Name: Salt-Seasoned Chicken Chashu | Ramen Topping
Ingredients: Chicken breast 1 piece / 8.8–10.6 oz / 250–300 g; Salt ½ tsp; Sugar ½ tsp; Sake 1 tbsp; Long green onion (green part) as needed; Fresh ginger (sliced) 2–3 pieces; Garlic clove 1

Tender chicken breast chashu, poached gently until silky smooth. A delicate ramen topping for shio and light broths.

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About This Recipe

Pairs well with: Shio (salt) ramen

In recent years, chicken breast chashu has found its way onto the menus of many popular ramen shops — and its appeal is easy to understand. Where pork chashu brings richness and the sweet depth of braised fat, chicken breast chashu offers something different: an elegant quality that enhances the broth rather than competing with it. For those who appreciate a leaner, high-protein option, it is a natural fit as well. It pairs particularly well with shio ramen and other light, refined styles where the soup itself is the main focus.

Cooked low and slow, chicken breast becomes surprisingly tender — far from the dry, fibrous texture it is sometimes associated with. The result is silky and smooth, with the chicken's natural umami and sweetness emerging gently with each bite. Served over a bowl of hot shio ramen, the meat absorbs the broth as the two become one — evoking the quiet satisfaction of a well-made soup course.

This recipe also makes the most of a single chicken breast. The poaching liquid, infused with the chicken's umami, can be added directly to a ramen broth — transforming even an instant noodle soup into something noticeably deeper and more complex. One piece of chicken, two uses.

This recipe is part of our Ramen Topping series — a collection of homemade toppings that transform any bowl of ramen, including instant noodles, into a restaurant-quality experience. Each topping works beautifully on its own, and the more you layer, the more satisfying the bowl becomes.

Ingredients (Serves 2–3)

Chicken breast 1 piece / 8.8–10.6 oz / 250–300 g

Seasoning

Salt ½ tsp
Sugar ½ tsp
Sake 1 tbsp

Aromatics

Long green onion (green part) as needed
Fresh ginger (sliced) 2–3 pieces
Garlic clove 1

Instructions

1	Pat the chicken breast dry. Rub with the salt, sugar, and sake, and set aside for 15–30 minutes. Tip Adding sugar helps the meat retain moisture during cooking, resulting in a noticeably more tender, silky texture.
2	Bring a generously filled pot of water to a boil, then reduce the heat until the surface is calm and no longer bubbling. Add the green onion tops, ginger, garlic, and chicken breast. Cook over low heat for 10–15 minutes. Tip Maintaining a gentle, non-bubbling temperature is the most important step. A rolling boil will cause the chicken to tighten and dry out.
3	Turn off the heat, place a lid on the pot, and leave for 20–30 minutes. Allow the chicken to cool in the poaching liquid. Tips Leaving the chicken in the poaching liquid as it cools allows it to absorb additional moisture and flavor, producing a remarkably tender result. The poaching liquid is rich with chicken umami. Adding it to a shio ramen broth — including instant noodle soups — gives a noticeably deeper, more complex flavor.
4	Once fully cooled, slice thinly. Tip Cutting against the grain of the meat produces a noticeably softer texture with each bite. A small drizzle of sesame oil over the sliced chashu adds a pleasant aroma. Yuzu kosho or black pepper also pair beautifully with the clean flavor of the chicken.