It’s Chicken Noodle Soup season, and there are plenty of ways to enjoy this cold-weather classic. At CHEF iQ, we love to spice up our dinner staples by introducing new flavors and textures. Want to kick up your soups? Turn them into ramen! 

Ramen is made of five essential elements: noodles; tare; broth; toppings; and an aromatic oil. If we break down Chicken Noodle Soup, you’ve already got three of the basics -- the noodles, the broth, and the meat. It’s easy to turn this soup into a top-notch bowl of ramen.

First, you need to make a tare to season your ramen broth. A tare’s primary purpose is to add saltiness, but it can also be a vehicle for additional umami, sweetness, spiciness, or sourness. Tares are often made up of ingredients like soy sauce, hoisin, oyster sauce, miso, rice wine vinegar, black vinegar, mirin, chile paste, ground ginger, or garlic. The sky’s the limit when seasoning your broth!

The final element to a successful bowl of ramen is an aromatic oil. You could make your own, giving you more control over the flavors you want, or you could simply buy a jar of chili crisp. This infused oil is sparkling with chili flakes, crunchy bits of onion and garlic, and other seasonings. It instantly adds the perfect textural contrast while packing in a ton of spicy flavor! 

Now it’s time to go ramen-ify your meal!