This Chicken Pad Thai recipe is the best homemade recipe ever! It’s full of fresh ingredients and tossed with an easy, scrumptious sauce.
I have been wanting to make homemade Pad Thai for months and months. It is the first Thai dish that I ever had a few years ago when I thought I didn’t even like Thai food.
Table of contents
Chicken Pad Thai is probably one of the most famous of dishes in restaurants across the US. I have read that it is known as Thailand’s National dish.
It is full with fresh veggies, tossed with rice noodles, chicken and a wonderful sauce. Traditionally, a tablespoon of fish sauce is used but I left it out of my recipe. Feel free to add it for an even more authentic version.
You can also swap out the chicken to shrimp or beef. Since Pad Thai is served with rice noodles, it’s a wonderful gluten free meal as well.
Is Pad Thai Spicy?
Traditionally, Pad Thai is not loaded with spiciness. It’s more of a sweeter sauce than other Thai dishes that have curry as an ingredient.
You can certainly add a little crushed red pepper flakes to yours if you’d like. I just would keep it on the low side so it doesn’t completely change the flavors.
Ingredients Needed
Rice noodles – Found in the asian aisle at the grocery store
Chicken breasts– You’ll need about a pound of boneless, skinless breasts sliced into thin strips
Olive oil – for sautéing the chicken strips
Soy sauce – the base of the fabulous sauce
Rice vinegar – another staple in the sauce.
Brown sugar – to give the sauce the perfect sweet touch.
Lemon or lime juice – fresh is best for this recipe
Carrots – cut into thin julienne slices
Red bell pepper – sliced into thin strips
Garlic – minced to give it that extra flavor.
Green onions – whites sliced thin & greens sliced into 1-inch pieces
Bean sprouts – an Asian classic veggie addition
Eggs – these get scrambled in at the end
Peanuts – unsalted and chopped roughly
Cilantro – chopped
Red pepper flakes – optional for more spicy food lovers
How to Make this Recipe
In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and lime juice
Cook rice noodles according to directions on package.
While noodles are cooking, heat oil in large, deep skillet (or a wok) over medium-high heat.
Once hot add chicken and saute until cooked through, about 4 – 6 minutes.
Transfer to a plate, leaving oil in pan.
Add bell pepper and carrots and sauté 3-4 minutes then add garlic, green onions and bean sprouts sauté 3-4 minute longer.
Push the vegetables round the sides of the pan and crack the eggs into the center.
Scramble until eggs have cooked through.
Add the chicken, noodles and sauce to the vegetables.
Then toss together until evenly coated and cook 1 – 2 minutes.
Serve warm topped with cilantro, peanuts and optional red pepper flakes.
Tips and Substitutions:
Use coconut sugar in place of brown sugar if preferred.
Substitute cooked spaghetti squash for the rice noodles for a low carb option.
Other Thai recipes to try
Thai Chicken Zucchini Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce
Thai Salad with Peanut Dressing
Chicken Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 10 oz Thai rice noodles
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced into thin strips
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- ¼ cup brown sugar I used coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
- 1 ½ cups matchstick carrots
- 1 red bell pepper sliced into thin strips
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4 green onions whites sliced thin & greens sliced into 1-inch pieces
- 2 cups bean sprouts
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup unsalted peanuts chopped roughly
- ⅓ cup cilantro chopped
- Red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and lime juice
- Cook rice noodles according to directions on package.
- While noodles are cooking, heat oil in large, deep skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and saute until cooked through, about 4 – 6 minutes.
- Transfer to a plate, leaving oil in pan.
- Add bell pepper and carrots and sauté 3-4 minutes then add garlic, green onions and bean sprouts sauté 3-4 minute longer.
- Push the vegetables round the sides of the pan and crack the eggs into the center.
- Scramble until eggs have cooked through.
- Add the chicken, noodles and sauce to the vegetables.
- Then toss together until evenly coated and cook 1 – 2 minutes.
- Serve warm topped with cilantro, peanuts and optional red pepper flakes.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclosure
Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
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Catherine
Well I did cook this for supper and I used shrimp instead of chicken and fried green onions with red pepper and zucchini with cauliflower,Broccoli,carrots and I also used honey in place of brown sugar it was really good thank you for the recipe.
Sherri
That is wonderful to hear! Thank you for sharing those swaps! I love how versatile this meal is too.
Paul
Missing Tamarind and Soy. I personally like to add a bit of Fish Sauce and Lemon Grass to add to the Basil and Cilantro.
Catherine
I love this recipe very much but I replaced the chicken with shrimp and I used chow main noodles it’s very good thank you
Marie
This looks absolutely incredible! My family would totally go nuts for it (which is a big deal with picky toddlers). Thanks so much for sharing your recipe with us at Merry Monday this week!
Miz Helen
I can’t wait to try this recipe, I just pinned it! Hope you have a great weekend and thanks so much for sharing your post with us at Full Plate Thursday!
Miz Helen