Student Cooking Done Better
George Jessop is a Liberal Arts Student at Leeds who works part-time as a chef at El Gato Negro, a tapas restaurant and bar in Leeds which has won multiple awards. George’s love of cooking expands beyond his job, and he writes accessible recipes for students, so they can enjoy good food on a budget.
George’s Chicken Ramen
A lot of students know the economic value of buying a whole chicken from Aldi, roasting it, then having it in the fridge. If you want to mix it up from chicken stews, sandwiches and pasta, this recipe is one of the tastiest ways to give those chickens a good send-off. As this is a bit of a lengthy process, I normally space the cooking over a few days.
As indicated below, this recipe works if you’re feeding a crowd or if you’re meal prepping – with chicken meat in the fridge and stock in the freezer you can throw it together for yourself in about 15 minutes.
Serves 5-6 people
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
2 onions
2 carrots
1 bulb of garlic
Sea salt
Black pepper
3 tbsp butter
2 thumb sized pieces of ginger
6 eggs
6-9 nests of medium egg noodles (hunger dependant)
Soy sauce
Vegetable oil
Sriracha
Roasting the chicken:
1. Check your chicken’s packet for oven heat and timings, just remember to preheat the oven.
2. None of the veg needs to be peeled, so half two onions, a few carrots (lengthways) and a bulb of garlic (vertically). With this, make a tray for your chicken in your roasting tin, so the bird doesn’t touch the tray.
3. Rub the chicken generously all over with butter, season well all over (including the cavity) with sea salt and black pepper, stuff the cavity with a lemon, and cook according to packet instructions.
Making the stock:
4. Either the next day, or once cooled, strip all the meat off the bones, set aside, and put the bones into a large pot. Add in your roasted veg, all of the roasting juices, a thumb sized piece of ginger thinly sliced (or grated), and optionally a few bay leaves if you have some. Fill up with cold water to cover everything by about an inch.
5. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 45 minutes. Strain through a sieve into another large pot, check salt levels and reseason if needed.
6. If cooking as a part of a meal prep, place freezer bags in a cereal bowl, ladle your chicken stock into portions, about 2 ladles per portion should do. Store in the freezer until ready to use.
7. If you’re cooking for a crowd, leave your stock simmering on a low heat.
If you’re cooking for a group:
1. Have your stock simmering on low. Put a full kettle on and get a large saucepan on high. Fill it with boiling water and season (with table salt) it to a bit less than sea-saltiness.
2. Put in an egg per-person and set a timer for 6 minutes. When two minutes have passed, add your egg noodles nests, about 1-1½ nests per person (be generous with the noodles).
3. Meanwhile, prepare your garnish: slice (at a 45° angle for perfection) your chillies and spring onion, slice your red onion into strips, coarsely grate or chop your ginger into matchsticks, pick your coriander, open the sweetcorn tin, cut your lime into wedges. Make sure the sink is empty.
4. When the time is up, drain your noodles and eggs into a colander, and immediately run both under cold running water, tapping the eggs gently to stop the cooking.
5. Get the same saucepan (or a wok/frying pan if you don’t mind the washing up) on a high heat with about 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil*.
6. Meanwhile, begin peeling your eggs (you might want a friend to help at this point) – using running water and gently rolling them on a surface helps.
7. When the oil is smoking, add in your cooked chicken, get it sizzling, add soy sauce to taste and your sliced/grated ginger.
8. Serving this for a group, it’s easiest to have noodles and eggs in bowls, then have your stock, chicken, garnish and eggs in the middle of the table. Just before serving, add 3 tablespoons of siracha to your stock and bring to a rapid boil for a few seconds so it’s as warm as possible when serving.
Cooking as a meal prep, ready in about 15 minutes:
1. Put a full kettle on and get two saucepans on a high heat.
2. In one, start reheating your frozen stock.
3. In another saucepan get some salted boiling water going. Put your egg in and start a timer for 6 minutes. After 2 minutes, add your noodles.
4. Prep garnish while they cook: slice (at a 45° angle for perfection) your chillies and spring onion, chop your red onion into strips, coarsely grate or chop your ginger into matchsticks, pick your coriander, open the sweetcorn tin, cut your lime into wedges.
5. When the time is up, drain both your egg and your noodles into a colander and immediately run both under cold running water. Give your egg a gentle tap to allow cold water to seep and stop the cooking.
6. Get your saucepan back on a high heat with some vegetable* oil in.
7. Carefully peel your egg (gently roll it and use running water to help).
8. When the oil is smoking, add in your cooked chicken. Add 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, and ½ of your ginger.
9. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until your ginger starts to take a slight colour.
10. Assemble your ramen: start with a ½ tablespoon of sriracha in a bowl, then ladle in your stock and mix. Add your noodles, then top with the chicken, the rest of your garnish, then get your egg in the middle and slice it open.
