Jerk Chicken Ramen

Last summer when we were camping, we came up with our Camping Ramen but we've wondered ever since....how would we make it if we were at home?  Not to mention, how could we make it healthier?  I'm the soup lady in our house so last night, I did it!

It turned out great!  Anxious to have it for lunch today and see how those flavors transformed overnight.  My one hiccup was that we were out of Jerk Seasoning for our chicken.  Oops!  So much for relying on memory!  But I powered through and we made our own, just click the link above if you're interested in doing the same or can't find a Jerk seasoning where you shop.  We always use a wet rub when we marinate our jerk meat.

Keep in mind that my spice measurements are just your jumping-off point!  You'll want to add or subtract depending on the flavors you prefer and how you like your soups to taste!

Enough blabbering, here is what I did:

Ingredients:

• 6 packets Ramen Noodles(throw those evil spice packets OUT) or Six bunches of the noodles shown here (found them at Costco)
• Two containers of broth (I use vegetable because ..MSG)
• 2 Zucchini
• 3 Large Carrots
• 4-5 medium Mushrooms (I used Cremini)
• 1 Large Onion (we used a yellow onion)
• Olive Oil (or preferred cooking oil)
• 1 Tablespoon dried basil (dried or fresh - your choice)
• 2 teaspoons Poultry Seasoning
• Salt to taste
• Black Pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon Garlic Powder (use fresh minced if you prefer)
• 1/2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika (if you have it)
• Jerk Chicken, cooked

Directions:

• Chop onion and carrots, put in a soup pot with cooking oil to coat, add basil, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder and smoked paprika, stir to combine.  Cook on medium heat until onions are soft.
• Add broth and add about 6-8 cups of water, depending on the size of your pot (if you don't have a soup pot and are making this in a standard 5-quart stock pot that comes with cookware sets - I would suggest cutting this recipe by 1/2)
• Bring to a boil and let simmer for 20 minutes
• While water is simmering, chop your zucchini and mushrooms
• Taste broth and adjust your seasonings so that the flavor is right where you want it (I may have added a pinch of jalepeno salt, a dash of truffle oil, put in more salt, a pinch of cumin for flavor ... just kept going until it was where I liked it.  Keep in mind when you throw in the Jerk Chicken - a lot of flavor will come in at that point, so don't over due the spice factor!)
• Add zucchini and mushrooms to the pot and stir, bringing to a boil again
• When water boils, add your noodles and stir.
• When noodles are nearly finished, turn the heat down to low and chop your jerk chicken, adding to the pot.
• When everything is well combined and hot - scoop and serve!

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