Chicken-based broth is one of the two dominant protein foundations of Japanese ramen alongside pork bone (tonkotsu), and the default foundation of most instant-noodle "chicken flavour" products worldwide. The broth is built by simmering chicken bones — typically backs, feet, and whole carcasses — for 4 to 8 hours, producing a clear or semi-clear golden liquid with a clean, light-bodied umami.
In shop ramen, a chicken base is often paired with a shoyu (soy sauce) or shio (salt) tare and marketed under those names rather than as "chicken ramen" per se. Nissin's original 1958 Chikin Ramen was technically a chicken-seasoned pre-flavoured noodle rather than a chicken-broth ramen, but the product established the chicken profile as the default entry point for new instant-noodle consumers globally.
In instant form, chicken is the most widely sold flavour in almost every national market — Maruchan Chicken, Nissin Top Ramen Chicken, Ottogi Jin Ramen Mild, Nongshim Chicken Cup, Lucky Me! Chicken na Chicken, and countless supermarket private labels all share a recognisable chicken-umami profile anchored by chicken fat, MSG, garlic, and onion powders. Chicken ramen is also the most common halal and kosher entry in the category, since chicken avoids the pork and shellfish constraints of other protein bases.