Here's an easy recipe for Chicken Pad Thai that's full of flavour and offers a perfect balance of sweet, savoury, and spicy flavours. This Chicken Pad Thai recipe is a great way to enjoy the classic flavours of Thai cuisine with the convenience of making it at home. Adjust the heat and sweetness to your liking, and enjoy!

Tip #1

Noodle Preparation: Soak the rice noodles until they are just tender but still firm to the bite. Over-soaking will make them mushy when cooked with the sauce.

Tip #2

Balanced Flavoring: Start with the base recipe for the sauce and adjust according to taste. Authentic Pad Thai is all about achieving the perfect balance of sweet, sour, and salty, so feel free to tweak the amounts of tamarind, fish sauce, and sugar.

Tip #3

Authenticity Note: While tomato paste is not traditionally used in Pad Thai, it's often added in Western versions for a richer colour and slightly tangy flavour. If aiming for authenticity, skip the tomato paste and focus on enhancing the tamarind and fish sauce in the dish.

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Chicken Pad Thai

Preparation Time: 1 hour

Servings: 4

Ingredients

Sauce:

4 tablespoons tamarind purée (or 3 tbsp tamarind paste)
4 tablespoons fish sauce
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Pad Thai:

2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1 tbsp baking soda
200g flat rice noodles
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
2 tbsp tomato paste (optional)
1 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/4 cup peanuts, crushed
Lime wedges for serving
Fresh cilantro and extra bean sprouts for garnish

Preparation

In a small bowl, whisk together the tamarind puree, fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
Soak the rice noodles in warm water for about 20-30 minutes until they are soft but still have a bit of a bite to them. Drain and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the sliced chicken and cook until it's no longer pink and is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add the minced garlic and sauté for a few seconds, just until fragrant.
Push the garlic to one side of the skillet and crack the eggs into the other side. Scramble them until they're just set.
Add the cooked noodles, chicken, prepared sauce and tomato paste (if using) to the skillet. Toss everything together to combine and coat the noodles and chicken evenly with the sauce. Cook for about 2-3 minutes.
Add the bean sprouts and green onions. Toss again to mix everything well.
Serve the Chicken Pad Thai hot, garnished with crushed peanuts, lime wedges, and if desired, additional fresh bean sprouts and cilantro.