Chicken Pad Thai is a flavorful noodle stir-fry full of vegetables, chicken, rice noodles, eggs, and peanuts in a sweet and savory sauce. Make this popular dish at home in just 30 minutes!
Pad Thai is one of the most popular dishes among Thai cuisine and now you can make it easily at home for the whole family for a fraction of the price! For more easy Asian recipes, try 15-Minute Vegetable Lo Mein, 30-Minute Chicken Stir Fry, and 15-Minute Korean Ground Beef.
Pad Thai
Stir fry is are one of my favorite dishes to make because they come together quickly and are full of fresh veggies and lean protein. You can make it your own by using whatever vegetables and protein your prefer or have on hand.
Ingredients for Chicken Pad Thai:
- Wide Rice Noodles– These noodles are made up of rice flour and water. These can be found in the international aisle in the Asian/Thai section.
- Chicken– Thinly sliced chicken breasts adds protein and makes this dish filling.
- Eggs– Scrambled eggs are a common ingredient that is stir fried along with the noodles.
- Oil– Any cooking oil can be used to grease the pan for cooking the chicken and vegetables.
- Bean Spouts– This vegetable is grown from mung beans. They have a very mild sweet and nutty taste.
- Bell Pepper– Red bell pepper adds color as well as fiber to the dish.
- Carrots– Buy grated, matchstick, or just grate your own.
- Green Onions– These mild onions are added just before serving.
- Cilantro– This fresh herb adds a freshness to the dish with its citrus parsley flavor.
- Peanuts– Peanuts are a common ingredient found in Thai food and add a nice crunch to the dish.
- Brown Sugar– Added for sweetness and a depth of flavor.
- Soy Sauce– This dark Chinese condiment is salty and provides a delicious umami taste.
- Rice Vinegar– While a vinegar, it is different from regular white vinegar in that it has a sweet and light flavor rather than a sour and harsh one. If needed, substitute rice vinegar with apple cider vinegar.
- Chili Garlic Sauce– This is a spicy tangy sauced used in Asian dishes to add heat and flavor.
- Lime– Limes are often used in Thai cooking to add acidity and balance out the sweetness of a dish.
How to make Chicken Pad Thai:
Time needed: 30 minutes
- Make Sauce
Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
- Cook Noodles
Cook noodles according to package.
- Cook Chicken & Eggs
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken for 4-6 minutes until done. Remove from pan and set aside. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in the skillet. Add the eggs and scramble until done. Remove from pan.
- Cook Vegetables
Add 2 teaspoons oil and sauté the bell pepper 1-2 minutes. Add the bean sprouts and carrots and cook for 1-2 more minutes.
- Combine
Add the drained noodles, chicken, eggs, and sauce. Cook 1 more minute while tossing.
- Garnish & Serve
Serve garnished with cilantro and peanuts.
FAQs
Pad Thai is a rice noodle stir fry that contains vegetables, protein (chicken, pork, or shrimp), scrambled eggs, and peanuts in a sweet and savory soy sauce based sauce.
TOOLS USED TO MAKE THIS PAD THAI:
- Collapsible Colander– This colander is great for straining vegetables, fruit, and pasta.
- Knife Set– This set comes with all the knives you need and they are of great quality (going on 12 years in my home!).
- Liquid Measuring Cup– Adequately measure your liquid ingredients! I like to measure everything in the same measuring cup to cut down on dishes.
LOOKING FOR MORE THAI RECIPE? CHECK OUT THESE:
- Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp
- Slow Cooker Thai Sweet Chili Chicken
- Thai Peanut Curry
- Pork Pad Thai
- Thai Chicken Peanut Noodles
- Chicken Tikka Masala
Chicken Pad Thai
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 6 tablespoons brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 T rice vinegar
- 4 teaspoons chili garlic sauce or sriracha sauce
- Juice of 1 lime
For the Pasta:
- 12 ounces Thai Rice Noodles
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, sliced into thin stripes
- 2 tablespoon oil, (divided)
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
- 2 cups bean sprouts
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- 2 green onions, chopped
- ¼ cup Peanuts, chopped
- Cilantro
Instructions
- Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
- Cook noodles according to package.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken for 4-6 minutes until done. Remove from pan and set aside. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in the skillet. Add the eggs and scramble until done. Remove from pan.
- Add 2 teaspoons oil and sauté the bell pepper 1-2 minutes. Add the bean sprouts and carrots and cook for 1-2 more minutes.
- Add the drained noodles, chicken, eggs, and sauce. Cook 1 more minute while tossing.
- Serve garnished with cilantro and peanuts.
How does this meal do as a reheat meal? Have you ever had enough for a leftover meal? ???? We like to do most our prep on the weekends.
It does fine. I don’t think any noodle dish is as good as the first day. The sauce thickens making it seem a little dry but if you add a little chicken broth when reheating it will thin out. Whenever I make pasta and know there will be leftovers I try to reserve some of the starchy cooking water to mix in with it to prevent the sauce from getting too thick and dry.
OMG! Melanie,today is father’s day and I cooked this dish. Did it come out perfect? YES!! My husband had a second round. Thanj you so much for sharing the recipe. It has already been passed forward to my South African Zulu family. I KNOW they will enjoy it.
I also made the cinnamon rolls because they are hubby’s favourite
Mbali, I’m happy to hear you liked both recipes so much! And thank you for passing it on. 🙂
This pad thai looks so delicious- I love making restaurant/takeout favorites at home!