Instant Pot Ramen

Instant Pot Ramen has flavourful chicken broth packed with tender chicken and vegetables topped with a classic ramen egg. This delicious meal comes together fast enough for any weeknight but is still company-worthy.

Wonder of wonders, it takes under 30 minutes to cook, too, assuming you have some ramen eggs waiting in your fridge. And honestly, 30 minutes for a great home-cooked meal is way better than 30 minutes waiting on a food delivery!

What do I need for my Instant Pot Chicken Ramen?

In addition to the chicken and vegetables listed below, you’ll need 4 packages of instant ramen noodles. Discard the seasoning packets or save them for another purpose; the soup you’re building will have plenty of flavour.

You’ll also need ramen eggs, as mentioned before, or hard boiled eggs if you prefer a non-runny yolk. I love my yolks good and runny.

Thankfully, you don’t even have to heat up the ramen eggs if you’ve got them stashed in the refrigerator. The heat of the soup will do that plenty quickly for you.

Of course, you’ll also need a counter top pressure cooker. I use mine so much that I actually own two so I can have one going with the main dish and one going with rice at the same time.

Need an Instant Pot? I rely on this one for most jobs, but I also love this one!

Chicken Ramen Recipe

Our version of instant pot ramen is a chicken ramen recipe. Using boneless, skinless chicken cutlets makes quick work of what can sometimes be a pretty involved process, too.

I’m happy to tell you, too, that this is all done in one pot and a saucepan, so there’s no need to dirty more than those two easy-to-clean pans for dinner! It’s as easy as browning the chicken on the sautee setting, adding some aromatics and chicken broth, putting the lid in place, and letting the instant pot that thing it does so well for 15 minutes.

This is where the magic starts. Enter vegetables, stage right.

What Vegetables Do I Use In My Ramen Instant Pot ?

You have options, folks. Many options.

I’ll give you a list of what I like to put into my ramen instant pot, but feel free to omit anything that doesn’t ding your chimes or add anything that does. Here are the different types of vegetables with their cooking times.

Corn

I’m pretty partial to baby corn and my local grocery store carries fresh baby corn. If you use fresh baby corn, these should be added with 5 to 7 minutes expected before they become tender.

If you opt for canned corn or frozen corn, it only requires 1 to 3 minutes of cooking time just to heat up.

Greens

I like greens in abundance in my instant pot ramen, and when to add them depends on what type you’re using. More dense greens like cabbage and bok choy require more time while spinach takes far less time.

Baby bok choy can be halved and nestled into the pot about 5 to 7 minutes before you want to eat. Cabbage -whether napa or green- should be cut into bite sized pieces and also requires 5 to 7 minutes.

Mature spinach should be added about 4 minutes before serving, while baby spinach can be stirred in just before serving.

I also love snow pea pods in my chicken ramen, and they only take 2 to 3 minutes to become crisp tender, which is my preference.

Mushrooms

Oh my do I love mushrooms. If they’re not your thing, omit them, but if you love them like I do, read on to see what to do!

If you’re using dried mushrooms (regardless of variety), brush them clean and add them with the broth before bringing the instant pot up to pressure. The broth and pressure cooker will rehydrate and cook them to perfection.

If using fresh mushrooms, cut them into bite sized pieces and add 5 to 7 minutes before you want to eat.

Radishes

I love the bright pink colour and the peppery crunch of thinly sliced radishes added to my instant pot ramen. Because these are added for texture as much as flavour, I add them as a garnish.

These are best when very thinly sliced or shredded and added to each bowl just at the time of serving.

Carrots

The eagle eyed among you will notice that my chicken ramen recipe does not appear to have carrots in it. That’s because it doesn’t.

Sometimes I add them and sometimes I do not, but if you do, treat them like the radishes: shred or cut paper thin strips with a vegetable peeler and add to each bowl as garnish while serving.

Green Onions

Green onions are a non negotiable item in my instant pot ramen; they absolutely must be there for me to be happy with it. They add flavour, texture, and beauty to the dish, so don’t skip them!

You’ll be dividing the green onions into two parts. The whites, you’ll leave intact and add in with the chicken when you pressure cook it.

Those will be discarded later. The greens you’ll thinly slice and use for garnish and flavour!

Instant Pot Ramen

Begin SAUTÉ mode on your Instant Pot. Drizzle the oil into the pan and let it heat up for a few moments; just until the oil is shimmery. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and use tongs to lay them in the hot pan in a single layer.

Brown the chicken on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.

Add in the ginger and garlic and stir for 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Stir in the white part of the green onions, the chicken broth, the soy sauce, and the dried mushrooms, if you’re using them.

Lock the Instant Pot’s lid in place, switch to MANUAL setting and program in 10 minutes on HIGH. When the cycle is finished, use QUICK RELEASE to vent the steam.

When the pressure valve has dropped back into the lid, carefully remove the lid. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken and green onion whites into a heat-proof bowl.

Discard the white parts of the green onion and shred the chicken roughly with two forks before returning it to the Instant Pot.

Return the Instant Pot to SAUTÉ mode, and add in any desired vegetables, cooking them as long as the notes specify.

In a separate saucepan, prepare the instant ramen noodles without seasoning packets and drain.

Divide the noodles between serving dishes, ladle the ramen soup over the noodles, add a halved ramen egg to each bowl, and garnish as desired. Serve immediately!

Looking for a quick and tasty dessert to have with your Instant Pot Ramen? Try these 2-Minute Pull-Apart Caramel Apples.

One more thing!!! Be sure to check out my podcast: My Plate Is Always Full