Description
Shortcut pad thai with chicken thighs gets dinner on your table fast with tender meat and that signature sweet-tangy sauce you crave. Chicken thighs stay juicy throughout cooking, making this weeknight meal something your family returns to again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein:
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, thinly sliced
- 2 large eggs
Noodles and Base:
- 8 oz flat rice noodles
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate
- ½ teaspoon Sriracha
Aromatics and Vegetables:
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- ¼ cup green onions, sliced into 1-inch pieces
Garnish and Finishing:
- ¼ cup crushed roasted peanuts
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- fresh cilantro
- Thai red chili flakes
Instructions
- Soak 8 oz of flat rice noodles in a large bowl covered with very hot water for 10-15 minutes at room temperature until they soften without becoming mushy, then drain and set them aside for later.
- Combine 3 tablespoons fish sauce, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate, and ½ teaspoon Sriracha in a small bowl and whisk until the sugar dissolves completely.
- Pour 1 tablespoon neutral oil into your skillet and heat it over medium-high heat until it shimmers, about 1 minute.
- Add 1 lb of thinly sliced boneless skinless chicken thighs to the hot skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes at medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the chicken turns golden brown and cooks through completely.
- Transfer your cooked chicken to a clean plate and keep it nearby.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of neutral oil to the same skillet over medium-high heat and crack 2 large eggs directly into the pan.
- Let the eggs set for about 10 seconds, then scramble them continuously for 1-2 minutes at medium-high heat until they’re mostly cooked, pushing them to one side of your pan.
- Add 3 minced garlic cloves to the empty side of your skillet and let them cook for 30 seconds at medium-high heat until fragrant.
- Return your cooked chicken to the pan along with the drained noodles, ½ cup shredded carrots, and ¼ cup sliced green onions, stirring everything together over medium-high heat for about 1 minute.
- Pour your prepared sauce over all the ingredients in the pan and toss everything gently with tongs for 2-3 minutes at medium-high heat until the sauce coats the noodles and reduces slightly.
- Fold in 1 cup of bean sprouts at the very end, then transfer your pad thai to serving plates and top each portion with ¼ cup crushed roasted peanuts, lime wedges, extra sprouts, and cilantro if your family enjoys it.
Notes
- Soak your rice noodles just until soft; oversoak and they turn to mush, undersoak and they stay tough, so check them around the 10-minute mark.
- Brown sugar works better than regular sugar here because it dissolves smoothly into the sauce and adds a subtle depth that regular sugar can’t match.
- Cook your chicken thighs instead of breasts since they stay juicy and forgiving even if you cook them a minute or two longer than you intend.
- Taste your sauce before adding it to the pan so you can adjust the sweetness or heat to match your preference rather than being stuck with something that’s off.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12-14 minutes
- Category: Sautéed Chicken
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Thai
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 399 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 920 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 124 mg