Costco carries a nice selection of Asian-themed foods in its refrigerated and frozen sections. As far as I know, this Ajinomoto Tokyo Style Shoyu Ramen with Chicken is the only pre-made version of ramen that they carry, and it’s been around for a few years. I first reviewed it back in 2019. If it’s been around for that long, it must be a decent version of the popular noodle/soup dish, right?
Costco carries a few other Ajinomoto products like the Ajinomoto Vegetable Yakisoba, Ajinomoto Chicken Yakitori with Japanese Style Fried Rice and the Ajinomoto Ling Ling Chicken & Vegetable Potstickers.
Location in Store
This is located in the Costco freezer section with the item number 1162180.
Taste
The bowls include ramen noodles, soy sauce broth, a few vegetables and a few pieces of chicken. I like everything about the ramen except for the chicken. I find the chicken super rubbery and very processed-tasting, not good at all.
The bowls are noodle-heavy and there aren’t many vegetables or chicken. I would prefer more vegetables in the ramen, but I don’t care about having more chicken because the chicken is pretty inedible. The vegetables in the ramen are green onion, carrots, corn kernels and red bell pepper, to be honest, the vegetables are so sparse and small in size you don’t really taste them.
The broth is extremely salty and tastes a lot like pure soy sauce mixed with some chicken broth but I love soy sauce so I like the broth. The noodles cook up perfectly in the microwave to a desired not too soft not too firm tenderness.
Overall the taste of the noodles and broth is enjoyable but I’m not sure I would purchase these again because of how expensive they are for what you get.
Cost
In 2019 the price was $18.99 Canadian for six bowls. In 2024 the cost is $23.99 Canadian. This seems pretty expensive to me and I definitely think you’re paying for the convenience and all the packaging.
Convenience
The ramen is really easy to make, you just pull off the plastic film, add water to the bowl and microwave the bowl with added water for four minutes. I think adding extra chicken, an egg, some extra vegetables or green onion would make this ramen a bit more flavorful and filling.
The ramen needs to be kept frozen and the best-before date is 18 months from when we purchased it. These are a convenient lunch or dinner and could also be brought to work since the ramen comes packaged in a sealed plastic bowl.
Nutrition
Calories
One bowl contains 410 calories, seven grams of fat, 63 grams of carbohydrates, two grams of fibre, eight grams of sugar, 20 grams of protein and a crazy 1700 milligrams of sodium. That’s basically your daily intake of sodium in one ramen bowl.
Ingredients
There are a lot of ingredients in the ramen that I dislike seeing like sugar, dextrose, corn syrup solids, canola oil, lard and additives like disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate. Obviously making homemade ramen will save you a ton of unnecessary, unhealthy ingredients.
Scoring
Taste: 6/10
Cost: 4/10
Convenience: 10/10
Nutrition: 3/10
Overall
Give it a try!
I like the noodles and the flavor of the broth, I do wish there were more vegetables and the chicken was a bit better quality. I probably won’t repurchase them because they’re so expensive for what you get.
Have you tried this Ajinomoto Tokyo Style Shoyu Ramen with Chicken? What did you think of it?
Please note that this review was not paid for or sponsored by any third party. This product was purchased by Costcuisine for the purpose of producing this review. The opinions in this review are strictly those of Costcuisine. Costcuisine is not affiliated with Costco or any of its suppliers. In the event that Costcuisine receives compensation for a post from the manufacturer of a product or some other third party, the arrangement will be clearly disclosed (including where the manufacturer of a product provides Costcuisine with a free sample of the product).
Pre-thaw, I slipped in some frozen veggies. When it thawed, I drained the liquid and replaced it with low-sodium chicken broth. My thinking was that it replaced some of the massive salt dose these came with. Not bad, taste-wise.
I just purchased these at my Costco for $13.99. I thought it was a great deal for 6 bowls. But now with all these reviews it seems people are pretty split so I’m not sure if I’ll like them. Either way my kids will probably love them!
Thanks for posting. I put these in the freezer and recycled the box and wanted to know the calories etc.
I love these. I have had them for dinner almost every night for a long time. they are delicious, easy and affordable.
My bff who lives in Arizona bought them 2 weeks ago! They’re fully stocked in Az! I’ve tried 3 places near me in California but haven’t been able to find these. =[
Has Costco stopped carrying these? I can’t find them there anymore!
alive and well stocked in florida locations
these bowls are my favorite! plenty of chicken. I add a soft boiled egg and some toasted onions, perfect lunch every day! (unfortunately my Costco’s have been out of them for a couple of weeks now) I sincerely hope they didn’t discontinue, can’t find them anywhere else
Yes, all three of the Costco locations near me have been out of them for about a month!
I came here to see if anyone else mentioned Costco not having them in stock for about a month now. I thought it was just a low supply for the Costco’s I shop at in Maryland.
My Costco says discontinued in all stores. I’m so upset.
I just bought these about a week ago in Canada, maybe they will have them again near you.
I actually think these are really good ramen bowls …much better than any of the dry ramen soups that are available. And 22g of protein indicates that there is probably a decent amount of chicken inside. You can always add an egg if you’d like additional protein for very little cost. I like to mix-in a spoonful of mayo to give some richness to the broth. For me, the only downside is the crazy high sodium content. Just don’t eat any more salt on the day you have this!
So, I’ll admit there isn’t as much chicken or veggie as pictured. It’s also a hell of a lot more than I get in the cheap add water soup cup so… I’ll say for the 2 to 3 bucks? a good choice for dinner at work on overnights.
This stuff is absolutely the greatest if you don’t have access to a real ramen shop. It’s made our “always get” Costco list. When you come home tired and cold and haven’t got the energy to cook, or for a quick lunch, 4 minutes in the microwave and you have a tasty broth with good noodles, and a decent amount of chicken. The vegetables are not quite as pretty and plentiful as the front of the box, but you can also add any sort of small pieces of still-frozen veg, or larger pieces that don’t need to thaw. There are all sorts of things you can add, as other people have mentioned, but it’s a good light meal all on its own.
This product is garbage. Waaay too expensive and you get less than an ounce of chicken and maybe a half an ounce of corn. They should be ashamed at putting those pictures on the packaging. I got three nickel size pieces of chicken and four pieces of corn in mine. I feel like I got totally ripped off.
I think maybe your taste buds are garbage.
They were at free samples in my Costco but also on sale at 2 dollars per bowl so I found that the price for the dish which included veggies and chicken was well worth the price.
The Costcos in my area are out of stock! 🙁 I have two bowls left in my freezer. Love Love Love them! I add some red chili flakes to kick them up a notch! I work from home and the are my go to lunch!
Where can I get a box costco doesn’t have them
Except that there’s no chicken or veggies in the bowl. Maybe a teaspoon full of chicken and three or four kernels of corn.
Costco doesn’t sell these anymore! Any ideas where I can buy them?
Out of stock?! When will you have more? Major disappointment. I love this soup! Thanks.
I love these. I softly poach two eggs and tear the yolk in the broth. In fact I’m hungry for another now…❤️
me too, I add an egg- unfortunately can’t find at my Costco’s anymore ) :
hope they didn’t discontinue
I love em. Add about 2oz more cooked chicken, chop up some jalapenos, add some cilantro, sometimes a chopped up fresh tomato. Great meal for about 500 calories. Wish sodium was lower, but other than that, great!
You could buy a 50 cent pack of ramen noodles and add all that to it and come out about 300% cheaper than this garbage soup.
k
Best ramen noodles opposed to dry noodles… Might cost a bit more but closest to Hawaii style ramen…add more veggies… spam, seaweed pepper etc…whatever you want to add…
I absolutely love these bowls. I add soy sauce in with the water while it cooks and add extra green onion. I don’t care for the chicken so I remove it after cooking (tastes better when cooked with the chicken) but it’s my favorite ramen at home. Fast and delicious, 10/10 for me!
I love the idea of extra green onion!
It’s also great with a teaspoon of sesame oil, a dash of cayenne pepper and some frozen peas. I add less water because of the moisture from the peas. Minced cilantro sprinkled on top after cooking adds a fresh flavor. I love it for breakfast.
I am definitely hooked on these Costco Ajinomoto Tokyo Style Shoyu Ramen with Chicken. My wife and I both agree that they are delicious and very tasty. These are one of the best frozen dinners that we have tried. Very happy in Campbell River, B.C.
So glad you enjoy them!
These have to be fake reviews because this soup is so not what is on the packaging. There’s almost no chicken and no vegetables it’s just Frozen ramen that’s it.
these are delicious!
$18.99 for 6 bowls of ramen? $3 something per bowl is actually a really good price. This isn’t your peasant 10 cents a bag style ramen.