Chicken Pad Thai Recipe (2024)

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This Chicken Pad Thai Recipe is a quicker version than the traditional but still tastes absolutely delicious! Double win!

Chicken Pad Thai Recipe (1)

Today I’m posting a Chicken Pad Thai Recipe that gets you in and out of the kitchen in no time and keeps you off your feet. This Pad Thai is a very quick dinner to cook up that uses a bunch of ingredients you probably already have on hand. Traditional Pad Thai dishes typically call for fish sauce and tamarind juice concentrate. Do you have those in your pantry already? Yeah…me either. So, I subbed them out with more common things to make some seriously flavorful noodles. Not traditional but still amazing and fast enough to make this on a weeknight. Promise 🙂

Pad Thai Recipe Ingredients

Sauce – The sauce is made up of soy sauce, sugar, red wine vinegar, hoisin sauce, grated garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and red pepper flakes.I know it’s a lot but the flavoring is phenomenal.

Mix-Ins – We have carrots, bean sprouts, peanuts, cilantro, and an onion.They all compliment each other with taste and texture. They also add a lot of color to the dish.

Protein –Pad Thai can be made with chicken, shrimp, tofu and/or eggs. For this recipe though I stuck to the chicken and eggs for protein.

Noodles –Rice noodles are used in this recipe. I used noodles from the Thai Kitchen brand.

How to Make Pad Thai

Pad Thai Sauce

Chicken Pad Thai Recipe (2)First up we’ll make the sauce–in a small bowl, combine some soy sauce, sugar, red wine vinegar, hoisin sauce,

Chicken Pad Thai Recipe (3)

grated garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and red pepper flakes altogether. Microwave for 30-ish seconds until the sugar dissolves. Set this aside. Yup, that’s the sauce. Takes about 2 minutes.

Pad Thai Noodles

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Next, we’ll cook up some rice noodles. This was half a package of the Thai Kitchen brand. Cook these for 3-5 minutes, then drain and rinse in cold water. They should be slightly underdone because we’ll be cooking them up a little later. Set these aside.

Mix-Ins

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Now, we can get to the main event. Slice up some onion,

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and chicken. Cutting chicken that is half frozen makes my life 27 1/2 times easier. Approximately.

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Heat up some canola oil in a wok or a big skillet over medium-high heat.

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Add in that chicken and onions and cook until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Push these ingredients to one side of the pan and then…

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pour in two beaten eggs.

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Scramble these babies up and get ready to finish this recipe! Home stretch, my peeps! Yes, this recipe is that fast.

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On top of everything, pour on the cooked rice noodles, some julienned carrot, some bean sprouts

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and that sauce we made at the beginning.

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Toss everything together and cook to heat the veggies through.

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Grab some peanuts, green onions and cilantro and go to town!

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So so so so so good with peanuts and cilantro, but that’s totally my preference. Make this how you like! 🙂 Printable Recipe Card is below! Enjoy!

Other recipes you might like:

  • Thai Chicken Bites Recipe
  • Thai Peanut Slaw
  • Thai Chicken Pizza

Chicken Pad Thai Recipe (16)

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4.64 from 11 votes

Chicken Pad Thai Recipe

This Chicken Pad Thai Recipe is a quicker version than the traditional but still tastes absolutely delicious! Double win!

servings 4 servings

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Ingredients

for the pad thai sauce-

  • 4 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 4 cloves garlic finely minced or grated
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • pinch red pepper flakes

for the chicken pad thai-

  • 7 oz. rice noodles
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 cup yellow onion sliced
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup julienned carrot
  • 3/4 cup bean sprouts

For Garnish-

  • cilantro
  • peanuts
  • lime wedges
  • green onions

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, hoisin, sugar, garlic, vinegar, Worcestershire and red pepper flakes together. Microwave 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.

  • Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook rice noodles 5 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

  • In a large wok or skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken and onions together until browned. Move to one side of the pan.

  • Crack eggs into a small bowl and beat with a fork. Pour into the empty side of the pan and stir to scramble. Toss in carrots, bean sprouts, cooked noodles, and sauce until all coated. You may add in 1/4-1/2 cup water if you think there isn't enough sauce. Cook another 2 minutes to heat veggies through. Serve with cilantro, lime wedges, peanuts, and green onion.

Nutrition

Calories: 558kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 154mg | Sodium: 1514mg | Potassium: 727mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 4160IU | Vitamin C: 9.8mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 2.3mg

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Thai

Keyword: Chicken Pad Thai, Pad Thai, Pad Thai Noodles, Pad Thai Recipe, Pad Thai Sauce

Chicken Pad Thai Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is chicken Pad Thai made of? ›

Pad Thai is a Thai noodle stir fry with a sweet-savoury-sour sauce scattered with crushed peanuts. It's made with thin, flat rice noodles, and almost always has bean sprouts, garlic chives, scrambled egg, firm tofu and a protein – the most popular being chicken or prawns/shrimp.

What makes Pad Thai taste so good? ›

The dish is mixed with a tamarind sauce and served with lime. The flavors of this dish are centered around a sweet-savory fusion. Salty, nutty, and with that slightly sweet sauce, it's a treat for tastebuds!

How to make leftover Pad Thai better? ›

For a smooth consistency that replicates the texture the food came with, adding a tablespoon or two of water to the dish can freshen up your leftovers. Remember, the longer you wait to eat sauced up Pad Thai, the more you risk heating up a soggy, unappealing dish.

Is chicken Pad Thai good for you? ›

It can definitely be a part of a balanced, well-rounded diet. While pad thai includes many nutritious ingredients, its sodium content is considerably high. You can reduce its sodium by requesting the eatery go easy on the sauce and salt-contributing condiments.

What does pad thai sauce contain? ›

Traditional pad thai sauce includes fish sauce, vinegar, sugar and tamarind paste. Tamarind paste is not easily found at a regular grocery stores so I substituted rice vinegar. If you would like to use tamarind paste, substitute about 2 Tablespoons in place of the rice vinegar in this recipe.

What are the ingredients in pad thai often? ›

Pad Thai is often served with chopped peanuts, bean sprouts, scallions, and sometimes carrots, cilantro and/or a wedge of lime. The sauce is key and is comprised of sugar, fish sauce, rice vinegar, and tamarind.

What are the 5 flavors of Pad Thai? ›

The name of this establishment refers to the five flavors (ha/ห้า=five, roat/รส=flavors) which are present in a good pad Thai: salty, sweet, sour, spicy, and savory.

What makes Pad Thai so orange? ›

When it's sold in restaurants outside Thailand, the noodles are sometimes bright orange – that's because sauces or spices, like paprika, have been used instead of tamarind. Authentic Pad Thai is a light reddish-brown colour.

Why is my Pad Thai soggy? ›

Cooking rice noodles is not actually hard, but most people misunderstand how they need to be treated.The #1 reason why your rice noodle stir fries are a soggy mess is that you're cooking them before cooking them.

How do you thicken Pad Thai? ›

In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water until smooth to make a slurry (see note). Whisk the slurry into the tamarind sauce and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, whisking continuously, for 2 minutes. As the cornstarch cooks, it will thicken up the sauce.

What makes Pad Thai sticky? ›

Because they are made from rice flour, Pad Thai Noodles are cooked differently than traditional wheat noodles. Instead of boiling, Pad Thai Noodles are soaked in cold or warm water. The soaking process softens the noodles and makes them slippery, while boiling makes them sticky or gummy.

Why is my Pad Thai sour? ›

Why is my pad thai so dark and so sour?! You used the wrong tamarind. You probably used "tamarind concentrate" from India, which is entirely different from the one we use in Thailand and is much more concentrated. It can be used but you'll have to dilute it.

What is the healthiest Thai dish to order? ›

Top 5 of the Healthiest Thai Food Orders
  • Papaya salad makes for a great appetizer to a heavier meal. ...
  • Phad Thai always gets a bad rap in terms of its healthiness. ...
  • Chicken or prawn satay with a side of Thai ginger green salad gives you a well-balanced and filling meal.
Apr 27, 2020

Is Pad Thai ok on a diet? ›

Best: Pad Thai

Get it with shrimp, chicken, or tofu for lean protein, and extra veggies for fiber and vitamins. Just watch your portion: Pad thai clocks in at 300 to 400 calories a cup. Some restaurants' entrees are three or four times that.

What ethnicity is chicken Pad Thai? ›

Pad thai is a popular Thai dish that combines stir-fried rice noodles with eggs, tofu, and chicken or another protein. Once you toss all of this delicious food with a sour, sweet, salty sauce, you are guaranteed to enjoy it.

What is Thai chicken made of? ›

In addition to lemongrass and fish sauce, the marinade for this chicken is packed full of other classic Thai ingredients – loads of garlic, a touch of sweet and a great hit of chili. Traditionally, Gai Yang is served with a dipping sauce. I like making this with chicken thighs because it is such a juicy cut.

Why is pad thai so popular? ›

What makes Pad Thai the most popular of all Thai dishes could be attributed to taste, ease of preparation, low cost, and high availability as street food. It is a dish that hits all the flavorful notes – sour, sweet, bitter, salty and umami.

Is pad thai supposed to be sweet? ›

A perfectly cooked pad Thai should have a balance of flavors — tangy, sweet, spicy and salty, Trang says. This comes from a blend of tamarind paste, palm sugar, crushed red chili peppers and fish sauce. Traditional pad Thai sauces follow a basic formula of a third each of palm sugar, tamarind paste and fish sauce.

Is pad thai made with egg noodles or rice noodles? ›

Egg noodles are a versatile ingredient and are commonly used in dishes like lo mein, chow mein and beef and broccoli noodles. Rice noodles are used for dishes like pad Thai, pho, and noodle salad.

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