This easy and healthy Thai takeout dish is loaded with bean sprouts and garlic chives and is bursting with umami flavor. This chicken pad Thai recipe is one of the most delicious in under 30 minutes!
If you love easy weeknight meals, this chicken pad Thai recipe is for you. This Thai stir-fry is made with rice noodles, chicken, dried shrimp, tofu, peanuts, eggs, bean sprouts, and garlic chives tossed in a savory tamarind sauce.
Authentic pad thai is known for its perfect balance of salty, sweet, and sour flavor experience.
This chicken pad Thai recipe can be whipped together in under 30 minutes for a quick lunch or dinner. Fun fact: the red coloring typically found in restaurants is not authentic to Thailand and has been colored to make the dish seem more appealing to customers!
Served with bean sprouts, limes, and crushed peanuts, this dish has an unbeatable flavor and texture experience.
What is Pad Thai?
Pad Thai is a popular Thai noodle dish that originated in Thailand. It is a fusion of Thai flavors and Chinese cooking techniques. The dish is made with rice noodles, tofu, bean sprouts, garlic chives, and a protein of choice, such as chicken. It is tossed in a savory, tangy sauce made from tamarind paste, fish sauce, and oyster sauce. Lastly, it is garnished with freshly crushed peanuts, a squeeze of lime juice, and chili flakes for extra flavor.
Who can resist a delicious, umami-packed noodle pull?
Ingredients
You can find all the ingredients in this chicken pad Thai recipe at your local Thai, Vietnamese, or Chinese grocery store. Full measurements and links to everything I used are in the recipe card below.
Pad Thai Sauce
Tamarind Pulp + boiling water: gives pad thai that sour distinct flavor. Make sure to buy tamarind pulp that is from Thailand or Vietnam.
Tamarind pulp is essential for traditional pad thai flavors, order some on Amazon here.
Brown sugar: sweetens the tamarind and brings balance to the chicken pad Thai.
Fish Sauce: adds a depth of umami flavor to the pad Thai sauce.
Oyster Sauce: is a mixture of caramelized oyster juices, salt, sugar, and soy sauce. It adds an extra umami flavoring to the pad thai.
Stir Fry
Pad Thai Noodles: use dry medium-sized pad Thai noodles.
Garlic and Shallots: the garlic and shallots are the base of the aromatics in this dish.
Firm Tofu: use firm tofu that will hold its shape when you stir-fry the noodles.
Dried Shrimp: dried shrimp adds some umami flavor to the dish.
A few of the basic ingredients in chicken pad thai.
Protein Marinade
Chicken Thigh or Breast: you can use any form of protein that you’d like such as shrimp, beef, pork or more tofu.
Thai Light Soy Sauce: Light soy sauce is thinner and lighter in color and adds a gentle saltiness to the dish. For the most authentic flavor, I recommend using Golden Mountain brand soy sauce.
Fish sauce: fish sauce adds an extra layer of umami flavor to the marinade.
Cornstarch: cornstarch allows the marinade to hold onto the chicken when cooked.
Eggs: the eggs are scrambled to add extra flavor and protein to the dish.
Garnish
Bean Sprouts: bean sprouts add a layer of crunch to the chicken pad Thai. They are tossed in the stir fry and served raw on the side as well.
Garlic Chives: are more subtle and mild than green onions.
Roasted Peanuts: used for garnish and adds a bit of crunch.
Limes: used for garnish and to brighten up the noodles.
Dried Chili Flakes: used for garnish and to add a little spice
How To Make Chicken Pad Thai
This chicken pad Thai recipe is so satisfying and simple to make from scratch. Let’s get started.
Sauce
In a small bowl, mix the tamarind pulp and mix it with 1/4 cup boiling water. Break up the pulp in the hot water. Press the mixture through a fine-meshed strainer.
Break down the pulp with hot water then strain the solids out for a smooth tamarind puree.
In a small mixing bowl, mix the diluted tamarind paste with brown sugar, fish sauce, and oyster sauce and mix until combined. Set aside.
Noodles
In a medium pot, bring water to a boil. Cook the noodles in boiling water according to the instructions on the package until al-dente. Drain and set aside.
Pat the chicken down to dry, slice the chicken into thin strips, and marinate with light soy sauce, fish sauce, cornstarch, and water.
In a wok or large non-stick skillet, heat two tablespoons of vegetable oil until hot. Add the chicken and sear until golden and just cooked through, about 2-3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
In a wok or large non-stick skillet, heat the vegetable oil on medium-high heat until hot. Saute the shallot until translucent. Add the garlic and continue cooking until lightly browned. Add the tofu and dried shrimp and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
Next, add the noodles and sauce and gently toss together until the sauce is incorporated.
Push everything to one side of the pan. Add a little extra oil to the empty space and pour in the beaten eggs. Quickly scramble the eggs for about 30 seconds.
Turn off the heat, and the chicken, bean sprouts, chopped garlic chives, and crushed peanuts and gently toss to combine.
Serve the chicken pad Thai with chopped peanuts, bean sprouts, lime wedges, and a sprinkle of chili flakes.
Always serve with fresh lime wedges, crushed peanuts, and bean sprouts for a true chicken pad thai.
Expert Tips
Marinate the meat for at least 20 minutes. You will need to marinate your protein for at least 20 minutes so that the flavor can soak into the meat.
If you use tamarind pulp, loosen it with hot water and strain. You will need to mix the slightly hard and sticky tamarind pulp with boiling water to turn it into a usable paste. Remember to strain the paste to remove all the remaining bits.
Please prepare all the ingredients before you cook it. Prep all the ingredients and have them next to your station before tossing them together on the wok. This will make cooking 1000% easier and more streamlined.
Storage Instructions
You can store this easy pad Thai in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat, toss one tablespoon of oil in a hot wok over medium heat and toss until warm. Alternatively, sprinkle a few drops of water over the noodles, cover with a wet paper towel, and microwave until warm.
Pairing Suggestions
This chicken pad Thai is delicious on its own for lunch or dinner but you can also serve it with the following suggestions.
Choose tamarind pulp that is from Thailand or Vietnam. Avoid any tamarind pulp from India. The one from India is entirely different and is much more concentrated.
Why are my pad Thai noodles clumpy and hard to mix?
The noodles will vary depending on the brand that you use. I used Lotus Food pad thai noodles and cooked them according to the instructions or until the noodles were al dente. However, before I added the noodles back into the stir fry I added 1-2 tablespoons of water and separated the noodles with my hands for easier mixing.
If you use Erawan Brand rice noodles, instead of cooking the noodles I recommend soaking the dry noodles in room temperature water for about 1 hour.
Why is my pad Thai not orange in the restaurant?
Pad Thai is not supposed to be orange. Most restaurants will add ketchup and paprika to boost the color to make it more appetizing but this is not the traditional appearance of pad thai.
Can I use other proteins?
Of course! This is your pad Thai recipe, you can substitute the chicken out for shrimp, beef, pork or add in more tofu.
This easy and healthy Thai takeout dish is loaded with bean sprouts and garlic chives and is bursting with umami flavor. This chicken pad Thai recipe is one of the most delicious in under 30 minutes!
Separate the tamarind pulp. In a small bowl, take the tamarind pulp and mix it with 1/4 cup boiling water. Break up the pulp in the hot water. If needed add 1-2 more tablespoons if it is too thick. Press the mixture through a fine-meshed strainer. Discard the solids. It should yield about 1/4 cup of tamarind puree.
Mix the sauce. In a small mixing bowl, mix the diluted tamarind paste with brown sugar, fish sauce and oyster sauce and mix until combined. Set aside.
The Noodles
Cook the Noodles. In a medium pot, bring water to a boil. Cook the noodles in boiling water according to the instructions on the package until al-dente or slightly under done. Drain and set aside.
Prepare the chicken. Pat the chicken down to dry, slice the chicken into thin strips, and marinate with light soy sauce, fish sauce, cornstarch and water.
Cook the Chicken. In a wok or large non-stick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil until hot. Add the chicken and sear until golden and just cooked through about 2-3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Cook shallot and garlic. In a wok or large non-stick skillet, heat the vegetable oil on medium high heat until hot. Saute the shallot until translucent. Then add in the garlic and continue cooking until lightly browned.
Add the tofu and dried shrimp. Next, add the diced tofu and shrimp and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
Add noodles and sauce. Next, add the noodles and sauce and gently toss together until the sauce is incorporated.
Scramble the eggs. Push everything to one side of the pan. Add a little extra oil to the empty space and pour in the beaten eggs. Quickly scramble the eggs for about 30 seconds. Then toss to mix eggs into noodles.
Add the chicken, bean sprouts, garlic chives, and peanuts. Turn off the heat and the chicken, bean sprouts, chopped garlic chives and 1/2 of the crushed peanuts and gently toss to combine.
Serve. Serve immediately with chopped peanuts, bean sprouts, lime wedges, and a sprinkle of chili flakes.
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