Pad Thai Noodles with Chicken and Shrimp

All the flavours of Thailand combine in this delicious meal of Pad Thai Noodles with chicken and shrimp. And it's so quick to make. You can do the prep ahead of time, and have this dish on the table in less than half an hour.

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• Pad Thai Noodles
• What you need to make Pad Thai Noodles
• How to make Pad Thai Noodles with chicken
• Can I freeze Pad Thai Noodles?
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• Related recipes
• 📋The recipe

Pad Thai Noodles

If you like Thai flavours you will love this dish of Pad Thai Noodles with chicken and shrimp. It's packed with the taste of garlic, lemongrass, soy and oyster sauce, and spiced up with chilli for an extra punch of heat. I've added broccoli and pak choi for colour, and beansprouts to give extra crunch. Apart from the noodles which are cooked separately and added at the last minute, this is a one-pan meal you can have on the table in less than half an hour.

This is one of those meals you make when you are craving a takeout meal, but don't have the energy/inclination to drive to the nearest takeout to fetch it. And believe me, this tastes far better anyway.

The secret to cooking it so quickly is to get all the prep done in advance. Here are a few tips to help you get ahead.

• Mix up the sauce ingredients - they can be kept in a screwcap jar in the fridge indefinitely.
• Chop up the chicken and mix it in the marinade - do it the day before and leave it in the fridge
• Prepare the vegetables the day before and store them in the fridge in plastic bags
• Chop the garlic and chilli when you buy it and store it in the fridge, covered in sunflower oil, in screw-top jars until you need it. It stays fresh for weeks.
• You can even cook the pasta in advance. Believe it or not, I always cook more pasta than I need and freeze it in a plastic container. Then, when the urge for Pad Thai noodles comes on I pop the container of noodles into the microwave for a couple of minutes to defrost. No waiting around for pasta to cook.

There is one thing I would like to mention and is that this is not quite a true version of Pad Thai. The authentic version contains tofu, which I have omitted here. However, that said, I think my version of Pad Thai Noodles with Chicken and Shrimp makes for a pretty tasty dish. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

What you need to make Pad Thai Noodles

See the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for exact quantities and detailed instructions on how to make this dish.

This is an easy dish to adjust to feed a different number of people. This recipe will easily feed 4 people. To feed more, add extra chicken/shrimp and vegetables.

For the sauce

There are quite a lot of ingredients here, but don't worry you will probably have most, if not all, in your cupboard already.

• Rice vinegar - this is a sweet vinegar, often added to sushi rice. If you don't have rice vinegar you can substitute with half and half white wine vinegar and mirin.
• Lime juice - you can squeeze fresh lime, or use bottled lime juice from the supermarket.
• Brown sugar - use dark brown sugar if you have it, if not you can use light brown sugar or even granulated white sugar.
• Fish Sauce - this is an essential. This smells really fishy when you smell it in the bottle, but don't let this put you off. It gives a salty taste to the finished dish - a bit like using anchovies and doesn't taste fishy at all.
• Soy sauce - use dark soy sauce, light soy sauce is too salty.
• Oyster sauce - my favourite Asian condiment. It adds a great depth of flavour to the dish. I even use it when I'm not cooking Asian food. My favourite way of cooking broccoli is to pop it in a dish with a couple of tablespoons of oyster sauce, cover it with cling film and microwave it on full power for 2 minutes.
• Tomato ketchup - or tomato sauce as we know it in the UK.
• Chilli paste or chilli flakes - bottled is fine - use your favourite brand and adjust the heat according to your own taste.
• Sesame oil - this is NEVER used for frying - it is only used as a flavouring in Asian cooking. It has a very strong taste, and a few drops is normally sufficient.

For the pasta

If you can get them, use the transparent Thai rice noodles or ribbons. Failing that, tagliatelle does the job just as well. You do need the flat ribbon-type noodles though.

For the Pad Thai

• Chicken breast fillets - these should be sliced into bite-sized pieces
• Frozen shelled raw shrimp- don't use the pre-cooked shrimps- they will be tough.
• Cornflour and soy sauce - this will be mixed with the chicken to marinate it before cooking.
• Sunflower oil - use a neutral flavoured oil, olive oil for example won't work with this dish.
• Egg - this is scrambled with the chicken and shrimp and mixed through the dish, similar to the egg in egg-fried rice.
• Onion - finely sliced
• Spring onion - or scallions as they are also known - chopped into 1cm lengths.
• Garlic - you can use fresh or bottled.
• Red chilli - finely chopped. Fresh is nice because it adds a bit of colour, but you can use bottled if you don't have fresh
• Ginger - once again you can use bottled if you don't have fresh. If using fresh ginger, it should be very finely chopped.
• Lemongrass paste - use the bottled lemongrass paste - the flavour is perfect for this dish.
• Broccoli florets - these should be cut up into approximately 1" to 2" pieces
• Pak choi - also known as Chinese cabbage. Separate the stalks from the leaves. Leave the leaves whole and slice the large pieces of white stem into smaller pieces.
• Beansprouts - these need to be as fresh as possible to provide maximum crunch.
• Chicken stock - you can make this with a stock cube
• Chopped peanuts - for garnish.

How to make Pad Thai Noodles with chicken

Most of the work involved in making this dish is in the preparation. Once everything is prepared this dish comes together in minutes.

Cook the noodles

Cook the noodles in boiling salted water according to the package instructions. Once the noodles are cooked, drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Leave aside until ready to use them. The noodles will be mixed into the finished dish just before serving.

Preparation

• Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and place it in a bowl with the cornflour and soy sauce. Mix thoroughly to combine and leave to marinate for about 10 minutes.
• Defrost the shrimp and chop each one into 2 or 3 pieces depending on the size.
• Peel the onion and spring onion (scallions).
• Slice the onion into thin slices and chop the spring onion into 1cm pieces
• If using fresh garlic and chilli chop finely. Place in a dish with the ginger paste and lemongrass paste.
• Rise the beansprouts under cold water and place them in a dish
• Slice the leaves from the pak choi stems and cut the stems into smaller pieces
• Chop the broccoli florets into 1" to 2" pieces.

Prepare the sauce ingredients

Measure out all the ingredients for the sauce into a bowl and mix to combine.

Cook the Pad Thai

Once you've done all the prep, the cooking part is a breeze!

• Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan (with a lid) and then saute the onions, spring onions, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and chilli over low heat until softened.
• Tip - I turn the heat down as low as it will go, cover the wok with a lid and allow the onions to sweat slowly. When you remove the lid from the pan you will already start to get the Thai aromas coming through.
• Once the onions are softened, turn up the heat and add the chicken and shrimp and stir fry, stirring continuously, until the chicken is browned on the outside and the shrimps have turned pink. Don't overcook - the chicken and shrimp will continue to cook along with the vegetables.
• Push the chicken to one side of the pan and add the egg. You should not add any additional oil.
• Stir fry the egg until dry and scrambled then mix through the chicken mixture. Make sure the egg is completely dry before mixing it in.

• Pour the sauce and the stock into the chicken mixture and bring to the boil
• Add the vegetables, cover with a lid and reduce the heat. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes until the vegetables start to soften. Do not over-cook. The vegetables should still retain their crispness.
• Add the pasta and using two forks, toss to combine. Leave on the heat to allow the pasta to warm through.
• Garnish with chopped peanuts and serve immediately.

Can I freeze Pad Thai Noodles?

Yes, you can freeze this dish. Just place it in a suitable freezer container. You can keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To use, defrost in the fridge or microwave, then tip it into a saucepan or large frying pan and heat gently until piping hot.

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Related recipes

Visit my Asian-inspired recipes page for other Thai recipes. Here are a few you might enjoy:

And if you are looking for a delicious sweet chilli sauce that is tons better than shop-bought, I've got that covered too.

📋The recipe

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