Chicken Shoyu Ramen

Break a whole chicken down into pieces. Remove the skin from the breast, thighs, and legs for use in the chicken oil. Remove the bones from the thighs, save the backbone, and wings for the stock. Save the thighs for the rolled chicken thigh. Use the breasts and legs for whatever you want.

• Set a stockpot over a scale and add the thigh bones, backbones, and wings. Note the weight down and add 2x that amount in water. Ex: 900 g bones x 2 = 1800 g water. You can add less water if you would like.

Bring the pot to a boil on the stove top and skim the rising scum off the top.

Then, you can keep it simmering on the stove or add the pot with the lid cracked to a 190°F/87°C oven and let it bake / simmer for 5 hours, that way you don’t have to babysit the broth on the stove.

• While that goes, prep the remaining components.

Salt the chicken thighs and let them dry brine in the fridge for at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 275°F/133°C. Pull the chicken out and roll each thigh up into a tight log as best you can. Secure with 3 or 4 pieces of butcher's twine. Set the chicken on a wire rack over a baking sheet and place in the oven.

Gently roast until the interior reaches 165°F/73°C. Wrap the chicken in plastic wrap and hold in the fridge until ready to use, where you can unwrap and slice into “chasu” like pieces for topping the ramen.

Add the reserved chicken skin and a splash of water to a cold pan. Set the heat to medium-low and slowly render the fat.

• This will take at least 30 to 45 minutes.

The skins should become golden brown and completely crisp. Be careful not to burn them. Once the fat is rendered, remove the chicken pieces.

Toss in the garlic cloves and ends of the green onions to bloom. Cook for about 10 minutes until fragrant. Strain the oil into a container and store it in the fridge or freezer until ready to use.

Set a container over a scale and add the soy sauce, kombu, and mirin. Put a lid over the top and set it in the fridge to cold steep for at least 6 hours or up to 2 days.

• Cold steeping gets you the best flavor. In a pinch, you could skip this step.

Pour the mixture into a pot and heat to 160°F/71°C, and hold there for about 10 minutes. Remove the kombu and add in the dashi flakes. Heat to 180°F/82°C and hold for 10 minutes being careful not to boil.

Strain the mixture into a jar or squirt bottle. Stores in the fridge indefinitely.

• Use 30 g per 350 g of UNSALTED soup (~10%) If your soup has salt in it already, use less and adjust to taste.

Gently add eggs (however many you want to make in advance) to a pot of boiling water and set a timer for 6.5 minutes. Remove and place in a bowl of ice water for 10 minutes.

Gently peel the shells and store the soft boiled eggs in a sealed container in the fridge until ready to use.

• Optionally, you could brine them for 24 hours in soy sauce or the tare for a cured yolk effect.

Once the 5 hours are up for the broth — take the pot out and add the ginger (or other aromatics if desired). Cook for one more hour in the oven to infuse the ginger into the soup. Once done, strain the soup into a container.

• Optional step: set in the fridge overnight and skim the fat in the morning.

Transfer to mason jars for 350 g serving sizes (perfect for 1 bowl). Extra servings can be frozen.

When you are ready to make a bowl of ramen, set a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, transfer some of the hot water to your ramen bowl to preheat it. You’ll want to get everything ready so you can enjoy the bowl as soon as the noodles are just cooked through.

• Slice a portion of chicken, scallions, and a soft-boiled egg. Heat the broth in the microwave or on the stove.

Now, add a serving of noodles to the boiling water and cook according to the package recommendation.

• Meanwhile, add ~30 g (2 spoonfuls) of the shoyu to the bottom of the bowl along with a spoonful of the garlic scallion chicken oil, and the portion of hot broth last.

Strain the noodles and immediately add them to the bowl. Top with the chicken, scallions, egg, pickled onions, or any toppings of your choice. Slurp and enjoy!