Rainy Day Ramen

When it rains, we ramen. This soothing, savory bowl of warmth hits the spot for a winter weeknight meal — plus, it’s a fail-proof crowd pleaser. Get creative with flavors and toppings to make this dish your own! I found some special tasty ramen broth at the local grocery store that took out a couple of steps for me, but it would be just as delicious with chicken or veggie broth and a little peanut butter or coconut milk as well! If you have an Instant Pot, this recipe can be made in a half hour or less, but can also be made over the stove top. Sip, slurp, repeat.

What You Need:

• 6 cups of broth of your choice (you could also mix 4 cups broth, 2 cups water to dilute if you don’t like it as salty)

• 3 chicken breasts

• 1 packet of ramen noodles per person you’re serving

• 1 heaping tablespoon of garlic chili sauce

• 1 tbsp rice vinegar

• 1 tsp fish sauce

• 1/4 cup soy sauce

• 1 tbsp minced garlic

• 2 tbsp minced ginger

• 3 green onions (chop and separate the greens and whites)

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro

• 1 lime

• eggs (one for each person you’re serving)

• shredded carrots

What To Do:

1. Rinse and pat dry your chicken breasts and season with salt and pepper.

2. Turn your Instant Pot to sauté and add the olive and sesame oils and the chicken breasts.

3. Gently brown on each side then add the broth, rice vinegar, garlic chili sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, ginger, garlic, scallion whites, and the juice of 1/2 of the lime (here is where you would also add the peanut butter and or coconut milk if you wanted more of a Thai twist).

4. Set the Instant Pot to manual pressure cook for 10 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, make your soft-boiled eggs: Add eggs to a small pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil then cover, turn off heat, and set a timer for 6 minutes. Immediately add to ice water and let sit for 5 minutes before peeling.

6. Once your Instant Pot timer goes off, use the quick release and remove the chicken breasts.

7. Shred or slice your chickens and add back to the pot with the dry noodles.

8. Turn the Instant Pot back to sauté and bring the mixture to a boil for 3 minutes. Then turn the device off and remove the pot (so the noodles stop cooking and don’t get mushy — important step here).

9. Ladle your soup into bowls and top with scallion greens, soft boiled egg, shredded carrots, cilantro, and a lime wedge.

10. Finish with a drizzle of sesame oil or chili oil (depending on how much heat you like) and sesame seeds. Enjoy!!