Easy Spicy Pad Thai Recipe (with Chicken)

Love Thai food? Our Easy Spicy Pad Thai Recipe is loaded with fresh ingredients like chicken, vegetables, herbs, and rice noodles, all in a spicy homemade pad Thai sauce!

Surprise, surprise, another restaurant staple made right at home?! You better believe it; this Spicy Pad Thai Recipe is like the restaurant, but better!

You know by now that I love to make my favorite restaurant dishes right at home, and pad Thai is no exception.

From those chewy rice noodles to the sweet and tangy sauce, aromatics, peanuts… I could go on and on, I just love everything about it.

Would you believe it is also pretty easy to recreate right at home? With a few specialty ingredients, you can have your favorite noodle dish on the table in about 45 minutes!

I love making this when we have company because there are never any leftovers. Everyone just seems to love pad Thai.

So, there is a pretty good chance that everyone at the table will devour this recipe and be asking for seconds!

If you’re like me and love to impress your friends and family with restaurant-quality dishes right at home, then you must make our Spicy Pad Thai Recipe ASAP!

Some of our other favorite noodle recipes we have on our site include: Bacon Pesto Pasta, Chicken Alfredo Bake, and Homemade Lasagna.

1. It makes a lot to feed a crowd and tastes just like it came from a Thai restaurant.
2. Easily customizable with lots of options for different proteins and crisp vegetables.
3. With a sweet and tangy flavor, this is a true crowd-pleasing dish.

• Palm sugar
• Fish sauce
• Tamarind paste
• Lime juice, fresh squeezed
• Soy sauce
• Red chili flakes
• Thai rice noodles – flat rice noodles
• Vegetable oil
• Chicken breast
• Garlic cloves, minced
• Large eggs, well beaten
• Green onions
• Fresh bean sprouts
• Cilantro
• Peanuts
• Lime wedges

1. First, make the sauce; add the sauce ingredients; palm sugar, fish sauce, tamarind paste, lime juice, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes into a large jar with a lid. Shake well until combined. If all the sugar doesn’t dissolve, give it a stir until it is incorporated. You could also whisk the ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.

2. Cook the rice noodles per the package instructions. Drain the noodles and rinse them with cold water to stop them from cooking, and set aside.

3. In a large wok (I use a 14-inch wok) or very large skillet, heat it up over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil.
4. Once hot, add the chicken to the wok and cook until almost done, about 8 minutes. Place the seared chicken on a plate.
5. Wipe out the wok and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the garlic and cook until just fragrant, 30 seconds.
6. Add the well-beaten eggs and stir them around until just done. Add the chicken back to the pan and mix it with the eggs.

7. Add the drained noodles and break them up so they are not sticking together, mix everything together, it might be easier to use tongs for this step.
8. Add the flavorful sauce and toss or stir to coat everything. Keep cooking, occasionally, stirring until ¾ of the sauce is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
9. Add the green onions and 1 cup of fresh bean sprouts. Toss to combine.
10. Garnish the pad thai noodles with the rest of the fresh bean sprouts, chopped cilantro, finely chopped peanuts, and lime wedges, and serve immediately.

WHAT OTHER VEGETABLES CAN I ADD?

You can put any vegetables you like in this, some of our favorites are:

• Bell peppers, any color will do, make sure they are thinly sliced
• Green Beans
• Sliced mushrooms
• Bok Choy
• Sliced carrots or matchstick carrots
• Zucchini
• Summer squash
• Snow peas
• Cabbage

WHERE DO I FIND THE SPECIALTY INGREDIENTS?

You can get specialty ingredients for this recipe at your local Asian market. When I can’t make it to my local grocer, I order the ingredients on Amazon:

• Tamarind Paste
• Fish Sauce
• Flat Rice Noodles
• Palm Sugar

Click on the links above to purchase.

IS THIS RECIPE AN AUTHENTIC VERSION?

It is not a truly authentic version since I am not Thai, nor have I ever been to Thailand to try authentic pad Thai.

But I do know this is a closer version than a lot of American restaurants.

In American restaurants, pad Thai tends to be very, very sweet. Our version is more on the tangy-sweet side.

HOW CAN I MAKE THIS SPICIER?

To amp up the spice even more, you can add hot sauce, chili sauce, chili peppers, or Thai chilies.

If using fresh or dried chilies, sautee them with the garlic in step 5.

WHAT ARE SOME OTHER SUBSTITUTIONS?

You can customize this with whatever protein you like. Some options are:

• Shrimp
• Sliced pork
• Squid
• Tofu

Also, try adding some fresh Thai basil or fresh ginger for a twist.

Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

To reheat, place it back into the wok with a splash of water, unsalted chicken stock, or vegetable stock to break it up. You can also reheat it in the microwave.

Freeze for up to 3 months.

Place leftovers in the freezer in a freezer-safe container. To thaw, place the dish in the fridge overnight.

I know you are ready to impress you friends and family, so make them this Spicy Pad Thai Recipe ASAP!

If you’ve tried this SPICY PAD THAI RECIPE, let me know how it turned out in the comments! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!