I love Ramen Noodle soup. I have since I was a kid. It’s cheap, delicious, and (except during the height of the pandemic) pretty easy to find.

That being said, overs the years I have gravitated towards the Maruchan Creamy Chicken flavor being the best. I don’t eat at a frequency I get sick of it, so it’s all I buy. However, sometimes I feel a little bad that I’m basically eating a boiled salt slick, so I have started to find ways to “healthy” it up a little bit. I think I have it perfected.

First, in the pan/pot in which you are going to cook it, sauté some Mirepoix in a little butter. I just use the frozen stuff. Second, add the water to get it boiling, then add the noodles per the instructions. Once the noodles start get soft I add the creamy chicken seasoning but also a little chili oil for some heat. I find mine from a local restaurant (Umi) at Baesler’s back home, but you should be able to find some version of it at most grocery stores.

My final step is adding in an egg and diced cooked white meat chicken as I turn off the heat. Stirring it up, so the egg breaks apart while it cooks, and the chicken reaches temperature without over cooking. The wife is good about having cooked diced chicken breast prepared for us to use in salads, quesadillas, etc… but in a pinch a packet of this works.

The mirepoix was my idea, but everything came from talking to old fraternity brothers and/or facebook comments. This is the end result:

Sure, I still get all the sodium, but it’s a little more filling and flavorful and makes for a pretty good lunch. No snacks required (usually) before dinner.