Pressure Cooker Miso Chicken Ramen With Bok Choy
The pressure cooker brings this deeply flavored ramen within reach on a busy weeknight. The trick is to infuse the broth with as much flavor as possible using two powerful ingredients: miso and dried shiitake mushrooms. Use the best chicken broth you can get your hands on. Unsalted homemade broth is ideal, but a good, low-sodium store-bought chicken broth or bouillon works very well too. (Standard store-bought broth will make the soup too salty.) Water can also be a good base, but if you use it, be sure to use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs to give the soup some body. For a bonus boost of umami, drop a piece of dried kombu seaweed into the soup when you add the bok choy, and remove it before serving. Find the slow-cooker version of the recipe here.
- Total:
- Serves: 4 persons
Ingredients
- 3to 3½ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- ½heaping cup sweet white or yellow miso, plus more to taste
- 2scallions, trimmed and halved, plus more for serving
- 4dried shiitake mushrooms, halved (optional)
- 3garlic cloves, smashed
- 6cups low-sodium chicken broth or water
- 1pound baby bok choy, cored and roughly chopped
- 2tablespoons tamari or soy sauce, plus more to taste
- 2tablespoons mirin, plus more to taste
- 12to 16 ounces fresh or dried ramen, cooked and drained
- Soft-boiled eggs, sesame seeds and toasted nori sheets, for serving
Instructions
Step 1
Put the chicken thighs in a 6- to 8-quart pressure cooker and crumble the miso on top. Add the scallions, mushrooms (if using), garlic and broth or water. Stir well to combine. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then release the remaining pressure manually. Open the lid.Step 2
Remove the scallions with tongs or a slotted spoon. (If they are overcooked, discard them. If they are not, chop them and add them back to the soup.) Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the bone-in chicken to a bowl to cool. (If using boneless chicken thighs, you can shred them directly in the pot.)Step 3
Stir the bok choy, tamari and mirin into the pot. Using the sauté function, cook until the bok choy is wilted but still brightly colored, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the meat from the chicken bones, shred it and add it back to the pot.Step 4
Taste the soup and whisk in a few more spoonfuls of miso or tamari, if desired. If the soup tastes too salty, add some water and mirin.Step 5
Divide the noodles among four or five bowls and ladle the soup on top. Top each with sliced fresh scallions, a halved soft-boiled egg, sesame seeds and a piece of nori.