Instant Pot Chicken Wing Ramen

do you like wings do you like ramen If you said yes twice, we should meet. Besides that, make chicken wing ramen. It will be your happy place.

This easy Instant Pot recipe will be your number one choice to use up leftover wings, either from dinner or when you make them at home.

Throw it all in the Instant Pot and you’ve got an easy weeknight meal from your party leftovers.

What wings can be used for ramen?

This whole idea came from my friend who regularly goes to the local brewery’s weekly grand piano night. He intentionally orders more hot wings than he can eat so he can take the leftovers home to make Buffalo Wing Ramen.

While buffalo ramen is indeed awesome and remains my favorite manifestation of chicken wing ramen (there’s that gorgeous bright red film of fat on top of the broth), we’ve found that it’s possible to make ramen out of it any leftover cooked chicken wings.

I’ve tried miso chicken wings, old bay chicken wings, and teriyaki chicken wings. Sure, the flavor will vary depending on what you use, but it’s still essentially ramen.

Ramen has caught on in American noodle shops for the last 20 years, but most of us still see it as a super-cheap instant noodle soup with super-salty spice packets.

Real ramen is a Japanese noodle soup in a flavorful broth, topped with sliced pork, soft-boiled eggs, and a very light sprinkling of vegetables. All components are artfully arranged and in a wonderful harmony of colours, textures and aromas. The best shops spend years perfecting their broth and pasta.

You but you don’t have to. A satisfying bowl of steaming pasta and broth on a cold or rainy day is just about perfect. Chicken wings have tons of gristle and give you a silky, rich broth. Your Instant Pot makes these traits fast because it’s an ace at making chicken broth, stat.

How to cook the eggs

Cook your ramen eggs right in the broth in the pot. For many recipes, you’ll do this over a steamer before you even boil the broth, but why bother? Boiling eggs in the broth streamlines the process and the eggs turn out just right.

The skins will be a little greasy, but you’ll be peeling them soon anyway. You want to undercook the egg so the white is set but the yolk is a bit sticky. Two minutes of high pressure will nail it every time!

What are the best noodles?

The classic noodles for ramen are Chinese-style fresh wheat flour noodles. You may be able to easily find such noodles at a grocery store or Asian market—or, like me, have limited options.

I use long-life “fresh” Chinese-style Hokkien pan noodles from the Asia section of my major grocery chain. If you’re in a pinch, use the noodles from two packets of instant ramen (but throw on the spice packets).

Traditionally, the noodles are cooked in a separate pot of boiling water and not directly in the broth. This is streamlined ramen, though, and we’re going to make it right in the broth like the wing-loving villains we are.

What do you serve with it?

Good question! Instead of filling the ramen with veggies and distracting from the gorgeous broth, I suggest a humble sprinkling of scallions and a refreshing cucumber salad as a side. Dude, you just ate the wings of a dozen or so chickens for dinner, don’t get all worked up about green veggies right now.

Need more Instant Pot recipes?

Instant Pot Barley Lunch Jars
Pressure cooker lamb stew with spring vegetables
Instant Pot Beef Chili
Pressure Cooker BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Instant Pot Paella with Chicken and Sausage

preparation time
15 minutes

cooking time
60 minutes

total time
75 minutes

portions
3
up to 4 servings

If you have fresh wing tips from cutting up your own chicken wings, save them to add to the soup. The 4 cups of wings is a rough guide – the more you can add, the better and meatier the ramen will be.

If the idea of boiling the eggs in broth isn’t for you, you can steam them using this method in the Instant Pot or using this method on the stovetop.

1 to 1 1/2 lb (about 4 to 6 cups) Cooked leftovers chicken wing
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 Cup water
2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoon mirin rice wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 to 4 big eggs
1 (7.1 ounce) package fresh egg noodles or 2 Packages Instant RamenDiscarded Spice Packs
2 spring onionsthinly sliced

Pluck the flesh and skin from the cooked wing bones:

This is easier when they’re still warm, but when they’re cold, just do your best. Set the meat aside.

In the Instant Pot insert, add the skin, bones, chicken broth, and water. Lock the lid and make sure the pressure relief valve is set tight. Select Manual/High Pressure Cook for 30 minutes.
Release pressure and remove bone and skin:

Release the pressure with the quick release valve. Depending on your stove model, you do this by opening the valve with the handle of a spoon or a knob on the pressure cooker. Doing so will quickly release a large burst of vapor, so keep your fingers free. Unlock the lid.

Use a slotted spoon or slotted spoon to remove the bones and skin from the broth. Discard the solids. If the broth is particularly fatty, skim off the fat with a large metal cooking spoon, but some fat is fine.
Use up the broth and boil the eggs:

Add the soy sauce, mirin, and sugar to the saucepan.

At this stage, you can cook the eggs in two ways. I added the whole eggs (shell and all) to the broth. Lock the lid and make sure the pressure relief valve is set tight. Cook on Manual/Pressure on High Pressure for 2 minutes.

Alternatively, you can prepare the jam eggs on the stove while the broth is simmering. Try this method to steam the eggs for 10 minutes.
Prepare an ice bath:

While the eggs are cooking, prepare an ice water bath in a small bowl. When the Instant Pot beeps, release the pressure using the quick release valve.

Use a slotted spoon or slotted spoon to lift the eggs out of the saucepan. Dip them in the ice water. (They’ll be a bit greasy, but you’ll be peeling them soon anyway.)
Add pasta and meat:

Add the noodles and reserved meat to the Instant Pot. Remove lid, switch to sauté setting and cook 2 minutes or until pasta is cooked through.

While the ramen is cooking, peel the eggs. Put aside.
Adjust the condiments and serve:

Taste the broth. It may need more salt or soy sauce depending on how flavorful your leftover wings were. Season as needed.

Divide broth, meat and noodles among bowls. Halve the eggs and place the halves in the broth; they should warm from the heat of the broth. Garnish with spring onions and serve.