Thai
Pad Thai with Chicken
The classic sweet-sour-savoury rice-noodle stir-fry with chicken, egg and a crunch of peanuts.
About this recipe
Pad Thai with Chicken is a thai lunch for 2 that is a fast, high-heat stir-fry — have everything chopped before the wok gets hot. It’s built around chicken and egg, and it takes around 20 min start to finish. We sized it for a small household and ranked it on OneToCook by how much of it you already have in the fridge.
Good to know
* Dietary flags are derived from the listed ingredients — always check labels and your own needs for allergens.
Ingredients
- 200g, sliced chicken breast
- 2 egg
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 stalks spring onion
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1.5 tbsp sugar
- 200g, flat rice noodles buy
- 1 cup bean sprouts buy
- 1.5 tbsp tamarind paste buy
- 2 tbsp, crushed roasted peanuts buy
- 1/2 lime buy
Equipment
Method
- 1
Soak rice noodles in warm water until pliable, about 10 min; drain.
~10 min
- 2
Stir tamarind paste, fish sauce and sugar into a quick sauce.
~2 min
- 3
Stir-fryStir-fry.Cook small pieces fast over high heat while constantly moving them.Glossary → chicken and garlic in hot oil until cooked, 4 min. Push aside, scramble the eggs.
~5 min
- 4
Add drained noodles and sauce; toss over high heat until noodles soften and coat, 3 min, adding a splash of water if dry.
~4 min
- 5
Fold through bean sprouts. Plate and top with crushed peanuts and a squeeze of lime.
~2 min
Smart swaps
Out of something? Try one of these.
- Noodles
- whatever you have — rice, instant noodles, or even pasta in a pinch.
- Chicken breast
- chicken thigh (more forgiving), prawns, or firm tofu.
- Garlic
- garlic powder (¼ tsp per clove) at a push.
- Spring onion
- thinly sliced onion or chives for the finish.
- Fish sauce
- light soy sauce with a tiny pinch of salt — less funk, still savoury (also the vegetarian swap).
- Lime
- lemon, or a splash of rice vinegar for the acidity.
Cook's notes
- Smash each clove with the flat of your knife first — the skin slips off and it minces in seconds. How to mince garlic →
- Dice the onion before anything heats up so it’s ready when the pan is — a even dice cooks evenly. How to dice an onion →
- Keep the white and green parts separate — whites go in early with the aromatics, greens at the end. How to chop spring onions →
- Roll the lime firmly on the bench before juicing — you’ll get noticeably more juice out of it. How to juice a lime →
Storage & leftovers
Cooked rice needs care: cool it quickly (within an hour), refrigerate in a covered container, and eat within a day — reheating it until piping hot all the way through. Don’t leave cooked rice at room temperature.
Frequently asked
How long does Pad Thai with Chicken take to make? +
Around 20 min from start to finish, almost all of it hands-on.
How many people does this recipe serve? +
As written it serves 2. To cook for 4, roughly multiply the ingredients — but cook in batches if the pan gets crowded, so things sear instead of steaming.
What equipment do I need? +
You’ll want: induction hob, frying pan / wok, pot. OneToCook only suggests recipes that fit the equipment you tell it you have, so you can filter these out if your kitchen is more minimal.
What can I use if I'm missing an ingredient? +
Common swaps for this dish: Noodles → whatever you have — rice, instant noodles, or even pasta in a pinch; Chicken breast → chicken thigh (more forgiving), prawns, or firm tofu; Garlic → garlic powder (¼ tsp per clove) at a push. See the full list of smart swaps above.
Can I make Pad Thai with Chicken ahead of time? +
Cooked rice needs care: cool it quickly (within an hour), refrigerate in a covered container, and eat within a day — reheating it until piping hot all the way through. Don’t leave cooked rice at room temperature.
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