Chicken Ramen Alfredo is the Best Ramen Recipe You’ll Try This Year (Under $10 to Make!)
Looking for a delicious budget meal the entire family will love? This creamy chicken alfredo idea is the best ramen recipe we’ve tried!
Elevate ordinary ramen noodles into an exciting meal for under $10!
Our readers have been asking for some easy & affordable meal ideas, so I’m sharing a unique dinner idea my family recently tried and loved.
This is a satisfying comforting skillet meal with noodles and chicken that is easy enough to throw together on busy weeknights pulling common ingredients you may already have in the pantry and fridge.
Chicken Ramen Alfredo | Best Ramen Recipe
yield: 4 SERVINGS
prep time: 10 MINUTES
cook time: 15 MINUTES
total time: 25 MINUTES
Packets of ramen noodles get transformed into homemade creamy Alfredo with chicken.
Ingredients
- 4 packets ramen noodles, chicken flavor, seasoning packets separated
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups half & half
- 1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 12 oz. can cooked chicken, drained
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley (optional garnish)
Directions
1
Separate the ramen noodles from the packets. Boil ramen noodles until not fully soft, more "al dente". Drain, and reserve about a cup of the liquid.
2
Heat a large skillet to medium heat and melt the butter. Add the garlic, and let sauté for a minute.
3
Reduce the heat to low and add the half & half. Stir in the parmesan cheese. Add the chicken seasoning packets and black pepper, and stir. Melt the sauce until thickened and keep stirring. If the sauce becomes too thick add a bit of the reserved noodle water back in.
4
Add in the noodles and stir. Add in the drained canned chicken. Garnish with chopped parsley if desired. Serve warm and enjoy!
Tips for making the best ramen alfredo recipe:
- I recommend using only 2 of the chicken seasoning packets and tasting the sauce before proceeding with more. They do have a strong chicken flavor and are pretty salty, so I felt like two was perfect!
- Be sure to lower the heat when adding the cheese and melting the sauce to lessen the chance of it separating. Reserve some of the noodle water to add it back in if the sauce becomes too thick.
- Feel free to add veggies to this skillet meal. I was thinking a handful of fresh spinach or a bag of frozen peas or broccoli could be delicious and easy.
- I used canned chicken because it’s inexpensive and easy to keep on hand in the pantry. You can use grilled chicken instead, swap for shrimp, or omit the protein altogether.
My kids really enjoyed this “fancy” ramen!
The creamy cheesy sauce texture goes perfectly with ramen noodles and I loved adding chopped parsley for a fresh element. If you’re looking for an easy skillet dinner, definitely give this ramen alfredo a try. It’s perfect for busy nights when you don’t really have a plan and want something fast and low effort. 😉
My teammate Chelsey made this ramen recipe for her family and here’s what she said:
“This recipe is not only super easy to make and inexpensive, but it also makes a TON of food! My husband has dubbed it the ‘leftover alfredo’ because there are so many ways that you can switch it up including adding spinach, rotisserie chicken, sun-dried tomatoes… basically anything leftover in your fridge that needs to be used up. I also love that it uses ingredients that you might already have on hand or are able to use in other ways, such as the half & half that can go in your coffee or the parmesan cheese that’s great on, well, everything! Definitely give this recipe a try!”
Ramen taco bowls are another fun and unique way to transform ramen into a cheap meal!
Thank you! Definitely trying this one.
Yum! Enjoy!
We might be having this for dinner tonight. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Oh yay- sure!
Same! Thank you! 😉
Respectfully, No thank you.
Did you use regular chicken ramen or the creamy chicken flavor. I wonder about the shrimp one too
I did the regular but you can change the flavor! I haven’t tasted that flavor, but if you like it – yum. Also adding shrimp would be tasty instead of chicken.
I’ve made this for many years, and suggest cutting back on the half and half and adding a little cream cheese (maybe 2 or three tablespoons). Makes a really nice, thick (but not too thick) sauce that helps bring out the parm.
Oh love that idea! Thanks for sharing, Craig!
Lina, this sounds delicious! I’m not a big fan of garlic, so would substituting some garlic powder work in place of the cloves? Thank you!
Yes and the conversion is about 1/8th of a teaspoon per clove.
Thank you!
Another great recipe is: egg drop ramen noodles-when the noodle’s & seasoning are done cooking, add 1-2 eggs(beaten) to your ramen. Stir the egg(s) constantly to incorporate into the noodles, when egg is finished cooking, remove ramen noodles from the heat and enjoy! All flavors of ramen can be used, my favorites are chicken and beef! My mom even adds frozen mixed vegetables to her ramen! SO GOOD!
Thanks for sharing, Naomi! 🥰
Hmmmm I really like the idea of these mostly pantry meals! Might be really helpful in these tough times. Thanks!
You’re welcome, Ashley! So glad to hear you love this recipe! 💗
Yes I hope! Thanks for stopping by!
The name of this had me so curious, I had to click. It looks so good – love Lina’s photos!
Also – what a well crafted post! It’s so easy to follow and understand! I love that. Great writing
Oh this made my day! Thank you Alyssa for your comment.
Food is so personal and not every recipe or hack will appeal to everyone, but we work hard at making content clear, helpful and worth reading.❤️🥰
Is this parmesan the pre-grated can or the fancy fresh-grated bar or tub?
Hey CeeJay! The parmesan cheese Lina used in this recipe is the pre-grated, bagged variety available with other shredded and sliced cheeses. Hoping this helps! 🧀🤗
Thanks for the quick response! Looking forward to trying this recipe this coming week.