Quick Chicken Pad Thai
Chicken Pad Thai, Beef Pad Sew and Chicken Fried Rice, these are some of my ultimate favorite dishes to make, and to eat: not only do they come together super quickly, but they’re also, let’s admit it, quite delicious!
In my previous life, when I didn’t really mind what went into my body, I used to eat them all the time at my favorite Asian Food joint. Still, even then, I was a bit discouraged by the amount of oil (most probably canola!) that they would put at the bottom of their woks, and all the sauces (I REALLY don’t want to know what went into them!) that they would later add to the actual dish.
The ones that I make at home now taste just as good, and at least I get to control precisely what goes into them.
Tonight, we’ll make Chicken Pad Thai…
To begin with, cut the chicken breasts in half crosswise and then slice each half into thin strips.
See how neat and clean those slices are? A simple trick to achieve that is to put your chicken breasts in the freezer for 30 to 45 minutes prior to slicing them. You don’t want them to be frozen solid, but you want them to start forming ice crystals. The meat should be really firm but you should still be able to pierce it with the tip of a sharp knife.
Inversely, if you’re using previously frozen chicken breasts to make this dish, (I always keep a very good supply of these in the freezer) don’t wait until they’re completely thawed to slice them. Go at it when they’re still half frozen.
Once you’re done slicing the chicken, stir together the ingredients for the marinade, then add the sliced chicken to it.
Let the chicken marinate while you prep the vegetables and cook the noodles…
To cook the noodles, bring about 4 cups of salted water to the boil and then add the rice noodles to it. Cook for 3 minutes and then drain the rice noodles and plunge them in a bath of cold water to stop the cooking process.
When the noodles are cold, strain them and set them aside. Don’t leave them in the water for too long, though, or they might get mushy…
Now, in a large wok or heavy skillet, heat half the coconut oil over medium-high heat until really hot, about 1 minute.
Add the vegetables and cook, sautéeing almost constantly, until the veggies start to soften slightly and become fragrant, which should take about 1 minute.
Transfer the vegetables to a bowl and return the wok (or skillet) to the heat source.
Add the rest of the coconut oil, followed by the chicken and marinade to the wok and cook until the chicken becomes completely opaque, about 4 minutes.
Return the vegetables to the wok and add the cooked and cooled noodles as well…
Stir delicately until all the ingredients are well distributed and the noodles are heated all the way through, about 1 minute.
Serve, garnished with a pinch of toasted sesame seeds, some chopped green onion and a squirt of sriracha sauce, if desired.
Quick Chicken Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts,, cut into thin strips (about 300g | 10oz each)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, divided
- 1 cup chopped broccoli florets
- 2 mini bell peppers, seeded and julienned
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 5.25 oz uncooked medium rice noodles, use spiralized zucchini for strict paleo
MARINADE:
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp sriracha, or more, or less, to taste
- 1 tsp Himalayan salt
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 clove garlic, minced
GARNISH
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Finely chopped green onion, green part only
- Sriracha Sauce
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breasts in half crosswise and then slice them into thin strips. Set aside.
- Stir together the ingredients for the marinade ingredients, then add the reserved chicken to it.
- Let the chicken marinate while you prep the vegetables and cook the noodles.
- In a large saucepan, bring about 4 cups of salted water to the boil and then add the rice noodles to it. Cook for 3 minutes and then drain the rice noodles and plunge them in a bath of cold water to stop the cooking. When the noodles are cold, strain them and set them aside.
- In a wok or large heavy skillet, heat half the coconut oil over medium-high heat until really hot, about 1 minute. Add vegetables and cook, sautéeing almost constantly, until the veggies start to soften slightly and become fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl and return the wok to the heat source.
- Add the rest of the coconut oil as well as the chicken and marinade to the wok and cook until the chicken becomes completely opaque, about 4 minutes.
- Add the vegetables and noodles to the wok and mix delicately until the ingredients are well distributed and the noodles are heated all the way through, about 1 minute.
- Serve, garnished with a pinch of toasted sesame seeds, some chopped green onion and a squirt of sriracha sauce, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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2 Comments on “Quick Chicken Pad Thai”
This was good! Used kelp noodles instead and doubled the chicken. Only had bell peppers but would like to try to add diff veggies next time. Thanks! Nice and easy to make.
I love kelp noodles. Bet they were fantastic in this dish!