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Drunken Noodles bring all the bold, savory, slightly spicy magic of your favorite Thai restaurant right to your own wok, with chewy wide rice noodles, juicy chicken, and crisp peppers tossed in a glossy umami sauce in about 30 minutes. I first made these on a rainy Friday night when takeout was taking forever, and now the girls beg for them. Love a good noodle night? Try our easy chow mein with ramen noodles next.
Once you see how fast these come together, you will skip the takeout line for good.
Drunken Noodles Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 30 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 15 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 45 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 4 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 597kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Savory, garlicky, and spicy with sweet and salty umami depth
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, a fun stir fry like our spicy pad Thai with chicken
Quick Answer
Cook wide rice noodles and slice the chicken. Whisk oyster sauce, dark and light soy sauce, fish sauce, Shaoxing wine, and brown sugar into a quick sauce. Stir fry the chicken, then the garlic, ginger, shallots, peppers, and baby corn. Add the noodles, Thai basil, scallions, and chicken back to the wok, pour in the sauce, and toss until everything is glossy and coated. Serve with extra basil and lime.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Wide rice noodles soak up the sauce. Flat, chewy rice noodles have lots of surface area to grab that glossy umami sauce in every bite.
- A balanced sauce does the work. Oyster, dark and light soy, fish sauce, Shaoxing wine, and brown sugar hit sweet, salty, and savory all at once.
- High heat keeps it a true stir fry. Cooking fast over high heat keeps the chicken juicy and the peppers crisp-tender instead of mushy.
- Thai basil makes it authentic. Stirred in at the end, Thai basil adds that signature peppery, anise-like aroma that defines drunken noodles.
- Cooking in stages builds flavor. Searing the chicken first, then the aromatics and veggies, layers the flavor instead of steaming everything together.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is faster than waiting on takeout, ready in about 30 minutes start to finish.
- You control the heat, the salt, and the freshness, so every batch is exactly how you like it.
- It is a complete one-wok meal with protein, veggies, and noodles, much like our teriyaki chicken fried rice.
- It delivers that same everyone asks for seconds energy as our crunchy asian ramen noodle salad.
- It delivers that same everyone asks for seconds energy as our chicken noodle casserole.
- It earns a spot in the rotation right next to our copycat Panda Express Mushroom Chicken.
Key Ingredients
These bold pantry sauces and fresh aromatics are what make drunken noodles taste just like your favorite Thai spot.
- Wide Rice Noodles: The chewy, flat base that soaks up every drop of sauce. Cook just until tender so they do not turn mushy.
- Oyster, Soy, and Fish Sauce: The savory umami trio that gives the dish its signature deep flavor.
- Shaoxing Wine and Brown Sugar: A splash of wine and a touch of sweetness round out and balance the sauce.
- Thai Basil: Peppery and aromatic, it is the herb that makes these noodles unmistakably Thai.
- Chilies and Peppers: Thai red chilies and serrano bring the heat, while red bell peppers and baby corn add crunch and color.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Drunken noodles are endlessly adaptable. Make them your own with these swaps.
- Change the protein: Swap chicken for shrimp, sliced beef, pork, or crispy tofu.
- Dial the heat: Use fewer chilies for mild, or add more serrano and chili for fiery.
- Go gluten free: Use tamari and a gluten free oyster sauce.
- Load up the veggies: Add snap peas, broccoli, carrots, or mushrooms.
- No Shaoxing wine? Substitute dry sherry or a splash of chicken broth.
- If you want to switch things up, our thai red curry soup recipe plays on similar flavors in a whole new way.
- If you want to switch things up, our beef tips and noodles plays on similar flavors in a whole new way.
- In the mood for something different? Our Panda Express teriyaki chicken scratches a similar itch.
How to Make Drunken Noodles
- Cook the rice noodles according to the package directions, then drain and rinse under cold water. While they cook, thinly slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the oyster sauce, dark soy, 1 tablespoon light soy, fish sauce, Shaoxing wine, and brown sugar until the sugar dissolves.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the chicken and the remaining 1 tablespoon light soy, stirring occasionally until no longer pink, then remove and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok, then the garlic, ginger, and shallots. Cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
- Add the Thai chilies, serrano, red bell peppers, and baby corn. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes until the bell peppers have softened.
- Add the cooked noodles, Thai basil, scallions, and the cooked chicken back to the wok.
- Pour in the sauce and toss everything together with tongs until the noodles are fully coated.
- Continue tossing and cook until everything is heated through and the noodles are glossy.
- Serve hot with extra Thai basil and lime wedges to squeeze over the top.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Prep everything first. Stir fries move fast, so have your noodles, sauce, and chopped ingredients ready before the wok gets hot.
- Do not overcook the noodles. Cook them just shy of tender and rinse cold so they finish in the wok without turning gummy.
- Get the wok hot. High heat gives you that signature smoky, charred stir fry flavor.
- Add the basil last. Stirring Thai basil in at the very end keeps its bright, peppery aroma.
- Taste and adjust. Add a splash more fish sauce for salt or a pinch of sugar to balance the heat.
- Work in batches if needed. Crowding the wok steams the food. Cook in two batches for the best sear.
- Plan the whole menu. This pairs effortlessly with our viral tik tok ramen noodles when company is coming.
- Plan the whole menu. This pairs effortlessly with our chicken noodle soup when company is coming.
- Make it a full spread. Our egg foo young rounds out the table.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Finish with plenty of lime wedges and fresh Thai basil on the side so everyone can adjust the brightness and heat to their taste. Leftovers reheat well for an easy next-day lunch.
Drunken Noodles FAQs
Drunken noodles, or pad kee mao, are a Thai stir fry made with wide rice noodles, protein, vegetables, chilies, and Thai basil in a savory, slightly sweet sauce. Despite the name, there is no alcohol in the dish itself.
Wide, flat rice noodles are traditional for drunken noodles. Fresh ones are ideal, but dried wide rice noodles soaked or boiled until just tender work perfectly.
Authentic drunken noodles are meant to be spicy, but you control the heat. Use more Thai chilies and serrano for fiery noodles, or cut back for a milder, family-friendly version.
Drunken noodles are savory and spicy with wide rice noodles and Thai basil, while pad Thai is sweeter and tangier with thin noodles, tamarind, peanuts, and egg.
Drunken noodles are best fresh, but you can prep the sauce and chop all the ingredients a day ahead. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Chicken is classic, but drunken noodles are delicious with shrimp, thinly sliced beef, pork, or crispy tofu. Just cook the protein first and add it back at the end.
Still filling out the menu? Readers love pairing this one with our chicken pad thai, thai beef bowls with coconut rice, pad see ew, and air fryer gyoza.
And when you are planning next week’s dinners, our pad kra pao keeps the same easy comfort going.
Thai Drunken Noodles
Ingredients
- 8 ounces wide rice noodles
- 1 pound chicken breast boneless & skinless
- 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium sodium soy sauce divided
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
- 6 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 inch piece of ginger peeled and minced
- 6 shallots small-diced
- 2 Thai red chili peppers thinly sliced or to taste
- 1 serrano pepper thinly sliced
- 2 medium-sized red bell peppers seeded & thinly sliced
- 15 ounce can baby corn drained and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup packed Thai basil thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
- 5 scallions thinly sliced
- 1 lime cut into wedges, to serve
Instructions
- Cook the rice noodles according to the directions on the back of the package. Once they’re cooked, drain and rinse them under cold water to prevent further cooking. Set aside.8 ounces wide rice noodles
- While you prepare the noodles, thinly slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces and set aside.1 pound chicken breast
- In a small bowl, mix together the oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon light soy, fish sauce, Shaoxing wine, and brown sugar. Mix until the brown sugar has dissolved.3 tablespoons oyster sauce, 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoons low-sodium sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, 1 tablespoons brown sugar
- Bring a wok or large skillet with deep sides to medium heat and add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil.2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add your chicken breast and the remaining 1 tablespoon light soy sauce. Stir occasionally so it doesn’t burn. Cook until no longer raw, for about 6-8 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the wok and set aside on a plate to rest.
- In the same wok, add another tablespoon of vegetable oil and heat it up.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and shallots and cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant, stirring constantly.6 cloves of garlic, 1 inch piece of ginger, 6 shallots
- Add the red chili peppers, serrano peppers, red bell peppers, and baby corn, and cook until the red bell peppers have softened, for about 4-6 minutes.2 Thai red chili peppers, 1 serrano pepper, 2 medium-sized red bell peppers, 15 ounce can baby corn
- Then add the cooked noodles, Thai basil, scallions, and cooked chicken to the wok.1 cup packed Thai basil, 5 scallions
- Add the sauce and stir everything together until the noodles are fully coated in the sauce. Tongs can help in this step. Cook until everything is heated through and hot, about 1 minute.
- Serve with some extra Thai basil and lime to squeeze over the dish.1 lime
Notes
- The peppers can be left out or swapped for others, see my tips above for options.
- If you cannot find Shaoxing Wine, you can replace it with any dry white wine.
- Thai Basil can be replaced with regular basil.
- This dish is extremely spicy, so be warned.
- Double this recipe to serve more people.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above.
Nutrition
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