Since I already cracked open this cup for comparison during my review of Mike’s Fried Garlic Chicken, I figured I might as well eat it too. This one’s just labeled “Chicken Ramen Soup Flavor,” so while there’s some ingredient overlap, it’s a different recipe with no fried garlic this time.
Read more: Noodle Journey Episode 3A: Mike’s Mighty Good Chicken Ramen (Cup)The cup format is simple enough: pour boiling water to the fill line, cover it for six minutes, then add the powder and oil and stir like hell. If you’ve seen the previous episode/post, you know what you’re getting into. This is more of the same.
Noodles:
It’s the same bizarre texture from every other Mike’s variety I’ve tried: soft, slightly springy, and oddly clumpy. I gave the Fried Garlic Chicken noodles a 4/10, and this is no better. If anything, there’s even less noodle volume here, which makes the tiny portion even harder to justify. These aren’t offensive, but they’re not enjoyable either. I still don’t get the appeal.
• 4/10
Spiciness:
There isn’t any. Not even a garlic zing to nudge this into “mild” territory. The broth is smooth and tame, and unless hot chicken soup counts as spicy in your household, this lands at the bottom.
• 0/10
Overall:
This tastes like a bland chicken noodle soup and that’s about it. It’s maybe marginally better than the 30-cent packs of salt bombs from the grocery store due to the added oil, but that’s not saying much. The flavor is plain, the portion is stingy, and the noodle texture continues to be more of a curiosity than a selling point. If you’re forced to choose a Mike’s chicken variety, the Fried Garlic one at least has a more interesting flavor. This one feels like a downgrade across the board, saved only by the fact that it’s convenient and technically edible.
• 2/10
Unless you’re in dire need of a cup format and you’re dead-set on something from Mike’s, this just isn’t worth the money. I’m taking a break from Mike for now. He’s worn out his welcome, at least until the next flavor pulls me back in out of morbid curiosity.
Notes since filming: Still one of the blandest things I’ve ever eaten. Every time someone recommends Mike’s Mighty Good Ramen on Reddit, I have to swallow the urge to correct them with profanity.
I also regret labeling this episode as “3A” because I’ve never used that type of relational episode numbering since this was published. For someone like me who’s always been a big planner, that really irks me, but there’s nothing I can do about it now! 😅
