Slow-Cooker Chicken Ramen with Bok Choy and Miso

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Slow-Cooker Chicken Ramen with Bok Choy and Miso

The slow cooker puts a weeknight ramen fix within reach; don't skimp on the toppings here, which you can customize to your liking. They make each bowl feel special. Miso soup is traditionally made with dashi, an umami-rich stock made from kombu seaweed and dried bonito, a kind of tuna. But this recipe takes a different path to those deep flavors, substituting chicken broth and optional dried shiitake mushrooms, found in the produce department or international aisle of many grocery stores. Finally, a quick kombu steep adds umami. The ingredient is available at more specialty grocers and online, but feel free to leave it out. The soup will still be delicious.

Rating

Ingredients

  • 3 to 3 1/2pounds skin-on whole chicken legs (about 5 legs)
  • 1/2heaping cup sweet white or yellow miso, plus more to taste
  • 2scallions, trimmed and halved, plus more for topping
  • 3garlic cloves, smashed
  • 4dried shiitake mushrooms (optional)
  • 1(5-by-3-inch) piece dried kombu (optional)
  • 1pound baby bok choy, cored and roughly chopped
  • 2tablespoons tamari, plus more to taste
  • 2tablespoons mirin, plus more to taste
  • 12 to 16ounces ramen, cooked and drained
  • Soft boiled eggs, sesame seeds and toasted nori sheets, for topping
Set base servings to enable scaling:

Directions

Put the chicken legs in a 5- to 8-quart slow cooker, and crumble the miso on top. Add the scallions, garlic cloves, shiitake mushrooms (if using) and 6 cups water. Stir well to combine. Cook until the chicken is tender, at least 4 hours and up to 6 hours on low. If it’s more convenient, you can let the slow cooker switch to warm after 6 hours. The soup will hold on warm for about another 2 hours before the chicken begins to dry out.

Switch the heat to high. With a slotted spoon, remove the chicken, scallions, garlic and shiitakes, and place in a bowl. Set aside to cool. Stir in kombu, bok choy, tamari and mirin. Cover and let cook until the bok choy is wilted and tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove and discard the kombu. Coarsely shred chicken meat into the soup, discarding the skin, bone, scallions, garlic and shiitakes. Taste the soup and whisk in a few more spoonfuls of miso or tamari, if desired.

Divide the noodles among 4 or 5 bowls, and ladle the soup on top. Top each with sliced scallion, a halved soft boiled egg, sesame seeds and a piece of nori.

Nutrition

Info
Trans Fat: 0 gramsFat: 71 gramsCalories: 1181Saturated Fat: 22 gramsUnsaturated Fat: 42 gramsSodium: 3210 milligramsSugar: 5 gramsFiber: 5 gramsCarbohydrate: 63 gramsProtein: 70 grams
Chicken & Poultry Slow Cooker

Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019694-slow-cooker-chicken-ramen-with-bok-choy-and-miso