This might be the most important noodle I’ll ever review. Nissin Chikin Ramen (spelled “Chikin” intentionally, not as a typo) is the original instant noodle, first released in Japan in 1958 by Momofuku Ando. At the time, postwar Japan was facing food shortages, and the U.S. was supplying wheat flour to help feed the country. Bread wasn’t popular, so Ando set out to turn wheat into noodles that could last without refrigeration. His breakthrough came when he saw his wife frying tempura and realized that oil could be used to dehydrate noodles instantly. That discovery led to the world’s first flash-fried, shelf-stable noodle, and the birth of instant ramen itself, in the form of this Chikin Ramen.
Read more: Noodle Journey Episode 155: Nissin Chikin RamenIt’s incredible that this same product is still made and sold in Japan today. Imported packs pop up at Asian grocers and on some online marketplaces, though prices fluctuate wildly depending on shipping and source. I paid about $10 for a five-pack, but I’ve seen it sell for anywhere from $8 to $15. The block itself looks simple: a tightly woven nest of noodles with no separate packets. That’s because the seasoning is baked directly into the noodle, a design that lets it transform into broth just by adding hot water. For something first made in the 1950s, that’s still remarkably clever and I wonder why more manufacturers don’t do it with their flagship products.
Each serving contains roughly 2200 mg of sodium, or about 92% of your daily value. The ingredient list is straightforward: wheat flour, palm oil, soy sauce, salt, chicken extract, onion powder, spices, and egg powder. The noodle block’s concave center is there for a reason; it’s meant to cradle an egg cracked right on top before adding water, allowing it to poach as the noodles soften. I don’t recommend this method outside Japan, where eggs are pasteurized differently, but the design itself shows how thoughtful Ando’s original concept was. Prior to this review, I attempted making this with an egg myself, but the result after the short cook time yielded whites way too undercooked for my liking. If you like firm whites or are concerned about salmonella, definitely poach or boil your egg separately if you intend on adding one.
The aroma after cooking is a warm roast smell, with deep chicken and toasted oil notes. It smells nostalgic, a little closer to homemade stock than typical instant broth, with a faint soy-umami sweetness beneath the surface.
Noodles:
They’re thin, slightly flat, and behave a lot like Cup Noodles – soft, crumbly, and quick to absorb broth. The texture isn’t refined, but it suits the product’s purpose in that it’s fast, comforting, and easy to eat. You can tell this was built for accessibility, not luxury.
• 5/10
Spiciness:
Completely mild. There’s no chili, no pepper burn, and nothing remotely hot. This is a purely mild chicken noodle soup profile.
• 0/10
Overall:
There’s a reason Nissin Chikin Ramen remains beloved after all these years. The broth is unique: roasted chicken layered with soy sauce and MSG for umami depth, smoothed out by just enough sweetness to balance the toasted flavor. That roasted character can verge on slightly bitter, but it never crosses into unpleasantness. It feels like a blend of nostalgia and ingenuity, a reminder of why instant ramen became a global staple in the first place. Adding a poached egg and a few scallions turns it into something genuinely comforting. It’s not the most complex bowl, and the noodles are average at best, but as a piece of food history, it still tastes great, and that’s pretty remarkable after nearly 7 decades.
• 7.5/10
