What kind of cooking method was used for the chicken in my ramen?

Question

A few months ago, at a very good Asian restaurant, I had ramen with chicken in it. The chicken was cut in small "flakes" (around 2cmx1cm rectangles and really thin), was super juicy, tender and had a special chicken taste like I have never tasted before. Searching for chicken ramen recipes I only found normal ramen recipes with big thick cut chicken pieces. Recreating them tasted like normal soup chicken (also when using msg).

How was this chicken made?

Answer 1

Perhaps the chicken was done Chinese-style, fresh from the wok, rather than pre-cooked. That would give 'tender' & flavour too.

Use chicken breast straight from the fridge. You want it really almost frozen. I have a 'half-way drawer' in my fridge that keeps a temperature of between 0 & 0.5°C, so it can be very slightly icy as it comes out.

Cut each breast in half, down its length, then slice across. I use a fork and razor-sharp boning knife to do this. Hold the fork against the nearside of the chicken breast, 2mm from the last cut & draw the knife towards you, using the fork to keep your cut steady, through in one cut. (You get two pieces per cut this way.) It's no good if you have to saw at it, you'll never get it thin enough. The boning knife has very little drag, so the chicken doesn't try to follow you across the board as you pull through.

^{I did this for dinner just last night - wish I'd thought to do some photos, because it's easier than it sounds;).}

Marinate in light soy, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, crushed garlic if you like, for 30 mins or so.
Get your wok as hot as possible, add oil & stir-fry the chicken. It will take only between 1 & 2 minutes to get it 80% cooked.

Drop it in your still boiling ramen soup.
Serve.
The chicken will continue to cook on its way to the table.

Most people over-cook chicken.

Answer 2

Sounds like it was perhaps braised or post-roasted and then flaked apart.

I do that in the oven for several hours in a covered Dutch oven, with several inches of liquid.

Answer 3

If I was attempting to make something like you describe:

1. I would use chicken thigh meat, which has more flavor than chicken breast
2. I would poach it at low heat so it maintains its moisture, possibly in a flavorful broth (roasting at low temperature will concentrate flavors, but is harder to get perfect; they might also use sous vide)
3. I would let it cool after cooking, remove any skin, bones, and cartilage and then slice it thinly (professionals may also have access to a meat slicer; if you don’t have a sharp enough knife, you may need to refrigerate it so it won’t break apart when you slice it)

You could then slice into the smaller rectangles as desired, but when cutting across the grain it will often just fall apart on its own.

After slicing, keep it warm (or reheat it) in chicken stock until ready to serve, so it won’t dry out.