Instant Pot Chicken Ramen (Easy 20-Minute Bowl)
This Instant Pot Chicken Ramen is what happens when leftover chicken meets a pantry full of basics and twenty minutes of patience.
Rich, savory broth, tender noodles, stir fry vegetables, and a jammy soft-boiled egg on top that makes the whole bowl feel like something you’d pay $18 for at a ramen shop.
This post may contain affiliate links.
The secret weapon here is using leftover cooked chicken. It goes straight into the pot, soaks up all that garlicky soy broth, and falls apart just enough to feel like it was made for this dish. Roasted chicken, rotisserie chicken, last night’s chicken thighs… it all works. This is the recipe that makes you feel good about not wasting food.
This ramen pairs perfectly with leftover chicken from the Garlic-Herb Whole Roasted Chicken — make the chicken Sunday, make this Tuesday, and dinner is basically free.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- 20 minutes in the Instant Pot — weeknight dinner without the weeknight stress
- Uses leftover chicken — the ultimate planned leftovers meal
- Budget-friendly — ramen noodles and pantry staples do most of the heavy lifting
- That jammy egg — soft, silky, and worth the extra five minutes every single time
- Deeply satisfying — this is comfort food that actually fills you up
Before You Start
A couple of things worth knowing:
- The egg is cooked separately — start the eggs while the ramen cooks and they’ll be ready at the same time
- Quick release immediately — don’t let it natural release or the noodles will overcook
- Any cooked chicken works — rotisserie, roasted, grilled, leftover from literally anything
- Stir fry veggie bags vary — any combination of mushrooms, bok choy, snap peas, carrots, and bell peppers works great here
Instant Pot Chicken Ramen (Easy 20-Minute Bowl)
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Bring a small saucepan of water to a full boil. Gently lower the eggs in one at a time using a spoon.
- Cook for exactly 6 minutes and 30 seconds.
- While the eggs cook, prepare an ice bath — a bowl filled with cold water and ice cubes.
- Transfer the eggs immediately to the ice bath and let sit for at least 5 minutes.
- Peel carefully and slice in half lengthwise just before serving. The whites will be fully set and the yolk will be soft, jammy, and slightly golden.
- Add the soy sauce, chicken stock, garlic, brown sugar, ramen seasoning packets, salt, and pepper to the Instant Pot. Stir to combine.
- Add the chopped cooked chicken, ramen noodles, and stir fry vegetables.
- Close the lid and set the valve to Sealed. Select Manual or Pressure Cook and set to High Pressure for 8 minutes.
- When the timer goes off, quick release the pressure immediately — don’t wait or the noodles will overcook.
- Stir the ramen and taste for seasoning. Adjust salt if needed.
- Ladle into bowls and top each with a jammy egg half. Serve immediately.
Notes
Tips & Easy Variations
- Make it spicy — add a tablespoon of chili garlic sauce or a drizzle of sriracha to the broth before cooking
- Add a finishing drizzle — a tiny splash of sesame oil stirred in right before serving adds incredible depth
- Fresh toppings — green onions, sesame seeds, a sheet of nori, or sliced mushrooms all take this up a notch
- Swap the protein — leftover pork, shrimp, or even tofu work great in place of chicken
- Make it richer — stir a tablespoon of miso paste into the finished broth for a deeper, more complex flavor
- Marinated eggs — soak the peeled jammy eggs in a mixture of soy sauce, mirin, and water for a few hours for true ramen shop eggs
Shop This Recipe
- Instant Pot — the workhorse behind this whole recipe
- Ramen Bowls — wide, deep bowls make ramen look as good as it tastes. These are cute and under $20 for two.
- Chopsticks — reusable chopsticks just make this feel more like the real thing
- Soy Sauce — a good quality soy sauce makes a noticeable difference in the broth
- Ivan Orkin’s Ivan Ramen Cookbook — if this bowl sends you down a ramen rabbit hole, this is the book
- Fine Mesh Strainer — useful for the eggs and a hundred other kitchen tasks
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I use raw chicken instead of leftover? A: Yes. Add raw chicken thighs to the pot with everything else and increase cook time to 12 minutes. Shred or chop before serving.
Q: Can I make this without an Instant Pot? A: Absolutely. Bring everything to a boil in a large pot on the stovetop, add the noodles and vegetables, and simmer for 3–4 minutes until the noodles are tender.
Q: My noodles are mushy. What happened? A: The pressure was likely released too slowly. Always quick release ramen immediately when the timer goes off.
Q: Can I use fresh ramen noodles? A: Yes. Add them after pressure cooking and let the residual heat cook them for 1–2 minutes with the lid off.
More Comfort Food Worth Making
- Garlic-Herb Whole Roasted Chicken — the perfect source of leftover chicken for this ramen. Make it Sunday, make this Tuesday.
- Vegetable Pad Thai — if noodle bowls are your thing, this 30-minute pad thai belongs in your rotation
- Rustic Chicken White Bean Stew — another great use for leftover chicken when you want something hearty and warming
- Dutch Oven Chicken & Rice with Spicy Peanut Sauce (pictured) — bold Asian-inspired flavors in a completely different format
This Instant Pot Chicken Ramen is the bowl that makes Tuesday feel like it was worth it. Twenty minutes, one pot, and leftovers that taste like anything but.
