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 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!

What goes with Pad Thai? ›

This makes an excellent, satisfying meal on its own, but if you're looking for extra veggies, it would pair nicely with Papaya Salad, Thai Spring Rolls, or Thai Carrot Salad. While we love this noodle version, if you are looking for a lighter option be sure to try our Noodle-Free Pad Thai!

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 is the pink stuff in pad thai? ›

Tamarind concentrate: This is the starring ingredient in pad Thai that gives the sauce its signature tangy, sweet, and fruity flavor. Granted, some American Thai restaurants have switched to using ketchup in its place, which gives the dish a notably different and less-tangy flavor.

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.

What are the ingredients in a taste of Thai pad thai? ›

Ingredients. Sauce: Palm sugar, Water, Tamarind, Shallots, Sweet radishes (sodium benzoate), Garlic, Soybean oil, Potassium chloride, Maltodextrin, Miso (soybean, rice), Salt, Hydrolyzed vegetable proteins, Yeast extract, Paprika oleoresin, Citric acid, Alpha-tocopherol, Chili oleoresin.

Should pad thai be wet or dry? ›

Real pad thai should be:

Stir-fried in a hot wok, so the noodles come out dry with a little smokiness, not wet.

What is a substitute for tamarind paste in pad thai? ›

The vinegar-sugar mix works well in dishes like pad thai chicken. If your recipe calls for 1 tablespoon tamarind paste, substitute with 1 tablespoon vinegar mixed with 1 tablespoon brown sugar. If using fresh lime juice, substitute 2 tablespoons lime juice for every 1 tablespoon tamarind paste.

What alcohol goes with pad thai? ›

Light, crisp white wines with a bit of sweetness (like an off-dry Riesling) are safe zones when pairing with Thai food. However, if you are in the mood for red wine, go for light-bodied, light tannin, and high acidity wines like Pinot Noirs or Gamays.

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 the healthiest Thai dish to eat? ›

10 of Our Favorite Healthy Thai Dishes, According to a Dietitian
  • Papaya salad.
  • Pomelo salad.
  • Spring rolls.
  • Clear spicy Thai soup.
  • Hainanese chicken with rice.
  • Steamed fish.
  • Coconut lemongrass clams.
  • Garlic stir-fried vegetables.
Aug 19, 2022

What is special about Pad Thai? ›

Why is Pad Thai so popular? David Thompson says this dish hits all the flavour notes – sour, sweet, bitter, salty and umami. He says, “A good Pad Thai should be made with prawns and deep-fried shallots and when made well, it is damn delicious.”

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 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.

What is pad Thai and where is it from? ›

Pad Thai is legendary street food. You can find it on nearly every street corner in Thailand. But what exactly is it? Popular among college students, chefs, and anyone who tastes it, pad Thai is a quick-to-prepare stir-fry dish that's both healthy and deliciously filling.

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