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For something easy, delicious, and reminiscent of your favorite Thai food cart, make this Easy Chicken Pad Thai Recipe. It’s full of many different delicious ingredients and is perfect for serving to guests!
A flavorful meal that everyone will love
If you asked me to list my five favorite meals, easy chicken pad Thai would undoubtedly fall into the list. This dish is nothing short of flavorful, with ingredients like rice noodles, onion, carrots, and even honey. The peanut sauce is the best and is made with peanut butter, sesame oil, and rice wine vinegar. There’s a reason this dish is so popular!
This is one of my go-to recipes when I’m in the mood for something extra filling and delicious. It doesn’t take too long to make, and despite the “long” list of instructions, everything is very easy and to the point.
For extra brownie points, serve this up when entertaining friends or family. They’ll be shocked to learn that it didn’t come directly from their favorite Thai food cart!
Easy chicken pad Thai recipe ingredients
Our easy Thai chicken consists of three parts: The main ingredients, the peanut sauce, and the toppings! Each section uses different ingredients, but together the three parts come together to be über flavorful and oh so tasty! The peanut sauce is personally my favorite part.
Here’s a breakdown of everything that’s included:
Main dish:
- Chicken breasts
- Rice noodles
- Avocado oil
- Yellow onion
- Garlic
- Carrots
- Red bell pepper
- Eggs
Peanut sauce:
- Peanut butter
- Sesame oil
- Fish sauce
- Rice wine vinegar
- Limes
- Honey
- Coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
- Dried ginger
- Sriracha (optional but recommended)
Toppings:
- Lime
- Peanuts
- Sriracha
- Cilantro
- Green onion
Tools used to make easy pad Thai
You’ll need a few tools to make this recipe. You’ll be chopping a bunch of veggies and the chicken, so be sure to choose the proper knife! As always, can’t forget measuring cups. You’ll only need four sizes for this meal.
- Cutting board
- Cutting knife
- Skillet or dutch oven
- Meat thermometer
- Large mixing bowl
- Cooking spatula
- Whisk
- Tongs
- Measuring cups: 1 tsp, 1 tbsp, 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup
How to make this easy chicken pad Thai recipe
This chicken recipe is a bit more in depth than usual, but trust me when I say that it’s extremely easy. Follow the directions in order, and you’ll be well on your way chicken pad Thai goodness! Here’s how it’s done:
Begin making this dish by cleaning and chopping all of your vegetables. Dice your chicken into small cubes. If the breasts are large, slice them in half or pound until thin before cutting into cubes.
Meanwhile, cook the rice noodles according to the package.
Heat a large skillet or dutch oven with 2 tbsp of avocado oil. Once hot, add the chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes or until cooked and no longer pink. Stir frequently. If using a meat thermometer, the temperature should reach 165F.
Next, remove the chicken and place in a bowl.
Add 2 tbsp of avocado oil to the same pan.
Add the onion, garlic, carrots, peppers, and salt. Let cook until everything is softened, about 7-9 minutes.
While the veggies are cooking, make the peanut sauce by whisking all of the sauce ingredients.
Then, once the veggies are softened, make an empty circle in the middle of the pan by pushing them aside.
Crack three eggs in the middle. Scramble the eggs so that the yolks and whites are mixed. Let cook, slowly scrambling.
Once the eggs have cooked, mix them together with the rest of the veggies. Then, add the chicken, noodles, and the peanut sauce.
Turn the heat to low and stir until all of the ingredients are well combined. Tongs are helpful to toss everything together here.
After about 5 minutes, turn off the heat.
Top with cilantro, peanuts, lime, sriracha, and green onion, and serve!
Commonly asked pad Thai questions
Here are some helpful pointers and tidbits that may help you when making this recipe. If you still have a question, feel free to leave it in the comments!
Can I use turkey instead?
The short answer is yes! You can definitely use turkey meat in this recipe just as you would use chicken. Follow the instructions the same way, and it will be sure to turn out perfectly.
What’s the difference between coconut aminos and soy sauce?
Coconut aminos and soy sauce are quite similar. Soy sauce is slightly richer, though coconut aminos contain more nutrients. The coconut option is also free of gluten.
What internal temperature does chicken need to reach?
Before removing your chicken from the stove, the internal temperature should reach 165F. The same goes for turkey, if that’s what you’re using.
How should chicken pad Thai be stored?
Store leftover chicken pad Thai in the refrigerator and consume within 2-3 days. Ensure that the container is securely sealed in order to maintain the texture and flavor.
Try these easy recipes next
Meals don’t have to be long and complicated. I’m all about keeping things as simple as possible, which is why I love putting together easy recipes! Here are some more ideas for quick weeknight dinners that I’m sure you’re love.
Easy Chicken Pad Thai
For something easy, delicious, and reminiscent of your favorite Thai food cart, make this Easy Chicken Pad Thai Recipe. It’s full of many different delicious ingredients and is perfect for serving to guests!
Ingredients
- 2lbs chicken breast (about 3 large breasts)
- 8oz rice noodles
- 4 tbsp avocado oil (divided)
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced small
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large carrots, sliced into sticks
- 2 medium red bell peppers, sliced into thin slices
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
Peanut Sauce
- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 2 small limes, juiced
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos or soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp dried ginger
- 1 tsp sriracha *optional but recommended*
Toppings:
- lime, peanuts, sriracha, cilantro, green onion
Instructions
- Prepare all of your vegetables by chopping. Dice your chicken into small cubes, if your breasts are very large, slice them in half or pound them until thinner, then cut into cubes.
- Meanwhile, cook rice noodles according to package.
- Heat a large skillet or dutch oven with 2 tbsp avocado oil. Once hot, add chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes or until cooked and no longer pink. Stir frequently. If using a meat thermometer, temperature should read 165F.
- Remove chicken to a bowl. Add 2 tbsp avocado oil to same pan.
- Add in onion, garlic, carrots, peppers and salt. Cook until softened, about 7-9 minutes.
- While veggies are cooking, make the peanut sauce by whisking together all of the ingredients. If your sauce is not thin enough to pour, add a few tbsp water.
- Once softened, make an empty circle in the middle of the veggies by pushing them aside and crack three eggs in the middle. Scramble the eggs up so the yolk and white are mixed. Let cook, slowly scrambling.
- Once eggs have cooked, mix together with rest of veggies. Then add in the chicken, cooked noodles, and the peanut sauce.
- Turn heat to low and stir all ingredients until well combined. Tongs are helpful to toss everything here.
- After about 5 minutes, turn off heat and serve.
- Top with cilantro, peanuts, lime, sriracha, green onion.
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Megan says
Made it again and each time keeps getting better!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Megan, so glad you loved it!
Mimi Miller says
My favorite “make at home instead of takeout” food I’ve ever made. Ever. The sauce is *chefs kiss*
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Mimi, so happy you love it so much! 🙂
Alison says
I have made this multiple times and it always comes out great!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Alison, so happy you loved it so much!! 🙂