Quick & Easy Chicken Pad Thai

Name: Quick & Easy Chicken Pad Thai
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 4.05 oz dried thin flat rice noodles; 6.35 oz skinless boneless chicken thighs (sliced thinly); 4.05 oz extra-firm tofu (or firm, diced); 2 large eggs; 1 cup mung bean sprouts (or soy bean sprouts, washed and strained); 1/2 cup garlic chives (chopped into 2 inch long segments); ½ shallot (diced, or sub with 2 tbsp red onion); 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped); 2 tbsp vegetable oil (or any neutral oil); 1/4 tsp salt (to season chicken); 1/4 to 1/2 cup water (for cooking noodles); 1 lime (wedges, optional garnish); ¼ cup roasted peanuts (crushed, optional garnish); 3 tbsp palm sugar (finely chopped (or sub with brown sugar or coconut sugar)); 1.5 tbsp fish sauce; 2.46 oz tamarind pulp; ⅓ cup hot boiling water (to soak tamarind pulp)

Jump to Recipe Video

Delicious chewy rice noodles stir fried in a sweet, tangy, savory sauce with juicy chicken, eggs, tofu and fresh vegetables. This quick and easy chicken pad thai is ready in 30 minutes! It's authentic, restaurant quality and great for the family!

Jump to:

Ingredients & Substitutes
Expert Tips
Instructions
Storage
Pairing Suggestions
FAQ
📖 Recipe
💬 Reviews

Chicken Pad Thai is a popular Thai dish made of flat thin rice noodles stir fried in a tangy, savory sauce with tender chicken, eggs, bean sprouts, garlic chives and aromatics.

Pad thai originates from Thailand and it's often sold as street food or at many Thai restaurants as a complete meal or main dish. A favorite among locals for it's complex flavors!

This chicken pad thai recipe isn't as complicated as you think. Most of the time goes towards preparation and sourcing the tamarind pulp but you can easily find this ingredient at many Asian grocery stores.

The easy part about this noodle recipe is it comes together in one-pan and the hardest part is sharing these noodles!

Ingredients & Substitutes

Please scroll down to the below Recipe card for full measurements.

Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients.

Dried Thin Flat White Rice Noodles: these are about ¼-inch wide. As a last resort substitute, you can use wider rice noodles that are ½ inch wide.
Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: Or substitute with boneless skinless chicken breasts, shrimp or thinly sliced pork shoulder.
Extra-Firm or Firm Tofu: avoid using soft to medium firm tofu or it'll easily break apart in the stir-frying process.
Large Eggs: or omit if you're allergic to them.
Mung Bean sprouts: or substitute with soy bean sprouts.
Garlic Chives: aka Chinese Chives. These are about 1.5 foot long green chives with a white root and a strong, pungent “garlicky” flavor. Different normal western chives. Asian grocery stores sell them. Or substitute with green onions.
Shallot: or substitute with red onion.
Garlic
Neutral oil: any flavorless oil like avocado oil, peanut oil, grapeseed oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. I would avoid using olive oil or coconut oil due to its heavier scent.
Salt
Water: to help cook the noodles.
Lime wedges: optional garnish.
Crushed peanuts: optional garnish. Omit if you're allergic to peanuts.

Noodle Sauce

Palm Sugar: this type of sugar offers a mild caramel flavor. Most Asian grocery stores sell them and they look like brown circular dome-like pucks. Or substitute with brown sugar or coconut sugar.
Fish Sauce
Tamarind Pulp: a sticky dark brown pulp with seeds. Tamarind pulp is crucial for an authentic pad thai to make homemade tamarind concentrate. Most Asian grocery stores or select online retailers sell this. I don't recommend using store-bought tamarind concentrate as it doesn't taste the same.
Hot boiling water: to make homemade tamarind concentrate.

Expert Tips

Use clean hands to dissolve the tamarind pulp in the water after the water has cooled down. This is the best way to extract as much tamarind as possible.
Caramelize the palm sugar in the pan for that sweet flavor. It'll only take minutes for the sugar to melt and caramelize into a darker brown color.
Soak rice noodles in hot boiling water until limp and firm and do not boil them! If you have time, you can also soak them in warm water for 15 minutes.
Brown the chicken in the same pan you caramelized the palm sugar in because this offers extra flavour and helps brown your chicken.
Add water to cook rice noodles faster.
Taste test the noodles as you go so you have the perfect noodle texture!

Instructions

Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make chicken pad thai:

Season sliced chicken thighs with salt. Set aside.

First season sliced chicken thighs with salt. Set aside.

To make tamarind concentrate: submerge tamarind pulp in ⅓ cup hot boiling water and soak for 3 minutes. Let it cool and then with clean hands, squeeze and massage the pulp until it dissolves in the water. Strain as much as the tamarind paste through a fine sieve, discarding the seeds reserving the paste. This is your tamarind paste.

To make tamarind concentrate: submerge tamarind pulp in ⅓ cup or 20 ml hot boiling water and soak for 3 minutes. Let it cool and then with clean hands, squeeze and massage the pulp until it dissolves in the water. Strain as much as the tamarind paste through a fine sieve, discarding the seeds reserving the paste. This is your tamarind paste.

To make the noodle sauce: In a large non-stick wok on low medium heat, add palm sugar. Caramelize for 2-3 minutes while stirring. Mix tamarind paste with caramelized palm sugar. Then mix in fish sauce. Remove sauce from the pan and set aside in a small bowl.

To make the noodle sauce: In a large non-stick wok on low medium heat, add palm sugar. Caramelize for 2-3 minutes while stirring. Mix tamarind paste with caramelized palm sugar. Then mix in fish sauce. Remove sauce from the pan and set aside in a small bowl.

Soak rice noodles in very hot boiling water until limp but firm (about 2-4 minutes) or in warm water for 15 minutes if you have time. Strain immediately. Set aside.

Then soak rice noodles in very hot boiling water until limp but firm (about 2-4 minutes) or in warm water for 15 minutes if you have time. Strain immediately. Set aside.

Stir Frying the Noodles

Over medium heat, add 2 teaspoon vegetable oil into the same pan and cook sliced chicken. Remove and set aside.

Next on medium heat, add 2 teaspoon or 10 ml vegetable oil into the same pan and cook sliced chicken. Remove and set aside.

Add 2 teaspoon of vegetable oil into the pan. Fry shallots and garlic for 20-30 seconds. Add diced tofu and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.

Then add 2 teaspoon or 10 ml of vegetable oil into the pan. Fry shallots and garlic for 20-30 seconds. Add diced tofu and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.

Toss in strained rice noodles with the noodle sauce. Add ¼ cup of water and mix with noodles. Cook for 5-7 minutes and taste noodles to check if they are chewy and soft enough. If not, add another ¼ cup water and cook until noodles to desired texture.

Next toss in strained rice noodles with the noodle sauce. Add ¼ cup or 60 ml of water and mix with noodles. Cook for 5-7 minutes and taste noodles to check if they are chewy and soft enough. If not, add another ¼ cup or 60 ml water and cook until noodles to desired texture.

Mix in cooked chicken and push everything to the side of the pan. Add remaining oil into the empty space of the pan and add eggs. Scramble them first and then mix in with noodles.

Then mix in cooked chicken and push everything to the side of the pan. Add remaining oil into the empty space of the pan and add eggs. Scramble them first and then mix in with noodles.

Toss in bean sprouts and garlic chives for 20 seconds. Remove off heat.

Next toss in bean sprouts and garlic chives for 20 seconds. Remove off heat.

Garnish with fresh limes and crushed peanuts. Enjoy!

Lastly, garnish noodle dish with fresh limes and crushed peanuts. Enjoy!

Storage

Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat with a couple splashes of water to loosen up the noodles.
Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing chicken pad thai as the rice noodles will change the texture of the noodles.

Pairing Suggestions

Chicken pad thai serves well with:

starters like egg rolls or fresh spring rolls
cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
cooked protein like bang bang shrimp, crying tiger beef, Thai garlic shrimp, or pad kra pao
noodle dishes like Thai Drunken Noodles, Pad See Ew, Egg Pad See Ew or Shrimp Pad Thai, Thai Glass Noodle Stir-Fry, Pad Woon Sen
rice dishes like Thai Spicy Basil Fried Rice, Thai Railway Fried Rice

FAQ

Can I make chicken pad thai in advance?

Chicken pad thai can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored into an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave for a few minutes or reheat in a pan on medium heat on the stovetop until hot.

How can I make chicken pad thai spicy?

Add sriracha, hot chili sauce or red pepper flakes to taste at the end of the finished noodle dish.

📖 Recipe