20-min. Easy Thai Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)

20-min. Easy Thai Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)

Spicy rice noodles stir fried in a savory sauce with tender chicken, vegetables, 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!

Note: this recipe has been updated for improvement as of Oct 1, 2025.

4.86 from 7 votes

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Prep Time 13

Cook Time 7

Total Time 20

Course Main Course

Cuisine Thai

Servings

Calories per serving 720 kcal

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.

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