I typically order ramen out but this week I’m slow cooking a spicy chicken and spinach ramen in my crock pot. Of course ramen is considered a noodle dish but it’s also known as a noodle soup with a rich broth. Mostly it’s prepared with various types of noodles and a variety of vegetables or meat then topped with an egg. On the whole, ramen resonates with Japanese culture, even though it originated in China.
The Noodles
Popular noodles for ramen are soba, somen and udon all which are high carbs. So if you want to enjoy ramen on keto your best bet is to use shirataki, miracle or healthy noodles. Since I’m already a fan of healthy noodles with this recipe I decided to try shirataki noodles. In the past I steered clear of the shirataki noodles because the texture felt like I was chewing on rubber bands. As it turns out, cooking the shirataki noodles in broth is a game changer for the texture.
The Substitutions
While I chose to slow cook my ramen in a crock pot for 6 ½ hours on low, another option is to cook it on high for 2 – 4 hours. Keep in mind that the longer the cook, the better the flavor. Due to the supply chain issues I had to make some ingredient substitutions. Although Trader Joes was out of my favorite low carb organic coconut milk, I was able to find a lite coconut milk at Jewel-Osco. Also my preferred mushroom for this dish is dried porcini but again it was out of stock, so I subbed it with some baby bellas.
The Flavor
Now if you’re a fan of spicy this ramen will not disappoint. The red curry paste adds just the right amount of heat. Also keep in mind the coconut milk, spinach, noodles and mushrooms are added during the last 30 minutes. When I sampled the broth I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. But trust when I say that the last 30 minutes is what put this spicy chicken and spinach ramen on hit! I mean it really smoothed and blended all the flavors together.
The Chicken
Seeing that I used chicken thighs for my ramen, a word to the wise is thighs have more fat than breasts. And as a result, there was an oily residue sitting on top of my broth. Mind you that doesn’t look good in photos so I scooped it out. To avoid the oily residue try using chicken breasts since it’s a leaner cut of meat.
The Egg
Lastly the egg finishes the dish. I chose to do an eight minute boil so my yolk would be fluffier and more yellow. Feel free to garnish the egg with white or black sesame seeds. For my photo I thought black would pop against the yellow yolk better. So I used black garlic which I happen to have on hand.
If you are a fan of soups when you have a moment check out our tuscan chicken soup recipe.
PrintSpicy Chicken And Spinach Ramen
Ingredients
1 pk chicken thighs (or chicken breasts if you prefer a leaner meat)
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce
¼ cup red curry paste
½ cup baby Bella mushrooms sliced
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 Tbsp 5 Chinese spice
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp sugar free syrup
¾ cup lite coconut milk
1 – 2 packs shirataki noodles
Black garlic or black sesame seeds (to garnish the egg)
3 soft or hard boiled eggs for serving
Garnish with, shredded carrots, and green onions
Instructions
- In a crock pot place the chicken, chicken broth, 4 cups of water, soy sauce, curry paste, ginger, Chinese 5 spice, pepper and sugar free syrup then stir well. Set the crock pot on low and cook for 4 – 6 hours or high for 2 – 4 hours. (I did 6 hours on low)
- Immerse 3 eggs in a pot of water. Make sure the eggs are fully covered with water. Bring to a boil then turn off the heat and let rest with a cover for 8 minutes. Peel the eggs and set aside.
- Rinse the shirataki noodles well.
- Shred the chicken then add the spinach, noodles, mushrooms and coconut milk into the crock pot. Turn the crock pot to high and let cook for 30 minutes.
- Cut the eggs in half. You can also set the eggs in the broth to warm.
- Ladle the soup into a bowl and garnish with shredded carrots, green onions and the two egg halves. Finish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds or black garlic on the egg yolks.
