Toss the takeout menus and whip up a hot and fresh Thai favorite with this recipe for Easy Pad Thai with Chicken.
Mastering an easy recipe for Pad Thai with Chicken at home is both the best and worst culinary discovery to ever happen in my kitchen.
I have made this recipe three times in two weeks. I am now a three-time member (and soon to be president) of the Pad Thai Clean Plate Club and am currently accepting all Spanx donations.
Pad Thai ranks among my top three all-time favorite takeout dishes (the others being Mongolian Beef and Sticky Pineapple Chicken). There’s just something about rice noodles stir-fried with garlic and tossed in a sweet and tangy sauce that inspires me to order this dish time and time again.
But it wasn’t until I shared an Instagram photo that I was inundated with requests to create a DIY version of this popular Thai dish. Challenge accepted!
Now you can whip up this takeout-inspired favorite at home with this quick and easy recipe. No rice noodles? No problem! Just swap in your noodle of choice.
And my #1 tip for stir-fry success at home: Mind your mise en place. Stir-frying is a super-fast cooking method, which means it’s crucial to have all your ingredients prepped and within reach before you fire up the flames.
Don’t let the list of ingredients fool you. Five of them are garnishes (read: optional) and the other non-traditional ingredients can be found in most major supermarkets. Just soak the noodles, whisk together the sauce and then stir-fry it all together for the freshest, most flavorful takeout-fakeout win.
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Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons tamarind concentrate/paste
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Sambal Oelek (chili sauce)
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon fresh black pepper
For the noodles:
- 8 ounces Thai rice noodles
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 3 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- Vegetable oil, for stir-frying
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 cups fresh bean sprouts
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 cup sliced carrots, for garnish
- 1/2 cup shredded red cabbage, for garnish
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, for garnish
- 1/4 cup sliced scallions, for garnish
- 1/3 cup roughly chopped peanuts, for garnish
- Lime wedges, for garnish
Instructions
Make the sauce:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the tamarind concentrate with ½ cup warm water. Whisk in the remaining sauce ingredients. Set aside.
Make the noodles:
- Fill a large pot with hot water. Add the rice noodles and cover the pot, allowing them to soak and soften for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they're barely al dente. (Alternately, cook the noodles according to the package instructions.) The noodles will be stir-fried so do not overcook them at this point.
- Drain the noodles and rinse them with cold water to prevent them from sticking together.
- Cut the chicken breasts into thin, 1-inch slices. Place the chicken in a medium bowl. Whisk together the cornstarch with the soy sauce then pour it over the chicken, stirring to coat.
- Heat a wok or large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil then add the minced garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and cook, stirring continuously, for 30 seconds until the garlic is golden brown and fragrant. Add the chicken to the pan (including all liquids), and cook, stirring frequently until it is no longer pink. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of chicken stock at a time to the pan while the chicken is cooking to prevent it from drying out. (You may not use the entire ¼ cup of chicken stock.)
- Add the noodles to the pan then pour in the prepared sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil, and using two flat spatulas, lift and turn the noodles to combine all of the ingredients. (Don't stir the noodles too vigorously or they'll break.) Continue cooking the noodles for 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly, then add the bean sprouts and cook for 1 more minute. The noodles are fully cooked when they are chewy and no longer crunchy.
- Transfer the noodles to serving dishes and garnish with the sliced carrots, shredded red cabbage, cilantro, scallions, peanuts and lime wedges.
Kelly's Notes:
- A majority of the specialty ingredients in this recipe can be found in the Asian aisle of most supermarkets. My preferred brand of rice noodles is Annie Chun's Pad Thai Noodles.
- It's important to bring the sauce to a boil so that it will thicken enough as it cooks with the noodles.
- Make sure you have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you start cooking. This is a fast recipe that comes together in less than 10 minutes once the garlic hits the pan.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste (inspired by Darlene Schmidt). Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
Going to use this recipe for the second time now! We really love the taste and varieties you can make using the garnishes. Thanks for sharing this recipe, it is going in my recipe notebook! :)
Woohoo! I’m so happy you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Eve!
I’ve been making this recipe for years. I use kelp noodles though. It’s a wonderful recipe!
I’m so thrilled you’ve been enjoying it, Amanda!
This is a great recipe but I wish I had added the sauce and let it thicken a bit before I added the noodles. It took too long and my noodles ended up getting overcooked. Also, I feel like it needs more noodles, but that is probably just me :)
Thanks so much for your note, Brandi! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe :)
I’ve made this recipe 3 times. WONDERFUL flavor and pretty simple. Thank you!!!
You are so welcome, Taylor! I’m thrilled you’re enjoying the recipe. :)
Where can I find tamarind paste concentrate?
Check out the Asian food section of most major grocery stores!
what can i use to replace the fish sauce due to allergies
Hi Tammy – The fish sauce is what really gives pad Thai its characteristic taste, so substituting anything for it will compromise the flavor. I’ve read that Worcestershire or a mixture of soy sauce and shiitake mushroom stock could work. If you try either of those, let me know how it turns out!
I love this recipe and I’ve been making it like once a week since I discovered it! Super easy and so delicious! I never thought I would ever use up a whole bottle of fish sauce, but I’m on my second!
So glad you’re enjoying the recipe, Amie! :)
I also have eaten many pad Thais, wether being home made or from the Restraunt and this sauce is perfect. One of my Thai friends told me soak the noodles in cold water for at least 2 hours and this will help them to not become soggy or dry. I find it comes out a lot better.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Julia!
Hi Kelly,
This is a favorite at our house! I’m a dietitian and I feature some of my favorite healthier recipes on my website Nutritionistics.com. I’ve posted your pad thai there with a link to your website. Thanks so much for sharing!
So glad you’re enjoying the recipe, Mandy!
I made this recipe once as written and unfortunately didn’t love it. It seemed too overpowering (especially on the salt and tamarind). However, I just made it a second time with the following adjustments and found it to be perfect! First, I cut the tamarind and fish sauce in half. I also added chopped shallots with the garlic. And I added scrambled egg (1 per serving you are making) at the stage after chicken is cooked, before adding noodles and sauce. Plus I only attempted cooking 2 serving at a time instead if 4 – this made the whole process more manageable. These adjustment really worked for me so I thought I’d share!