Jeff Misenti
Difficulty Level: moderate
If you’re looking for a quick-to-make Asian-inspired dish, this chicken Pad Thai recipe is worth adding to your to-cook list. Pad Thai is popular because it has a little bit of everything, from crunchy peanuts and fresh veggies to soft rice noodles and whatever protein you decide to add. What brings it all together is the sauce. It has notes of sweetness, saltiness, and even a little sourness that make each mouthful tantalizing.
The best thing about this dish is that it feels like takeout without having a long cook time, cleanup, or heavy ingredient cost. We’ve listed this recipe as moderate difficulty, but that’s only because it’s more involved than a one-pot recipe where you throw in the ingredients and do nothing for an hour. In this recipe, you’ll need to go through a few simple steps to get it right, but any cook will be able to make this dish without going wrong. Check out the ingredients and cooking steps below.
Chicken Pad Thai Recipe Ingredients
- 8 ounces of flat rice noodles
- 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons of neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 ½ cups of fresh bean sprouts, plus more for serving
- ½ cup of sliced green onions
- ¼ cup of chopped roasted peanuts
- ¼ cup of chopped cilantro
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- 3 tablespoons of tamarind paste or tamarind concentrate
- 2 tablespoons of fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon of lime juice
- 1 tablespoon of water
- ½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
Chicken Pad Thai Recipe Instructions
- Soak the rice noodles in warm water until just flexible. Drain and set aside. They should bend without snapping but should not be mushy.
- Toss the sliced chicken with 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Let it sit while you prep the sauce and vegetables.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the tamarind paste, fish sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, water, and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 7 minutes, stirring often, until cooked through. Move the chicken to a plate.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet or wok. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Push the garlic to one side, then add the beaten eggs. Let them set for a few seconds, then scramble them into small pieces.
- Add the drained noodles and sauce. Toss for 3 minutes, until the noodles soften and absorb the sauce.
- Add the cooked chicken, bean sprouts, and green onions. Toss for 2 minutes, just until everything is hot.
- Serve topped with chopped peanuts, cilantro, extra bean sprouts, and lime wedges.