In this recipe for Crispy Ramen Crusted Chicken, chicken tenders are coated in crushed ramen noodles then baked or air fried until golden brown and crispy. It's a lighter version of ramen fried chicken that still has amazing crunch and flavor from the crispy ramen noodles. My kid calls these "Ramen Chicken Fingers" and our whole family loves these!
More easy chicken dinners: Weeknight Tortilla Chicken Soup
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Ramen fried chicken without the oil
Ramen fried chicken is DELICIOUS, but we try to cut down on the deep-fried food around here. So I make a crispy ramen breading the chicken using flour, egg, and crushed ramen noodles, lightly spray the crusted chicken with oil, then bake or air fry instead of deep frying. The ramen noodle coating on the chicken gets super crispy in the oven and the air fryer.
This is a great recipe for using up dried ramen packets when no one wants to have ramen soup. It's also a great recipe to keep in mind if you want to make crispy baked chicken tenders but don't have breadcrumbs on hand. Remember, you can always get creative with your breaded chicken, as you can see in my pretzel crusted chicken and my Cheetos crusted chicken recipes.
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken tenders or thin-sliced chicken breast (chicken cutlets)
- 7-8 ounces dried instant ramen noodles (2.5-3 packs, depending on the size), use just the crispy noodles
- ⅓ - ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 extra large or jumbo egg + 1 tablespoon milk or water, beaten together in a bowl
- ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper, or to taste (or use the salty seasoning powder from the ramen to season the chicken)
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- olive oil in a spray bottle, or oil for pan-frying (I love this refillable oil sprayer)
- sweet chili sauce or other sauce for dipping
Equipment
- Food processor
- Large baking sheet and parchment paper (or silicone mat) OR an air fryer OR a large skillet
- 3 small-medium bowls or containers to set up the dredging station
- Meat thermometer
- Olive oil sprayer (I love this refillable one, I've had it for years)
More easy dinner main dishes: Baked Panko Breaded Pork Chops
Instructions
Pulse the ramen in a food processor until the pieces are very small, about the size of panko breadcrumbs. Don't turn it into dust, but try to get very small pieces so they stick to the chicken easier. You will need about 1.5 cups of ramen crumbs to coat 1 pound of chicken. I used three 2.25 ounce packets.
If baking, preheat oven to 400F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Set up your dredging station: one bowl with flour, one bowl with a beaten egg mixed with 1-2 tablespoons of milk or water, and 1 bowl with the ramen crumbs.
Season the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. If you want, you can use the seasoning powder from the ramen packets in place of salt.
Coat each piece of chicken in flour, then transfer to the egg mixture and coat on all sides, then transfer to the ramen crumbs. Coat the chicken in ramen on all sides, pressing down gently to ensure the ramen sticks to the chicken. Hints: 1) If your egg mixture is running low or getting too thick at the end, you can add a tablespoon of milk or water. 2) Use a fork instead of your fingers to dredge the chicken, otherwise you'll have lots of ramen crumbs stuck to your fingers.
Place the ramen-crusted chicken onto the prepared baking sheet (or into the air fryer basket). Lightly spray with oil.
Bake at 400F for about 12 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked and the ramen noodles are golden. Serve with sweet chili sauce or other sauce for dipping.
More easy Asian-inspired chicken dinner ideas: Spicy Asian Chicken Stir Fry
Air fryer instructions
Prepare the ramen-crusted chicken as described above. Arrange the chicken in an air fryer basket or tray and spray with oil.
Air fry at 350F for 8-10 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.
More easy chicken dinners: Achiote Chicken Tacos
Pan-frying instructions
If you prefer adding a little oil to your ramen chicken fingers, use this method: Prepare the ramen-crusted chicken as described above. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add a thin layer of cooking oil to the pan. Gently place the chicken into the hot oil and cook over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes per side, or until the chicken is fully cooked. This method works best for SMALL chicken tenders or thin-sliced chicken because the ramen crumbs get browned really quickly in the oil. You want to keep the heat low enough to not burn the ramen but give the chicken enough time to cook.
To be honest, this is my least-preferred method of cooking this type of chicken because (1) I don't need the extra calories from the oil and (2) you have to be really careful not to burn the ramen while making sure the chicken is fully cooked.
Recipe tips
- It is better to err on the side of smaller ramen crumbles. The ramen will not stick to the chicken if the crumbles are too big.
- This ramen chicken is best eaten fresh and doesn't make the best leftovers because the ramen coating loses its crisp in the fridge overnight. You can reheat it in the air fryer or oven, but you would end up overcooking the chicken and making it tough in order to make the ramen crispy again. So make just enough for one meal!
- All air fryers and ovens cook differently, so be sure to check on the chicken during the last few minutes of cooking to make sure the ramen is not turning brown and burning before the chicken is done. If that is happening, turn down the temperature or move the chicken away from the heat source.
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Crispy Ramen Crusted Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken tenders or thin-sliced chicken breast (chicken cutlets)
- 7-8 ounces dried instant ramen noodles (2-3 packs, depending on the size)
- ⅓ - ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 extra large egg + 1 tablespoon milk or water beaten together in a bowl
- ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper or to taste (or use the salty seasoning powder from the ramen to season the chicken)
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- olive oil in a spray bottle
- sweet chili sauce or other sauce for dipping
Special equipment
- Large baking sheet and parchment paper (or an air fryer )
- 3 small-medium bowls for dredging the chicken
Instructions
- Pulse the ramen in a food processor until the pieces are very small, about the size of panko breadcrumbs. Don't turn it into dust, but try to get very small pieces so they stick to the chicken easier. You will need about 1.5 cups of ramen crumbs to coat 1 pound of chicken. I used three 2.25 ounce ramen packets.
- If baking, preheat oven to 400F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Set up your dredging station: one bowl with flour, one bowl with a beaten egg mixed with 1-2 tablespoons of milk or water, and 1 bowl with the ramen crumbs.
- Season the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Instead of salt, you can also use the seasoning powder from the ramen packets.
- Coat each piece of chicken in flour on all sides, then transfer to the egg mixture and coat on all sides, then transfer to the ramen crumbs. Coat the chicken in ramen on all sides, pressing down gently to ensure the ramen sticks to the chicken. Hints: 1) If your egg mixture is running low, you can add another tablespoon of milk or water. 2) Use a fork instead of your fingers to dredge the chicken, otherwise you'll have lots of ramen crumbs stuck to your fingers.
- Place the ramen-crusted chicken onto the prepared baking sheet (or into the air fryer basket). Lightly spray with oil.
- Bake at 400F for about 12 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked and the ramen noodles are golden. Cook time will depend on the chicken size and shape. Serve with sweet chili sauce or other sauce for dipping.
- Prepare the ramen-crusted chicken as described above. Arrange the chicken in an air fryer basket or tray and spray with oil. Air fry at 350F for 8-10 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Prepare the ramen-crusted chicken as described above. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add a thin layer of cooking oil to the pan (about ⅛ - ¼ inches). Gently place the chicken into the hot oil and cook over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes per side, or until the chicken is fully cooked. You want to keep the heat low enough to not burn the ramen but give the chicken enough time to cook.
Notes
- This chicken is best eaten fresh and doesn't make the best leftovers because the ramen coating loses its crisp in the fridge overnight. You can reheat it in the air fryer or oven, but you would end up overcooking the chicken and making it tough in order to make the ramen crispy again. So make just enough for one meal!
- It is better to err on the side of smaller ramen crumbles. The ramen will not stick to the chicken if the crumbles are too big.
- All air fryers and ovens cook differently, so check on the chicken during the last few minutes of cooking to make sure the ramen is not turning brown and burning before the chicken is done. If that is happening, turn down the temperature or move the chicken away from the heat source. Cook time would be longer for large chicken breasts or thick chicken tenders.
Kate
Monday 20th of October 2025
This crispy ramen chicken is one of our favorite ways to make crispy baked or air fried chicken and to use up ramen noodles. Give it a try!