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If you’ve ever wandered down the instant noodle aisle, chances are you’ve met the OG: shin ramyun in the iconic red packet. It’s a classic for a reason—bold, comforting and spicy. And it’s one of my favourite instant noodles of all time. But recently, I spotted a shiny new contender on the shelf: spicy chicken shin ramyun, dressed to impress in a glossy gold wrapper. These days, you can pick up Nongshim shin ramyun at some of the bigger supermarkets like Tesco (£1.20 currently) as well as the Asian supermarkets in person and online, so I urge you to give them a try.

First impressions

The packaging is a bit of a show-off—gold and glitzy, like it’s promising something special. Inside, it’s the usual Shin setup: noodles, seasoning, and a sachet of dried bits. This time, those bits include what I assume are rehydrated chicken pieces. I’ll be honest—they’re not the highlight. A bit chewy, a bit mystery-meat-ish. Probably gluten? Either way, not the star of the show.

The shiny gold chicken shin ramyun packet with noodles and two packets of seasoning

The flavour

If you’re expecting a total departure from the original, don’t. This chicken shin ramyun still tastes very much like the classic, just with a slightly mellower, chicken-y twist. The rich umami backbone is still there (sorry, couldn’t help myself!), but less punchy which means that the overall effect is less in your face. As always, I added an egg (soft-boiled in the broth as the noodles cook). It’s my go-to Shin upgrade because the yolk mellows out the spice and adds a rich, silky texture.

Steaming bowl of Shin Ramyun instant noodles

Scores & final thoughts

Definitely a nice change from the usual and on the better end of most spicy chicken instant noodles I’ve tried. The he rehydrated bits and bobs included something chicken-ish (maybe soy pieces, not sure) which were a bit meh. I will buy again (and have done several times now) but it’ll never dethrone the original red packet shin ramyun.

  • Flavour – 8/10
  • Texture – 7/10
  • Ease of making – 8/10

TOTAL: 23/30

Buy again? Yes most definitely!

Want more instant noodles?

See more reviews and decide which instant noodles you’re going to eat next here. Fancy contributing a guest post? Drop me an email on hello@gingeybites.com and we’ll get it arranged!

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