Photo of Chicken pad Thai by WW

Chicken pad Thai

9
Points®
Total Time
47 min
Prep
25 min
Cook
22 min
Serves
6
Difficulty
Moderate
Here's a traditionally prepared Thai classic. It has the same crunchy textures and balance of umami, sweet, and sour flavors, that people love about this celebrated Asian street food. It's also great with shrimp or cubed tofu instead of chicken. To prevent mushy noodles, check on them while they soak and remove them from the cold water once they become slightly chewy. You’ll preserve their texture, since they’ll absorb even more liquid when they’re stir-fried. You can use either red or green Thai chili peppers but be sure to handle them as little as possible. Since the heat from the seeds can linger on your skin, be careful not to touch your eyes until after you’ve washed your hands with soap and warm water.

Ingredients

Packaged rice noodles

7 oz

Uncooked skinless boneless chicken breast

1 pound(s), cut into 3/4-inch cubes

Fish sauce

¼ cup(s), divided

Broccoli

4 cup(s), chopped, florets

Carrots

1 medium, finely sliced

Fresh lime juice

¼ cup(s), divided

Sugar

3 Tbsp

Water

3 Tbsp

Fresh ginger

1½ tsp, fresh, finely minced

Cooking spray

2 spray(s)

Peanut oil

4 tsp, divided

Green hot chile peppers

1 tsp, chopped, or red chili pepper, Thai-variety, deveined, seeded, minced*

Garlic

1 clove(s), minced

Uncooked bean sprouts

1½ cup(s)

Peanuts

2½ oz, dry-roasted, salted, minced (about 1/2 cup)

Cilantro

½ cup(s), fresh, minced

Instructions

  1. Soak noodles in cold water for 1 hour.
  2. Place chicken in a small bowl and cover with 1 tablespoon of fish sauce; set aside.
  3. Steam broccoli and carrot until crisp-tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately immerse in cold water; drain and set aside.
  4. Meanwhile, in another small bowl, combine remaining 3 tablespoons of fish sauce, 3 tablespoons of lime juice, sugar, water and ginger; mix well and set aside.
  5. Coat a large wok or skillet with cooking spray and warm over medium-high heat; add 2 teaspoons of oil. When hot, add chicken; cook, stirring occasionally until chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and cover to keep warm; set aside.
  6. Drain noodles thoroughly. Off heat, coat same wok or skillet with cooking spray and warm over medium-high heat; add remaining 2 teaspoons of oil. When hot, sauté chili pepper and garlic until just fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add noodles and fish sauce mixture; cook, stirring, until sauce is mostly absorbed, about 3 minutes. Stir in chicken and peanuts; remove from heat. Add remaining tablespoon of lime juice, bean sprouts and cilantro; mix well. Serve immediately.
  7. Serving size: about 2 cups