This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This Chicken Pad Thai Recipe is a quicker version than the traditional but still tastes absolutely delicious! Double win!
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
First up we’ll make the sauce–in a small bowl, combine some soy sauce, sugar, red wine vinegar, hoisin sauce,
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
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
Now, we can get to the main event. Slice up some onion,
1lb.boneless skinless chicken breastscut into bite sized pieces
1cupyellow onionsliced
2large eggs
3/4cupjulienned carrot
3/4cupbean 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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
Address: Apt. 994 8891 Orval Hill, Brittnyburgh, AZ 41023-0398
Phone: +26417467956738
Job: District Marketing Strategist
Hobby: Embroidery, Bodybuilding, Motor sports, Amateur radio, Wood carving, Whittling, Air sports
Introduction: My name is Prof. An Powlowski, I am a charming, helpful, attractive, good, graceful, thoughtful, vast person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.