This authentic chicken pad Thai recipe is going to make your mouth water. It comes with perfectly cooked dry rice noodles, authentic ingredients, and a homemade sauce that strikes the perfect balance between salty, sour, and sweet. My mother altered this family recipe for our former Thai restaurant, and now I’m sharing it with you!

What is an authentic chicken pad Thai

It’s hard to find an authentic chicken pad Thai recipe these days. Even when dining out in a Thai restaurant, you are not guaranteed an authentic version of these tangy and savory stir-fried noodles.

This Thai street food has found its way across the world, and it’s surprising how many wrong variations there are circling around. Some recipes even include ketchup and peanut butter! And trust me when I say, ketchup has no place in this stir-fry.

There are a bunch of Westernized recipes out there that rely on just a few basic ingredients such as vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar. Using too few ingredients in your sauce, you’ll fail to capture the true, authentic flavors of this dish.

An authentic chicken pad Thai recipe:

• Has a perfect flavor balance between sweet, salty, sour, and you won’t be able to get enough of it.
• Does not feel heavy on the stomach. It’s a filling dish that should leave you satisfied, but not overly full.
• Will have you HOOKED from the first bite. The combination of the flavorful and traditional ingredients like fish sauce, tamarind, crunchy bean sprouts, and perfectly cooked noodles will leave you craving more.
• The rice noodles should be cooked between soft and al dente.
• Most Thai people I know use sweet pickled radish in their homemade pad Thai sauce.

Recipe substitutions

Thai food is incredibly versatile, and it can have different ingredients in different regions of Thailand or households.

• You can easily substitute the chicken with any protein that you prefer, such as beef, pork, tofu, seafood, or any other protein of your choice.
• In Thailand, pad Thai often contains dried shrimp. If you want, you can add some dried shrimp by tossing them in the wok pan after scrambling the egg. Add as many or as few as you prefer.
• Instead of traditional rice noodles, you can experiment with other type of noodles like wide rice noodles or glass noodles.
• Optionally, you can serve with dried chili flakes and crushed roasted peanuts.

Ingredients

Most ingredients can easily be found at Asian grocery stores.

• Sauce – Before you can begin cooking, you need to make the pad Thai sauce from scratch.
• Chicken – The chicken or protein of your choice should be cut in thin slices. This will reduce the cooking time and ensures that all pieces of meat are cooked evenly.
• Flat dry rice noodles – The noodles should be cooked soft, yet still have a small amount of resistance when you bite them.
• Bean sprouts – Bean sprouts add a crunchy texture and fresh flavor, and you can use as many bean sprouts as you like. When serving, I like to garnish with fresh bean sprouts as well.
• Garlic chives – If you’re having trouble finding chives, then you can substitute with leek or green onions.
• Egg
• Water
• Lime (optional) – I like the addition of fresh lime juice for an extra sour flavor, I usually use just a wedge of lime for this.
• Red chili flakes (optional) – I love eating spicy Thai food, and spicy pad Thai is no exception. Dried chili flakes are an easy way of adding a spicy kick to your meals.
• Crushed peanuts (optional) – The finishing touch to a great tasting pad Thai are crushed peanuts. Roasting peanuts prior to crushing them will make them even tastier.

Step-by-step instructions

Recipe notes

• This recipe will only work with my mother’s homemade pad Thai sauce recipe. To make three portions of pad Thai, you need to use two cups of the sauce. For one portion, use 2/3 cup of the sauce.
• Because the sauce contains most of the ingredients, the cooking time is only 5–10 minutes. Make the sauce in bulk to save time in the future.
• Cook a maximum of 3 portions at a time in a large wok pan. Any more than that and the pan will get crowded, making it harder to stir-fry to perfection.
• This pad Thai recipe is hands-down the best I’ve ever tasted. This Thai noodle dish is easy to make, tasty, flavorful and well-balanced.

How to serve

After cooking, serve immediately in a flat plate, optionally with chopsticks.

Optional: When serving, I like to add some bean sprouts on top of the noodles or on the side. I always squeeze some fresh lime juice over the dish as well, and I love to top it with crushed roasted peanuts and dried chili flakes.

Serve in an egg wrap

Did you know that pad Thai can be served in an egg wrap? This is mostly done in Thai restaurants.

It’s really easy, let me show you how! Serving a restaurant quality chicken pad Thai is totally doable for every home cook.

You’ll need just 1 egg, a pinch of salt, and a sauce dispenser.

• Beat an egg together with a pinch of salt in a bowl. Pour the mix into a sauce dispenser. Without using oil, squeeze the egg into a non-stick cooking pan or wok pan. If you don’t have a non-stick pan, then use a little bit of oil. When the egg is finished (shouldn’t take long) carefully remove from the pan with a spatula.
• Then lay it on a flat plate and put it inside the fridge for ±10 minutes. After 10 minutes, take the egg and put it in a bowl.
• Lay a small portion of pad Thai over the egg. Fold the sides of the egg on top of the pad Thai.

• Put a flat plate on top of the bowl and quickly flip it.
• Confidently remove the bowl.

How to store

After cooking, you can keep the noodles fresh in your refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2–3 days.

Reheat in a microwave or in a non-stick wok pan without oil, optionally you can use a splash of water.

Frequently answered questions (FAQ’s)

More stir-fries you’ll love

• Cabbage with fish sauce – This easy recipe is made with just a handful of ingredients, and it’s a great way to take your cabbage to a new level.
• Pad see ew with beef – Enjoy wide rice noodles coated with a sweet and savory sauce.
• Vegetarian pad woon sen – A quick and flavorful vegetarian stir-fry with glass noodles.

Love this authentic chicken pad Thai recipe? You would do me a GREAT favor by leaving a star rating and/or a comment in the comment section! And if you wish to stay up-to-date with my latest Thai recipes, then don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter.

Print Recipe

5 from 4 votes

Authentic Chicken Pad Thai Recipe

Author: Praew Cooking Method: Stir-Frying Cuisine: Asian cuisines Courses: Dinner Recipe Keys: High Protein Low Carb Low Fat Nut Free O One Pot

Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 10 min Cook Time 10 min Total Time 20 mins

Servings: 4 Calories: 641

Description

Fresh ingredients and delicious rice noodles tossed together in the best homemade pad Thai sauce. Top with chili flakes, lime juice, and crushed peanuts for a next-level pad Thai!

Ingredients

Servings

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 cups chicken (breast, thinly sliced)
• 10.5 ounces dry rice noodles
• 2.5 cups homemade pad Thai sauce
• ¹⁄₃ cup water
• 2 eggs
• ¹⁄₂ cup garlic chives (roughly chopped)
• 6 ounces bean sprouts

Optional

• 1 lime
• crushed roasted peanuts (to taste)
• dried chili flakes (to taste)

Instructions

1. Soak the dried rice noodles in water according to the package label. The noodles should be slightly soft but not completely soft since they will be cooked further in the wok pan.

2. Heat oil in a large non-stick wok pan or skillet over medium heat. Stir-fry the chicken until just cooked through, or ±3 minutes.

3. Add the soaked rice noodles and water, stir-fry for approx 2 minutes.

4. Add the homemade pad Thai sauce, cook and stir until all the noodles are coated with the sauce.

5. Push everything to one side of your wok pan. Break both of the eggs in the pan and scramble with a spatula.

6. Flip and toss to mix everything together.

7. Add garlic chives, bean sprouts, stir-fry for 20 seconds and turn off the heat. Serve immediately.

Tools you need

Traditional Steel Wok Pan

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Nutrition Facts

Servings 3

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Amount Per Serving

Calories 641kcal

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 31.8g49%

Saturated Fat 4.8g24%

Total Carbohydrate 48.7g17%

Dietary Fiber 5.6g23%

Protein 40.1g81%

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* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Note

• Use the nutrition card in this recipe as a guideline.
• Pad Thai can be made with any protein of your choice. Beef, pork, tofu, seafood or tofu, anything works in a pad Thai.
• In Thailand, pad Thai is often made with dried shrimps. These can be added after scrambling the egg.
• This recipe will only work when used in combination with my mother's homemade pad Thai sauce recipe. 2 cups of the sauce are used for making 3 portions of pad Thai. Use 2/3 cup sauce of the sauce for 1 portion.
• Don't cook more than 3 portion at a time in your wok pan. A crowded pan is not easy to work with it.

Keywords: authentic chicken pad Thai recipe, authentic pad Thai recipe, chicken pad Thai recipe

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