Japan and enjoyed plenty of ramen while there. But Kai said that this bowl has been the only bowl he’s had since Japan that actually tastes like the ramen they had there. It’s creamy, but spicy, and the flavor is spot on. They also very much enjoyed the excess amounts of chili oil I put on their bowls. I love a little chili oil.
So, I took that as a pretty darn good sign that this is my best bowl of ramen yet. It’s honestly perfect and the best bowl for cold nights. So how are we feeling? Monday night ramen? Promise it will not disappoint.
Looking for more warming winter soups? Here are a few to try:
Healthier Italian Wedding Soup with Lemon and Garlic
Lemony Garlic Chicken and Orzo Soup
Creamy Gnocchi Soup with Rosemary Bacon
Lastly, if you make this 30 Minute Spicy Miso Chicken Katsu 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!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
What can I use instead of chili paste if I’m cooking for kids?
Hey Britt,
You could just skip it, no big deal:) I hope you love this recipe! xT
Could you recommend any substitute for miso paste? 🙂
Hi Christina,
I would really try to add the miso paste here if you can, otherwise you could try using tahini. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try! xT
The broth for this soup was amazing! The whole family loved it. Definitely took me longer than 30 minutes but it was so worth it and I will be making this again!
Hi Ann Marie,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your feedback! Love to hear it was a hit! xT
Could this be made in the crockpot? Thank you!!
Hi there! I haven’t ever tried that before so I can’t say for sure! xT
This ramen is so good! I substituted sambal oelek and fish sauce for the gochujang, and hemp hearts and chia seeds for the sesame. Just because I was out, not purposefully… It was fabulous and I can’t wait to eat it again tomorrow!
Hi! Thank you SO much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! xT
Soooo flavorful and not too complicated. I followed another review idea to bake the breaded chicken and that was easy and quick clean up. Loved the complexity of miso, goujoujang and soy. The broth was so warming on a cold cold night.
Thank you Tieghan 🙌🏼
Thank you for giving this recipe a try! Hope you have a great rest of your week! 🙂 xT
Made this tonight , so yummy!
Will definitely make again!
Hi there! SO happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for trying it out, and have a cozy week! 🙂 xT
Don’t know why it did four star, I meant five star!!
So good and perfect for a winter (in California) dinner! Even my picky eater ate and enjoyed it.
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe and leaving a comment! Have a wonderful week! xT
This ramen is amazing! No pictures because my family devoured it and came back for more! The broth has such a deep flavor mixed with the crispy chicken and heat from red pepper and chili oil .. it’s so addictive! Love it and will make it again and again!
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe and leaving a comment! Have a wonderful week! xT
Yum!! Easy and delicious
Hi Michaela! Thank you so much for trying out the recipe and leaving a comment! Have a wonderful week! xT
It was a good recipe, I enjoyed it. It is a bit salty and definitely not a 30 minute dinner. Regardless, it was good and I’d make again just might eliminate the tamari to cut down the salt.
Thank you for the feedback Christine! I appreciate it! xT
Awesome bowl of wonderful-ness! Husband says: you can make this again. So good; so warming on a 12” snow day!!
Hey! Thank you so much for trying the recipe out! Love to hear that it was enjoyed! 🙂 xT
What kind of Ramen noodles do you use?
Hi Gina! I usually get mine from Lotus Foods! xT
Hi Tieghan! Would you mind updating your link for the brown rice and millet ramen? I’d love to find it before making this recipe but the link isn’t working. Thank you!
We have an allergy to nut and coconut in the family. Can you suggest a substitution for the coconut milk?
Hey Lisa! You could use heavy cream! xT
5 stars for flavor and presentation! We had three people in the kitchen helping to make this recipe and it still took us over 30 minutes and it got a little hectic. Next time, I will prep as much as possible before making this so it will go faster and smoother. I also had a hard time with my panko/sesame mixture not sticking to the chicken while cooking – but that might be a problem with the pan I used.? All that said, the finished product is absolutely delicious and fun to serve the whole family. Thank you!
Thank you SO much! Always love to hear when a recipe is a success! Hope you have an amazing New Year! xT