Description
When you make ultimate chicken pad thai recipe quick delicious, rice noodles get tossed with tender chicken, fresh lime, and that perfect balance of sweet and savory that keeps everyone coming back for seconds. Your dinner comes together in about 30 minutes with simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.
Ingredients
Scale
Proteins and Noodles:
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 pound)
- 8 ounces flat rice noodles
Vegetables:
- 1 cup bell peppers, sliced
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
Sauce and Seasonings:
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons tamarind paste
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Instructions
- Place 8 oz of flat rice noodles in a bowl and cover with hot water, letting them soak for about 8 minutes until they’re soft but still hold their shape, then drain them well.
- Heat oil in your wok or large pan over medium-high heat for 1 minute, then add your 1 lb of diced chicken breasts and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until the pieces turn golden and cook through completely.
- Push the chicken to the side of your pan, add 4 minced cloves of garlic to the empty space, and let it cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Toss in 1 cup of sliced bell peppers and 1 cup of bean sprouts, stirring everything together and cooking for 3 minutes until the vegetables soften slightly but remain crisp.
- Return your cooked chicken to the pan along with the drained noodles and combine everything together.
- Pour in your sauce made from ¼ cup of soy sauce, 2 tbsp of tamarind paste, 2 tbsp of brown sugar, and 2 tbsp of lime juice, then toss everything gently for 2 minutes so the noodles and chicken absorb the flavors evenly.
- Divide your dish into serving portions and top each one with 4 sliced green onions and crushed peanuts to add texture and finish the dish.
Notes
- Keep your noodles slightly firmer than you think they need to be since they’ll soften more when tossed with the hot sauce and ingredients.
- Cook your chicken in batches if your pan feels crowded, as this helps it brown properly instead of steaming in its own moisture.
- Taste the sauce before adding it to the noodles and adjust the balance of sweet, salty, and tangy to match your preferences, since every brand of tamarind and soy sauce varies.
- For a vegetarian version, swap the chicken for pressed tofu or add extra vegetables like mushrooms and bell peppers, keeping the same cooking time and sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Category: Sautéed Chicken
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Thai
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 370 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg