Have you ever eaten a classic chicken Cup Noodles and thought, “Gosh, I wish this was rice”? Have you ever eaten Spanish rice and thought, “Gosh, I wish this tasted more like instant chicken ramen”? Have you ever made chicken and rice and thought, “Gosh, I wish this had only taken mere minutes to make and was one entity instead of two”?
If that’s you, it’s time to come up with a new set of three wishes, because Maruchan just launched two different flavors of a new product that might just make all your dreams come true: the Maruchan Rice Bowl. Not only that, but they are bringing back Maruchan wonton soup, this time in bowls instead of cups (and a couple other potential tweaks as well).
What will these Maruchan rice bowls consist of? Meat? Veg? Both and a secret third thing? And will the revamped Maruchan wontons soup be good or will they leave us wonton more?
So it turns out the Maruchan rice bowls will be just rice. Flavored rice that’s meant to be eaten as a side. That said, they don’t look like they will be light on flavor. The Chicken Flavored Rice Bowl is supposed to capture the classic taste of Maruchan’s ever-popular chicken ramen in rice form, while the other flavor, Mexican Rice Flavored Bowl, reportedly has a various Mexican seasonings and a bit of spice, too. If they taste how I imagine they’ll taste, the chicken rice will go well with just about anything savory and the Mexican Rice will be absolutely bangin’ in a burrito, as a side with a burrito, or topped with proteins, veggies, and sauces, like your own little at-home Chipotle moment. They even have recipes you can use to doctor these Maruchan rice bowls on the Maruchan site, which I highly recommend checking out for some inspo if you are curious.
As for the Maruchan wonton soup, it’s been a minute since the brand offered any wonton across the U.S. According to this Reddit thread, there was a Maruchan instant wonton soup available in the ’90s and early 2000s that was unceremoniously discontinued in the 2010s. Over the past few years, the brand has been testing Maruchan wonton soup in select markets across the U.S. (including Southern California), and now finally we are getting a nationwide launch of Maruchan wonton soup with all-new colorful packaging, in a large bowl and not a cup—the brand’s biggest bowls to date, apparently. The Wonton Ramen Noodle Soup (as it is being called this time) is available in Chicken Flavor and Hot & Spicy Chicken Flavor, and according to the brand (via Brand Eating), the new Maruchan Wonton Ramen Soup “isn’t just a comeback; it’s a re-envisioned bigger, bolder version of a fan favorite.” Bigger, I get. But bolder, how? Re-envisioned, how? Inquiring me’s want to know!
In th end, I may just have to go pick up one or of both of these products to find out what the real deal is here and if these are anything to write home about, because truthfully, I find myself wonton to try both.
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!