Spicy rice noodles stir fried in a savory sauce with tender chicken, greens, and aromatics! These quick and easy Thai drunken noodles are better than take-out and ready in 20 minutes. Great as a main or meal for the spice-lovers!
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Thai Drunken Noodles (aka "Pad Kee Mao") is a popular dish that originates from Thailand. The word "pad" means "fried" and "kee mao" means "drunk" in translation.
Pad Kee Mao features fresh wide rice noodles stir fried in a flavorful sauce with chicken thighs, Chinese broccoli, Holy basil, bird's eye chili, and lots of garlic!
Many Thai restaurants or street food vendors will serve these spicy noodles. They always hit the spot and are packed with umami flavor!
So how did this Thai dish get its name? One popular story says its spicy kick was bold enough to cure even the worst hangover. Funny enough, there’s no alcohol in the dish at all—just a lot of fiery flavor!
Why you'll love this recipe:
- ready in 20-minutes.
- made with simple and minimal ingredients!
- restaurant-quality, saving you money in the long-run!
- cooked in one-pan.
- great for busy weeknights!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Fresh Wide Rice Noodles: these are usually sold in the refrigerated section of Asian supermarkets, either pre-sliced into noodles or as large sheets you can cut into 1.5-inch-wide strands. Or substitute with dry wide rice noodle sticks (about 10 mm wide) and boil them for 5-6 minutes, or fresh rice noodle rolls sliced into 1.5-inch wide pieces.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: or substitute with chicken breast, flank steak, pork shoulder, pork belly, shrimp, or extra-firm tofu.
- Oyster Sauce: or substitute with vegetarian stir-fry sauce to season the meat.
- Chinese Broccoli (aka Gai-Lan): available at the Asian market in the produce section. Or substitute with baby bok choy, yu choy sum, napa cabbage or broccolini.
- Holy Basil: or substitute with Thai basil or sweet basil (a.k.a. Italian basil).
- Garlic Cloves
- Bird's Eye Chili: or substitute with Thai chilies, or any large red chili for a mild kick. For no spice: substitute with ¼ cup of thinly sliced red bell pepper or omit altogether.
- Neutral Cooking Oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil or coconut oil.
Noodle Sauce
- Oyster Sauce: or substitute with vegetarian stir-fry sauce.
- Regular Soy Sauce: or substitute with low-sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce, tamari sauce, or coconut aminos.
- Dark Soy Sauce: or substitute with dark mushroom soy sauce or regular soy sauce.
- White Vinegar: or substitute with rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Water: cold or room temperature.
- White Granulated Sugar: or substitute with cane sugar, or crushed palm sugar.
Note: Asian ingredients are typically available at most Asian grocery stores or check online, like on Amazon.
Expert Tips
- Use fresh rice noodles for best texture and authentic taste, but boiled dry rice noodle sticks will work too!
- Avoid inhaling when preparing or cooking the bird’s eye chili as it can cause a coughing fit. Also avoid touching the white membrane attached to the seeds in the chili, as it can cause your fingers to burn.
- If you have a steel wok, use it to add a smoky flavor to your noodles! This is the secret ingredient in Thai takeout that can't be achieved with a non-stick pan.
- Use two spatulas to gently lift from the bottom to toss the noodles to prevent breakage.
- Pour the sauce around the noodles along edge of the pan to toast it before tossing everything together. This creates more flavor!
- Let the noodles char in the pan for more flavor.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make Thai drunken noodles:
- In a small bowl, combine the noodle sauce ingredients as listed above until the sugar is dissolved and set aside.
- In a large bowl, season the sliced chicken thighs with oyster sauce and set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon / 15 ml vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Fry seasoned chicken thighs until cooked, about 2-3 minutes. Remove chicken from the pan.
- Sauté minced garlic and chopped red chilies for 10 seconds. Push to the side. Add remaining vegetable oil into empty space. Then add chopped Chinese broccoli and toss with aromatics. Cook until leaves have softened, about 1 minute.
- Add in fresh rice noodles and noodle sauce. Gently toss until evenly coated and most of the sauce has absorbed into the noodles. Let noodles sit and char in the pan for 30-60 seconds for extra flavor.
- Add in cooked chicken and basil. Gently toss everything together until combined. Serve and enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes or reheat on the stovetop until hot throughout.
- Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing Thai drunken noodles as the rice noodles will change in texture.
Pairing Suggestions
Thai drunken noodles serve 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.
- other noodle dishes like Pad See Ew, Chicken Pad Thai or Shrimp Pad Thai, Thai Glass Noodle Stir-Fry, or Pad Woon Sen.
- rice dishes like Thai Spicy Basil Fried Rice or Thai Railway Fried Rice.
FAQ
This can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat until hot.
More vegetables can be added to this Thai drunken noodle recipe. I recommend adding julienned carrots, chopped green beans, or sliced bell peppers.
Thai Drunken Noodles can be made gluten-free by substituting both soy sauces with a gluten-free soy sauce, tamari sauce or coconut aminos. You'll also need to substitute the oyster sauce with a gluten-free oyster sauce, which is available at Asian markets or online. Rice noodles are generally gluten-free, but it's best to check the package label to confirm.
📖 Recipe
20-min. Easy Thai Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh wide rice noodles separated (see Notes below for substitutes)
- ½ lb skinless boneless chicken thighs thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoon oyster sauce or vegetarian stir-fry sauce, to season chicken
- 2 cups Chinese broccoli chopped into 2-inch-long pieces with stalks sliced thinly
- 1 cup Holy basil or Thai basil
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 bird's eye chili or Thai red chili, deseeded & chopped
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Noodle Sauce
- 2 tablespoon oyster sauce or vegetarian stir fry sauce
- 2 teaspoon regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 5 teaspoon white granulated sugar or cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar or rice vinegar / apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon water cold or room temp
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the noodle sauce ingredients as listed above until the sugar is dissolved and set aside.
- In a large bowl, season the sliced chicken thighs with oyster sauce and set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon / 15 ml vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Fry seasoned chicken thighs until cooked, about 2-3 minutes. Remove chicken from the pan.
- Sauté minced garlic and chopped red chilies for 10 seconds. Push to the side. Add remaining vegetable oil into empty space. Then add chopped Chinese broccoli and toss with aromatics. Cook until leaves have softened, about 1 minute.
- Add in fresh rice noodles and noodle sauce. Gently toss until evenly coated and most of the sauce has absorbed into the noodles. Let noodles sit and char in the pan for 30-60 seconds for extra flavor.
- Add in cooked chicken and basil. Gently toss everything together until combined. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Substitutes for Fresh Wide Rice Noodles
Feel free to substitute the fresh wide rice noodles with:- 10-mm wide Dry Rice Noodle Sticks (use 200 g / 7 oz for a serving of 3): Boil the dry rice noodle sticks in hot boiling water for 5-6 minutes or until al dente. Strain and rinse off with running cold water. Strain again and mix in 1 teaspoon of neutral oil to prevent the noodles from sticking to each other.
- Fresh Rice Noodle Rolls (a.k.a Cheung fun): I recommend microwaving for 30-60 second intervals for 2-3 minutes until they're warm enough to peel apart by hand. Then either cut them into 1.5-inch-wide pieces and unravel them or split them down the middle by hand.
Johanna Koolemans-Beynen
Any ideas on where to buy the noodles on the East coast? I have looked at h mart and amazon, and they don’t have it 😭
Christie Lai
If you reside in Canada, T&T supermarket sells them or any Chinese, Vietnamese or Thai grocers in the US should also sell them.
Laura
Thanks Christie for this recipe! It’s a weekly staple in our house. Even my 5yr old loves it. I use brown sugar instead of white 🙂
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making my recipe and for leaving this positive review, Laura! So glad you all love it! Thank you for also sharing which sugar you used - very helpful!
Carmen Ling
First time trying this at home. I bought fresh rice noodles as you recommended and it was easy to separate the noodles by warming them in the microwave! The flavor was delicious but a tad bit salty and I even used low sodium soy sauce. Next time I will try using less soy sauce.
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Carmen! Glad my tip helped and I appreciate your feedback on the saltiness. I will reduce the soy sauce amount in my recipe for next time 🙂 Have a lovely day!
Eti
Hello!!! These noodles look amazing !! Is your calorie information per portion or for the full dish (in this case the full dish is 2 portions)?
christieathome
Hi Eti! Thank you very much! Yes the calorie information is per portion which is two large servings.
Sara
I had Pad Kee Mao for the first time last night at a Thai restaurant. It was fantastic. After reading your article, I attempted to make it myself today. It turned out great. Thank you really much:)
christieathome
Thank you for making my recipe Sara! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Michelle | Sift & Simmer
Christie, these drunken noodles look so flavourful with all that sauce! Wish holy basil was more readily available here! It sure makes a difference!
Rosemary
Drunken noodles hehe this makes me laugh. We got Thai next week and it has me wanting to learn how to make more than just a red curry !!
christieathome
Haha! Me too! Because it totally would not make anyone drunk! I hope you enjoy making red curry, it's so good when homemade and done right.
Kayla
Sounds delicious! If I wanted to use red chili paste (for times sake) instead of making my own. How much would you suggest I use? And would I still need the garlic?
Christie Lai
About 2 tbsps could work and yes the garlic is recommended.
Rebecca Dillon
Yum. I just love noodle dishes and this one looks amazing. Love the spice and basil!
christieathome
Thanks so much Rebecca!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
Christie, great tips on not overcooking the noodles. Soft and chewy noodles in a savory spicy sauce... I think I'm in love! 💕💕
christieathome
Thanks Heidi! Glad I can share this tip!