Chicken Pad Thai Recipe: Easy and Authentic Stir Fry
Last updated on October 17th, 2026
This chicken pad thai recipe uses real Chantaboon-style rice noodles and a sauce built from tamarind, palm sugar and fish sauce: not the ketchup-and-peanut-butter shortcut that passes for pad thai in a lot of places. Get everything prepped before the wok goes on, because once it starts, this dish cooks in minutes. After 20 years of professional cooking, this is without a doubt the best chicken pad thai I’ve ever made, with a proper balance of sweet, sour and salty.
How to Cook Chantaboon Rice Noodles
To cook Chantaboon rice noodles, soak them in cold water for up to two hours for the best texture, or in warm, not hot, water for just 6 to 10 minutes if you’re short on time. Keep an eye on the clock either way: over-soaked noodles turn mushy before they even hit the wok. Chantaboon noodles are often labelled pad thai noodles on the packet, and they’re a similar size and shape to linguine. Mine took 1 hour 45 minutes in cold water and came out fully softened but still very al dente.
How to Make Chicken Pad Thai Sauce
Pad thai sauce is tamarind, palm sugar, white sugar and fish sauce, simmered together for a minute or two until the sugars dissolve: that combination is what makes or breaks this dish. Making the tamarind paste from scratch by soaking the pods for an hour in just enough boiling water to cover them and pushing the pulp through a sieve gives a noticeably more intense flavour than jarred tamarind puree, though the jarred version is a perfectly good shortcut if you’re pressed for time. Grate the palm sugar on a box grater, which is the easiest way to prepare it. Coconut sugar or muscovado will do if you can’t find palm sugar, but palm sugar gives the best authentic flavour.
Preparing the Vegetables
Daikon adds a clean crunch once it’s peeled and sliced into thin half-moons, about the thickness of a penny, and salted briefly. If you can’t find daikon, small salad radishes work, or leave it out. Shallots get the same light salting to draw out moisture before they hit the wok, and spring onions, just the green part, well washed, bring a fresh, sharp finish. It’s the same salting trick I use to soften the veg in my Vietnamese chicken salad. Prep all of it before you start cooking, since none of it has time to be chopped once the wok is hot.
Choosing the Proteins
Chicken breast, sliced into small strips, is the easy option here, though traditional pad thai leans on dried prawns, and tofu, beef or fresh prawns all work well if you’d rather switch it up. Breast from a whole chicken you’ve butchered yourself works perfectly here, and it’s cheaper too. Slice the breast in half first so it’s flatter and more even, then cut it into small strips (chicken thigh works well too). Rinse the dried prawns under cold water and, if they’re big, cut them in half or into thirds so they get lost between the noodles.
Preparing the Peanuts
Toasted, crushed peanuts aren’t just a garnish: that crunch is part of what makes pad thai’s texture work, so don’t skip toasting them properly before crushing them down to a reasonably fine texture, so they get lost amongst the noodles. They do the same job in my Vietnamese slaw, adding crunch to every mouthful.
Organising Everything Before You Cook
Lay every prepped ingredient out on a tray before you turn the wok on. Stir frying moves fast, and there’s no time to be chopping anything once the cooking actually starts. It’s the same prep-first thinking behind my 30-minute pan-seared chicken.
How to Cook Chicken Pad Thai in a Wok
Heat the wok on medium-high for at least a minute so it’s evenly hot, then add about a teaspoon of high smoke point oil and the chicken. Leave it to sit and form a crust for one to two minutes: if a piece lifts freely when you test it with your spoon, it’s ready, and if it’s stuck, give it longer. Add the shallots and fry for one to two minutes until they soften, then turn the heat down to medium low and scramble in the eggs for 30 seconds. Add the dried prawns and daikon for another 30 seconds, then the noodles, with the heat back up to high. Stir fry for one to two minutes until they pick up a little colour and look shiny (add a splash more oil if anything sticks), then add the sauce and chilli powder and cook for another minute. I stir with a spoon rather than lifting and tossing the wok, because most of us don’t have big wok burners: once the wok comes off the heat it takes a long time to come back up to temperature, and by then the chicken is overcooked and dry while the noodles are still raw. Finish with the spring onions and beansprouts, where a bit of tossing is fine, and stir fry for 30 seconds until they’ve wilted.
Balancing Sweet, Sour and Salty
Taste before you plate. Pad thai should hit sweet, sour and salty all at once, so adjust with more sugar, salt or tamarind if any one of them is dominating, and always serve it with a lime wedge on the side. If you like more heat at the table, a drizzle of homemade chilli oil is a great addition.
Plating the Iconic Dish
Pile the noodles onto a plate, top with crushed peanuts and a few extra on the side, then garnish with fresh beansprouts, spring onion and a lime wedge for the citrus lift that finishes the dish. A bowl of vegan prawn-style crackers on the side makes it feel like a proper street food spread.
That balance of tamarind, palm sugar and fish sauce is what separates real chicken pad thai from the sweet, one-note version most takeaways serve: worth the extra prep.
What kind of noodles do I need for Pad Thai?
Use Thai Chantaboon style rice noodles, which are similar in width to linguine. Soak them in cold water for up to 2 hours for the best texture, or in warm water for just 6 to 10 minutes if you’re short on time: but don’t over-soak them or they’ll turn mushy before they even hit the wok.
What makes an authentic Pad Thai sauce?
The classic sauce is built from tamarind, palm sugar, white sugar and fish sauce, simmered together until the sugars dissolve. Making your own tamarind paste from pods gives the most intense flavour, though jarred tamarind puree or tamarind water works as a convenient substitute.
Can I use a different protein in Pad Thai?
Yes. Traditional Pad Thai includes dried prawns, but chicken breast, tofu, thinly sliced beef or fresh prawns all work well. Slice chicken into small strips, and rinse and trim dried prawns if using them.
Why do you prep everything before cooking Pad Thai?
Stir frying happens fast over high heat, so having every ingredient, noodles, sauce, vegetables, protein and peanuts, laid out and ready before the wok goes on means nothing overcooks or burns while you’re still chopping.
How do I get the right balance of flavours in Pad Thai?
Taste as you go and adjust with more sugar, salt or tamarind until you hit a harmonious balance of sweet, sour and salty. A fresh lime wedge served alongside adds the final citrus lift that ties the dish together.
What is chicken pad thai made of?
Chicken pad thai is Chantaboon-style rice noodles stir fried with chicken breast, dried prawns, egg, shallots, daikon, spring onions and beansprouts in a sauce of tamarind, palm sugar, white sugar and fish sauce. It is finished with crushed peanuts and a squeeze of lime.
Chicken Pad Thai Recipe: Easy and Authentic Stir Fry
Equipment
- Mortar & pestle / Molcajete
- Dish / Ramekin
- Mixing bowl / Bowl
- Strainer / Sieve
- Kettle
- Box grater
- Chef’s knife
- Chopping board
- Vegetable peeler
- Digital scales
- Measuring spoons
- Frying pan
- Saucepan
- Wok
- Plate / Tray
- Serving plate / Platter
- Spoon (table, dessert, tea)
- Wooden / Stirring spoon
Ingredients
- 180 g / 6.35oz Chantaboon rice noodles
- 2 x tablespoons / 50g tamarind puree
- 2 x tablespoons / 20g palm sugar
- 2 x tablespoons / 24g white sugar
- 4 x tablespoons / 48g fish sauce
- 8 x green tops of spring onions / scallions / green onions
- 2 x shallots 100g / 3.5oz
- 1 x chicken breast 175g / 6oz
- 2 x eggs
- 2 x tablespoons dried prawns / shrimps 25g (almost an ounce)
- 1 x small daikon / white radish 115g / 4oz
- Pinch or 1/4 teaspoon of chilli powder
- 2 x handfuls of beansprouts
- 2 x Tablespoons of crushed peanuts
- Lime wedges
- High smoke point neutral tasting oil
Instructions
- Soak rice noodles in cold water for 2 hours or in warm water for 6-10 minutes.
- Prepare the Pad Thai sauce by mixing 2 tablespoons of tamarind puree, 2 tablespoons of palm sugar, 2 tablespoons of white sugar, and 4 tablespoons of fish sauce in a small saucepan. Cook on low heat for 1-2 minutes until the sugars have dissolved. Allow to cool.
Prepare the vegetables:
- Slice 2 shallots and toss with a pinch of salt, let sit for 15 minutes before cooking.
- Peel the daikon and slice it into thin half-moons, around the thickness of a penny. Toss with a pinch of salt and let it sit.
- Separate the green and white parts of the spring onions (scallions), keeping only the green. Wash them really well, as grit hides in the crevices, then slice each piece in half lengthways.
Prepare the proteins:
- Slice the chicken breast in half so it’s flatter and more even, then cut it into small strips.
- Rinse 2 tablespoons (25g) of dried prawns (shrimps) under cold water. If they are large, cut them in half or into thirds.
- Toast the unsalted peanuts in a pan or in the oven, let them cool, then pulse in a food processor or crush in a mortar and pestle to a reasonably fine texture.
- Once the noodles have soaked, drain and set aside.
Cook the pad thai:
- Heat a wok over medium-high heat for at least 1 minute until evenly hot. Add about 1 teaspoon of high smoke point oil and the chicken. Leave it to form a crust for 1-2 minutes: test a piece with your spoon, and if it lifts freely from the pan it is ready, if it is stuck leave it a little longer.
- Add the shallots and fry for 1-2 minutes until they start to soften. Turn the heat down to medium low, add the eggs and stir to scramble for 30 seconds.
- Add the dried prawns and daikon and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add the noodles, turn the heat back up to high, and stir fry for 1-2 minutes until they pick up a little colour and look shiny. Add a splash more oil if anything sticks.
- Add the sauce and chilli powder and cook for 1 minute, stirring with a spoon rather than tossing the wok, to keep the heat in.
- Add the spring onions and beansprouts and stir fry for 30 seconds until wilted. Taste: it should be perfectly balanced between sweet, sour and salty.
- Pile the noodles onto a plate and top with crushed peanuts, with a little pile on the side. Add more beansprouts and spring onion on top, and serve with a lime wedge.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
| Total Fat | 18.7g |
| Saturated Fat | 3.8g |
| Cholesterol | 358.4mg |
| Sodium | 2486.5mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 126.8g |
| Dietary Fiber | 7.6g |
| Sugars | 39.3g |
| Protein | 47.1g |
| Potassium | 1162.5mg |
