Chicken Pad Thai Takeout Style

Growing up in China, I didn’t get exposed to much authentic Thai food because there were limited options available. My first encounter with pad thai was in Chicago back in 2014. I was visiting Thomas (boyfriend at the time, now husband) during the dead of winter and I was craving some hot soup. So, he ordered some tom kha gai and pad thai for me. I later learned that those were Americanized versions of the dishes, but I really enjoyed them at the time. I would go on to try many great authentic-tasting Thai dishes after moving to New York City, amazed by their rich flavors and textures. But when I cook my favorite Thai dishes at home, such as chicken pad thai, I prefer to make the sauce slightly milder and add some extra vegetables.

Why this recipe

If you like takeout-style Thai food, the fish sauce in the authentic pad thai might taste too pungent for you. That’s why I developed this chicken pad thai sauce that uses oyster sauce and soy sauce to replace the fish sauce. This combination: I also added more vegetables – carrots, broccoli, and pepper. Not only do they add beautiful color to the dish, but they also add amazing texture and flavor. So you will have a one-pot dinner that is balanced and nutritious without needing to make extra side dishes.

Ingredients

The noodles

Chicken pad thai uses the narrow dried rice noodles that are about 1/4” (4 cm)-wide. These days you can easily find them in many grocery stores in their ethnic / Asian aisle. And of course, you can find them in most Asian markets. Some of the most common brands are Thai Kitchen, A Taste of Thai, and Erawan Brand (the one with the three-elephant logo). They all yield really good results if you soak them properly.

Key ingredient – tamarind paste

Tamarind paste is the crucial ingredient to use, so your chicken pad thai will not taste like it’s made with a ketchup sauce (many takeout places do that!). Even though I’m sharing the takeout version here, I still think you should stay away from ketchup if you can 🙂 Tamarind paste / puree has a dark color, a thick consistency like honey, and a tart, fruity taste. It is made from tamarind pods. It’s a common ingredient in Southeast Asian and Indian cooking to add a sour fruitiness to a dish. Because tamarind paste has such a vibrant and complex flavor, you only need to add some sugar and oyster sauce to make a great pad thai sauce! These days you can easily find it in a grocery store’s Asian / ethnic aisle. You can also find it online or in many Asian grocery stores.

Prep work

Once you’ve done the prep, your table should have everything ready to go. Because when you start the stir fry, it moves super fast and you won’t have time to chop or prepare a missing ingredient. PS. I totally forgot to add the soaked rice noodles into this photo (Ha!). They should be soaked and drained, then placed near the rest of the ingredients.

How to make vegan / vegetarian pad thai

I shared a vegan pad thai recipe in the past. That recipe is on the complicated end of the spectrum because I tried to use chickpea flour to make scrambled eggs to mimic the authentic pad thai texture. If you want to make a quick and delicious vegetarian pad thai dish, simply use half a block of tofu to replace the chicken. Pan fry the tofu until golden brown on both sides. If you want to make this dish vegan, use the tofu instead of chicken and skip the eggs. If you want to add texture to the vegan pad thai, try using some deep-fried tofu to replace tofu for a more dynamic texture.

Chicken pad thai cooking process

To get every ingredient cooked to the perfect doneness, it’s important to cook some of them separately and add back later.

Afterthought

Cooking chicken pad thai at home is quick and easy! Once you have the key ingredients, you can easily get the rest of the ingredients at a regular grocery store. If you enjoy the dish, stock up on tamarind paste and rice noodles because they will keep for a long time if stored properly. Also, do feel free to replace the veggies according to your preference and have fun with the cooking!