Chicken Pad Thai

Matt and I were craving Thai food but we didn’t want to chance missing the opening ceremonies for the Olympics. I have never tried cooking Thai but with Whole Foods only a half mile away, I knew that we would be able to get the necessary ingredients in a hurry. I am so happy I gave this recipe a shot–as squeamish as I was to try fish sauce (knowingly! I always try to pretend it’s not in my food when we dine at Authentic Thai places ha!), I am really glad I decided not to omit it. I substituted Whole Grain rice noodles in place of regular noodles to make it healthier. I also added Tofu to the recipe because it’s totally my favorite part of Chicken Pad Thai when we dine out. I lightly dusted the Tofu chunks in flour, corn starch, and salt + pepper. I put a few tablespoons of canola oil in a shallow pan and lightly fried the pieces. They were really crispy and delicious–plus they added an extra punch of protein to the dish.

This recipe is also very vegetarian friendly too–just substitute the chicken for Tofu. I also know they sell Vegan friendly fish sauce at speciality markets.

I’ve owned this cookbook for a couple of years and this is the first time I’ve cooked from it–I look forward to trying a few more recipes in the future. I hope you enjoy it!

The Ingredients:

Recipe adapted from Keo’s Thai Cuisine 

Makes 4-6 servings

• 8oz package of rice noodles–I used Annie Chun’s Brown Rice Noodles made with 100% whole grain
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil–I used canola oil
• 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic
• 3/4-1 lb chicken breast
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 pound bean sprouts
• 1 ounce chives–cut into 2 inch lengths
• For the sauce: 
  • 1 tbs ketchup
  • 1 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped peanuts
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1-2 tbs fish sauce

How to:

• Soak rice noodles according to package in hot water–the brand I used only needed to be soaked 8 minutes
• Drain noodles and squeeze out excess water
• Heat 1/4 cup canola oil in wok on high heat–I used enough to cover the bottom of my wok
• Once pan is preheated, add thinly sliced chicken (add salt & pepper to chicken once it is in the pan–not too much salt though because soy and fish sauce is salty)
• Grate 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic over chicken, sautéing chicken until nearly cooked through
• Add lightly scrambled eggs in the middle of wok–mixing eggs only after they have set–otherwise they won’t scramble into large pieces they’ll just end up coating your chicken
• Add rice noodles and 1/2 of the bean sprouts and mix well–I used kitchen tongs the whole time I cooked this dish and it made stirring and serving the dish really easy
• Add ketchup, soy sauce, peanuts, sugar, and fish sauce to noodles and chicken–I actually nearly DOUBLED the sauce recipe because after the first addition it just wasn’t enough sauce for us
• Mix the sauce into the chicken/noodles until well incorporated; cook for about 3 minutes
• Serve hot & garnish with chives, peanuts, and red chile pepper flakes.