Skip the takeout and make this Healthy Chicken Pad Thai recipe instead! This gluten free pad thai recipe is a healthier version of a classic takeout dish. Packed with veggies, chicken and brown rice noodles.Â
Â
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Click here to read my policy and more about affiliate links. This post was originally shared in 2016 but has since been updated.
I feel like I start every blog post by saying the recipe is my favorite, but in reality.. this Healthy Chicken Pad Thai recipe has 100% taken the number 1 spot on my list of favorite recipes.
It is ridiculously delicious, simple to make, and a healthier version of one of everyones favorite takeout meals… what’s not to love?!
Jam packed with ALL the veggies, lean protein, and healthy carbs thanks to brown rice noodles – it’s an easy meal everyone will love!
Thai food is one of my favorite cuisines. It’s our go to whenever I’m sick of cooking (which usually happens on Friday or Saturday night).
What makes this recipe healthier?
There is a lot to love about this boneless chicken breast recipe. It’s one of our favorite proteins for a healthy dinner because it’s:
- Lower in salt: Some Thai dishes are high in salt (most restaurant meals are!) This dish is lower in salt than most Pad Thai recipes, but it is still higher in salt than most recipes on our site.
- Few ingredients: This recipe is only made with a few ingredients, all of which can be found at the store,
- Extra Veggies: I always order my pad Thai with extra vegetables – so I loaded this recipe up with veggies.
Ingredients for Healthy Pad Thai:
To make this Healthy Pad Thai, you’ll need a few ingredients that you can get at almost any grocery store!
You’ll need:
- chicken breasts
- peppers, bean sprouts, carrots
- brown rice noodles
- peanut butter
- honey
- lime juice/zest
- rice wine vinegar
- fish sauce
- coconut aminos
- peanuts
- red pepper flakes
I’ve included substitutions for all of these ingredients below under ‘Substitutions’
We love to get our chicken from ButcherBox. Learn more about why we love it in this Butcher Box Reviews Post.
How to make Healthy Chicken Pad Thai:
- In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil. Cook chicken over medium heat for 12-15 minutes until completely cooked.
- While chicken is cooking, bring a pot of water to a boil + cook rice noodles according to the directions on the package
- While noodles/chicken are cooking, whisk together the sauce ingredients + set off to the side. Chop vegetables.
- Once chicken has cooked, remove chicken from the pan + set aside in a large bowl. Try to leave the oil in the pan. Add in peppers, carrots, garlic and onion to the oil and sauté uncovered for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, stir in bean sprouts and cook for an additional 2 minutes.Â
- Push vegetables to one side of the pan + crack eggs into the pan. Scramble eggs until cooked, approximately 2 minutes. Stir veggie / egg mixture together. Remove from the pan and set aside with the chicken.Â
- Add the sauce mixture to the empty pan (you do not need to clean the pan!) and bring to a boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. The sauce should bubble and slightly thicken.
- Add cooked veggies, cooked chicken and cooked noodles into the pan with the sauce and toss to combine. Garnish with peanuts. Optional garnish: lime, cilantro, green onions.
The next time you’re craving takeout, try making this instead.
It takes the same amount of time to make as you’re probably going to have to wait for delivery anyways, so you might as well try it!
You can also make this recipe in the instant pot! Scroll down and in the recipe you’ll see ‘Instant Pot Instructions.
Important Note: This is not an authentic pad Thai recipe. My goal is always to share recipes that are a bit healthier and made with affordable, accessible ingredients so everyone can enjoy them regardless of their food allergies or dietary restrictions. If you are looking for an authentic pad thai recipe – check out this recipe!
Substitutions for this lower calorie pad thai:
There are lots of substitutions for this recipe! Here are some that we recommend:
Egg free: You can simply omit the eggs.
Bean Sprouts: You might have a hard time finding bean sprouts. You can just skip them or sub in more vegetables.
Oil: You can sub olive oil with avocado oil or canola oil
Vegetables: You can omit the bean sprouts if you’re having a hard time finding them. Bulk up the dish by adding more carrots or peppers! I’ve also added in mushrooms and match-stick sliced zucchini and it was yummy!
Vegetarian: Feel free to skip the chicken and bulk up on veggies to make this vegetarian!
Protein: You can sub in shrimp for the chicken if you’d like. Shrimp take much less time to cook, depending on their size I would cook about 2 minutes on each side until shrimp begin to turn pink. You can also use shaved steak/beef if you prefer! I have not tried this recipe with cooked tofu but I think it would work!
Chicken: Boneless skinless thighs or chicken tenders will also work. We also have a Thai Chicken Wings recipe that is delish!
Fish Sauce: If you can’t find or don’t have fish sauce you can sub it in for more coconut aminos or soy sauce. It won’t taste the same but it will still be good! I promise you will not taste the fishy-ness of fish sauce.. I don’t eat fish and absolutely love the flavor it gives! (It does have a bit of an off-putting smell if this is your first time cooking with it, don’t be alarmed!)
Coconut Aminos: If you don’t have coconut aminos – substitute soy sauce or Bragg’s liquid aminos. If you use Bragg’s use 1/2 the amount as it is much saltier.
Peanut Butter/Peanuts: I have not tried making this recipe without peanuts/peanut butter. Sunflower butter or cashew butter may work but I’m not sure how they will affect the taste.
Do you need to use fish sauce in this recipe?
If you can’t find fish sauce near you, you can sub in more coconut aminos for it. It definitely will not taste as good as the fish sauce adds such a yummy flavor, but it will be ok!
I like to buy red boat fish sauce from Trader Joe’s, it’s cheapest there and has the best ingredients.
Storing/Serving Pad Thai:
Storing: This pad thai will last for 3-4 days in an airtight container in a refrigerator
Reheating: You can reheat this pad thai in the microwave or on the stove. Sauté over low heat on the stove or microwave until warmed through.
Freezing: I haven’t tried freezing this pad thai, but I don’t think it would work well.
Can you use zucchini noodles instead of brown rice noodles?
Yes, I’ve also tested this recipe with zucchini noodles and it was delicious. I definitely prefer brown rice noodles, but the last time I made it I did a 50/50 split zoodles to brown rice noodles and it was so yummy!
Lower in carbs and extra veggies. Make sure to really squeeze all the liquid out of the zucchini noodles to avoid them from getting soggy!
Other healthy takeout recipes:
Looking for other easy meals? Check out these 40+ Healthy Dinner Recipes. Click here to grab our free healthy 30 minute dinners cookbook.
Need more ideas for dinner? Check out these 40+ Healthy Dinner Recipes. Love chicken? Check out our favorite healthy chicken breast recipes!
Healthy Chicken Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 5 oz brown rice noodles
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded thinly
- 1 cup red bell peppers sliced into thin pieces
- 2 cup carrots sliced into thin pieces
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 2 eggs
For the Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1.5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- ¼ cup coconut aminos or low sodium soy sauce
For Garnish:
- 1/4 cup green onions sliced thinly
- â…“ cup peanuts crushed or chopped
- red pepper flakes (optional)
- lime wedges (optional)
- cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Cut chicken in 1 inch square pieces. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in cubed chicken to the pan and cook over medium high heat for 12-15 minutes until completely browned and cooked!
- While chicken is cooking, bring a pot of water to a boil + cook rice noodles according to the directions on the package
- While noodles/chicken are cooking, whisk together the sauce ingredients + set off to the side. Chop vegetables.
- Once chicken has cooked, remove chicken from the pan + set aside in a large bowl. Try to leave the oil in the pan.
- Add in peppers, carrots, garlic and onion to the oil and sauté uncovered for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, stir in bean sprouts and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Push vegetables to one side of the pan + crack eggs into the pan. Scramble eggs until cooked, approximately 2 minutes.
- Stir veggie / egg mixture together. Remove from the pan and set aside with the chicken.
- Add the sauce mixture to the empty pan (you do not need to clean the pan!) and bring to a boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. The sauce should bubble and slightly thicken.
- Add cooked veggies, cooked chicken and cooked noodles into the pan with the sauce and toss to combine.
- Garnish with peanuts. Optional garnish: lime, cilantro, green onions.
Instant Pot Instructions
- To make this in the instant pot – it is important to DOUBLE the sauce recipe. All other ingredients remain the same.
- Bring a separate pot of water to a boil (outside of instant pot) and cook the rice noodles according to package directions. While the rice noodles are cooking, turn instant pot on Sauté- High. Heat 1 tablespoon. of the olive oil, add the eggs in and scramble them quickly. Put them on a plate and set aside.
- Drizzle in the other 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add the whole chicken breasts. Sear them 2 minutes per side to get them nice and golden brown. Meanwhile mix together your sauce ingredients. Make sure to double sauce ingredients from recipe. Â
- Move the chicken breasts onto a cutting board and chop them into one inch pieces.
- Add the garlic and onion into the instant pot. Saute for 30 seconds then add in the chicken, peppers and carrots. Mix it all together and pour the sauce over top.
- Set the Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure and Cook for 3 minutes. Keep in mind the Instant Pot takes 3-5 minutes to come to pressure before counting down the 3 minutes you’ve set.
- When the time is up quick release the steam. Remove the chicken and vegetables with a slotted spoon. Set aside.
- Turn the Instant Pot to the high sauté setting once more and bring the sauce up to a bubble. Allow it to bubble for 10-12 minutes until it thickens slightly. You’ll know it’s done when it begins to look darker and when you drag a spoon across the bottom of the pan and it takes just a second or 2 to come back together.
- Add in your noodles, eggs, chicken and veggies. Toss it all together. Garnish with peanuts, green onions. Note – nutritional facts will vary slightly because of the increase in sauce.
Video
Notes
- Egg free: You can simply omit the eggs.
- Oil: You can sub olive oil with avocado oil
- Veggies: You can omit the bean sprouts if you’re having a hard time finding them. Bulk up the dish by adding more carrots or peppers!
- Protein : You can sub in chicken for shrimp if you’d like. Shrimp take much less time to cook, depending on their size I would cook about 2 minutes on each side until shrimp begin to turn pink
- Make sure to cook the chicken whole and then cut it into cubes. Due to shape, the instant pot just doesn’t have the browning power of a wok or skillet when doing small pieces of chicken.
- DO NOT cook the noodles in the Instant Pot. They are just too starchy and will not work.Â
- Add in your noodles, eggs, chicken and veggies. Toss it all together. Garnish with peanuts, green onions. Note – nutritional facts will vary slightly because of the increase in sauce.
Florian says
It’s hard to believe clean eating can taste this good. A bit heavy on the sodium, but with the salty fish and soy sauces giving it flavour for days, that is easy to forgive! Thanks for the great recipe
Dani says
This came out absolutely delicious. Recipe was easy to follow. Perfection. This is gonna be a weekly staple in my house
Lindsey says
Amazing!!!! I added extra veggies and sriracha. One of the best recipes. This will be in a regular rotation!
Amy Ramirez says
Can I sub the honey for coconut sugar?
The Clean Eating Couple says
I haven’t tried that. I’m not sure that it will work. I’d stick to honey!
Dayton Living says
Loved this recipe. Super easy to make. I left out the egg and swapped shrimp instead of chicken due to food allergies! It was a 3 for 3 thumbs up from the fam!
Cindy Kellison says
Made this tonight for my friend & Me! This is sooo good.
She sat and watched me make it and she was sure she wouldn’t like it because of the fish sauce, but she loved it and she even took home the leftovers!
Casie Eichenberger says
I made this for the first time tonight and it was so good! Best Asian-inspired dish I’ve ever made at home.
Michelle says
I meal prepped this for my husband and I. I premade the chicken using my sous vide. I also used a different style noodle I had on hand that didn’t require boiling. The sauce is amazing and it turned out incredible. I did the veggies the same and just added the noodles and chicken after cooking the sauce. My husband asked for it again this week. Absolutely one of our favorites. Thank you for such a delicious recipe
Silvia says
This was delicious! I doubled the amount of noodles though…5 oz are really not enough for 4 people (at least for my family).
Jeanene Mitchell says
I have tried several pad thai recipes and not one tasted just right until this one! This is it! So tasty! I even made it with Tofu instead of chicken one time and it was great. The only modification I made was that I added 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha to the sauce. And a squeeze of lime and the cilantro are not optional they are a must!
Liz H says
Is Fish Sauce necessary ?
The Clean Eating Couple says
We cover this in the green substitutions section listed in the blog post.
Chelsea says
Super filling and tasty!
Miranda says
This pad Thai recipe is AMAZING!!
I’ve made it several times with a few variations. I made it with green bell peppers instead of red, and subbed fish sauce for more aminos. I can’t get enough of this, and I am so happy it turned out well on the first try too.
April says
This was delicious! I couldn’t find bean sprouts and used soy sauce. Also, I don’t have peanut butter, but used my almond butter, and I could not tell the difference. I loved it so much, I made twice in one week. I also used regular rice noodles.
Cathe says
Delicious!!
Natalie Dimercurio says
Was very good! We will definitely be making it again. Actually, every recipe from this page has been 🔥
Sally says
This was the first of your recipes that I’ve tried but it certainly won’t be the last! This Pad Thai was delicious! A little labor-intensive (I enlisted my husband to be my sous chef but prep still took longer than 10 minutes) but so worth it! I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
Brenda says
Reading through the first dozen or so comments, I see no one has actually cooked this dish. It would be better to leace off comments from those who have not prepares the dish.
I did make it. The flavor is pretty good but heavy on the vinegar taste. We opted to sub out most of the 1/4 cup of soy sauce (even lo sodium is very high in that amount.) We used coconut aminos with much less soy sauce. Overall, a nice option to takeout pad thai.
The Clean Eating Couple says
There are over 240 comments on this post with over 130 5 star reviews, so I can assure you that plenty of people have tried and liked it 🙂 the recipe actually calls for coconut aminos, not soy sauce! glad you enjoyed it. either way
Donna Dawson says
I just made this and it was wonderful! My husband loved it and has already asked for the leftovers for lunch! I feel more confident cooking, will be trying other recipes soon!