Healthy Chicken Pad Thai
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Skip takeout and make this Healthy Chicken Pad Thai recipe instead! A gluten free pad thai recipe that is high protein and delicious! Packed with veggies, chicken and brown rice noodles.
This post was originally shared in 2016 but has since been updated.
This Healthy Chicken Pad Thai is everything you love about traditional pad thai, made better for you!
Jam packed with ALL the veggies, lean protein, and healthy carbs thanks to brown rice noodles – it’s an easy meal everyone will love! The pad thai sauce is full of flavor, and naturally gluten-free!
Savory, filling and delicious – this is one of my absolute favorite healthier dinners!
Liz’s Tips for the Best Healthy Pad Thai:
- Pre-cut your veggies to save time: You can cut your veggies up to 2 days in advance to save time when it’s time to make dinner.
- Slightly undercook the noodles: The noodles will continue to cook as the absorb the sauce in the pan, so it’s ok to undercook them just a bit!
Ingredients
Substitutions
Oil: You can sub olive oil with avocado oil or canola oil
Chicken: Boneless skinless thighs or chicken tenders will also work. We also have a Thai Chicken Wings recipe that is delish!
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!
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.
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 sliced zucchini and it was yummy!
Vegetarian: Feel free to skip the chicken and bulk up on veggies to make this vegetarian!
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. I don’t think almond butter will taste good in this recipe.
Tamarind Paste: Typically pad thai is made with tamarind paste, but it’s not something that I often cook with. I find that the lime juice helps give it that tangy taste!
How to make Healthy Chicken Pad Thai:
- In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil. Cook chicken over medium heat.
- While the chicken is cooking, bring a pot of water to a boil + cook rice noodles.
- Whisk together the sauce ingredients + set off to the side. Chop vegetables.
- Add in carrots, peppers, onion and garlic to the pan and sauté for 5 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, then remove from the pan and set aside with the chicken.
- Add the sauce mixture to the empty pan and bring to a boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. The sauce should bubble and thicken.
- Add cooked veggies, cooked chicken and cooked noodles into the pan with the sauce and toss to combine. Garnish with peanuts.
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!
What Makes this Recipe Healthier?
- 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 sodium than most recipes on our site.
- Simple 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 too!
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!
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Storage & Reheating
Storing: This healthy 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 stovetop, but we recommend reheating on the stove. Sauté over low heat on the stove. You can add a splash of water to loosen up the sauce.
Freezing: I haven’t tried freezing this pad thai, but I don’t think it would work well. I think the noodles will get very mushy.
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!
Make sure to really squeeze all the liquid out of the zucchini noodles with a paper towel. You can squeeze most of the liquid out, then leave them on top of a paper towel to absorb more liquid while you are cooking. Add them at the very end, and do not pre-cook them.
Other healthy takeout recipes:
Check out these 40+ Healthy Dinner Recipes. Click here to grab our free healthy 30 minute dinners cookbook.
Healthy Chicken Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into ½ inch cubes
- 5 oz brown rice noodles
- 2 cups thinly sliced carrots
- 1 cup thinly sliced red bell peppers
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 2 eggs
Sauce:
- ¼ cup coconut aminos or low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
Garnishes:
- ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions
- ⅓ cup chopped peanuts
- lime wedges optional
- cilantro optional
Instructions
- In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the cubed chicken to the pan. Cook the chicken over medium high heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally until completely browned on all sides and cooked through.
- While the chicken is cooking, bring a separate pot of water to a boil for the noodles. Cook the noodles per the package directions. We recommend cooking 1 minute less than the package recommends.
- While the chicken and noodles are cooking, make the sauce. Whisk together coconut aminos, fish sauce, honey, lime juice, peanut butter and rice vinegar until well combined. Set aside.
- Once the chicken has cooked, remove the chicken from the pan and set aside in a large bowl. Try to leave the oil in the pan. You can add a little olive oil if necessary or spray your pan with olive oil for cooking the vegetables.
- Add the carrots, peppers, onion and garlic to the pan. Sauté for 5 minutes until the vegetables start to soften. Once the vegetables start to soften, add in bean sprouts. Stir together and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Once the bean sprouts have cooked, push the vegetables to one side of the pan and crack the eggs directly into the hot pan. Scramble the eggs until cooked, approximately 2 minutes.
- Stir cooked eggs in with the vegetables. Remove the eggs and vegetables from the pan and set aside with the cooked chicken.
- Add the sauce to the empty hot pan (you don't need to clean the pan!) and turn the heat to high. Bring the sauce to a rolling boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. The sauce should bubble and slightly thicken.
- Add the cooked chicken, vegetables, eggs and noodles into the pan with the sauce. Toss with tongs until everything is coated in the sauce.
- Garnish with peanuts and green onion.
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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
Nutrition Facts
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!
Liz, this was so delicious!! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
So happy you liked it!! 💙💙💙
SO SO GOOD!!! tastes just like takeout and I feel way better afterwards! Definitely recommend!
So happy you liked it!! Thank you!
This was so delicious. I very rarely eat leftovers but I ate this.. so good
Thank you so much, Jeanmarie! Glad you liked it!
This was insanely delicious!! Going to become a dinner staple in our house.
Thank you so much! So glad you liked it!
I make this recipe a couple times a month and it never gets old! My husband and I love it!! It’s a great recipe to add more veggies too!!
Love when people bulk up on the veggies, Megan! Thank you so much!
Love this recipe! Skipped the fish sauce although I would try it sometime, just didn’t have it and did extra coconut aminos. Doubled the sauce just to have a little extra. Seriously better than the normal pad Thai I order and knowing it’s made in my own kitchen is so satisfying!!
Thank you, Kristen!! I appreciate it! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Another option for omitting the eggs and adding an alternative protein is to add scrambled tofu! I tried this once because I realized too late that I didn’t have eggs, and it turned out really well-I barely missed the eggs! Bonus that it’s almost completely vegan with that substitution for the eggs and meat (besides the fish sauce)!
Thanks for those ideas, Anna! I actually don’t like eggs so I never make this with them. Tofu is a great idea! While I haven’t tried it, I think you could omit the fish sauce and maybe swap the honey for agave nectar (and obviously the chicken!) to make this vegan.
So good, and so easy to make! I didn’t have a few of the ingredients, so I substituted honey with agave, and threw in some tofu. This recipe was quick, simple, and tasted like I spent the whole afternoon cooking 🙂
Thanks, Larissa! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Easy to make and best of all it was super tasty! We’ve made this a couple of times and each time it exceeds my expectations!
So glad you enjoyed it, Christina! Thank you!!
This Pad Thai was amazing! My husband was skeptical as I pulled out the ingredients but man when it all comes together it’s the real deal and he said it was the best thing I’ve made to date and also tastes as authentic as our little Thai restaurant we frequent here in town. Amazingly delicious!! Thank you!
Thank you so much, Kim! I know the ingredients seem a little strange but when you put them all together it is seriously the best!
I love me some Pad Thai and making it at home is even better! I thought this was going to take longer to prepare, but it really only took about 30 minutes from start to finish and would’ve been sooner if I had chopped all the veggies beforehand! Definitely will make this again! Even my 2 year old loved it! And it made quite a few servings for me to take some to work tomorrow!
So glad you liked it, Jess!
How can you call this healthy when there is an extraordinary amount of sodium per serving??
Hi Rosemarie – While still being high in sodium, this recipe has about half the amount of salt classic takeout pad thai has. Most Thai sauces are based with soy + fish sauce, many of which include high fructose corn syrup + MSG. This recipe has no HFCS or MSG, as well as being high in protein, veggie loaded and lower in fat. This is a healthier version of a not-so-healthy classic dish. It’s not meant to be eaten every day. Hope that helps you understand!
I had to make some adjustments based on allergies/what I had in the house (I’m not sure I’m capable of ever following a recipe 100% as written, lol) but this was delicious! I used shrimp instead of chicken, shredded green cabbage in place of the red peppers (I have a nightshade allergy), and omitted the bean sprouts because I didn’t have any. I usually feel like something is missing in Asian inspired peanut based sauces since I can’t add red pepper flakes to give it that touch of something, but this sauce recipe will be one I come back to again and again. It was perfect!
So glad you liked it, Nicole! Thank you so much!
Great recipe! Easy to make, healthy and delicious! Will definitely make again
Thank. you so much, Allie!
I swear Asian is the best food to eat and the most challenging to master! I have never tried Pad Thai, so I’m thankful that the directions and different ways it can be made is all laid out. Seriously one of my favorite things about this website! I thought the sauce turned out really well and ended up being easier to make than I thought! This is a recipe I’ll make again!
So glad you liked the pad thai, Mallory! It’s so easy and delicious!
This looks really yummy, will definitely have to try out! By chance do you know what I can sub rice wine vinegar for? I don’t have that in hand!
Hi Tatiana – I’m sorry but I’ve never substituted rice wine vinegar. This article has some ideas but I can’t be sure how they will work. Let me know how it works out!
I used apple cider vinegar, it turned out great!
Glad it worked for you! Thanks for sharing!
My husband saw your post last week and sent it to me… I never had Pad Thai before but figured I would try it. We both loved it!! Can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow!!
Thanks, Megan! This makes me so happy to hear 🙂 I think the leftovers are almost better than the first time!
My family and I loved it! Even my 7 year old nephew was a fan. Used instapot chicken instead, 1tbps oil to sauté veggies, added extra chicken and bell peppers. Since I added too many things, it was dry so I added some of the broth from the instapot chicken. Added sriracha and red paper flakes for heat. I accidentally added 8oz noodles instead of 5 (hence why it was dry) so this made 6 plates. Will 100% make again. Thank you!
So glad you liked it, Lisa! This makes me so happy to hear!
Loved this, Liz! Have never attempted much Asian or Thai at home, so was excited to try this recipe finally—I doubled it and could feed an army. 😁
Thanks, Stacey! Glad you enjoyed it.. and the leftovers are even better!!
This was my first time making Pad Thai and it was amazing. I couldn’t find coconut aminos and used Light Soy sauce instead. I used chicken thighs because I’m known to dry out chicken breast. My Italian family loved it and can’t wait for me to make it again.
So glad you enjoyed it, Sandra! Love those substitutions!
Literally the best dinner made in Quarantine. This site is amazing not only does it provide a video, recipe but also offers substitutes !! Super easy to follow and my husband ranked it high against his favorite Thai place. It was also super clean for our 5 year old !!!! I am in love with this recipe ❤️
Yay!! This makes me so happy to hear!! Thank you so much Jeanette!
Such a fun/clean and yummy recipe! Would definitely recommend! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Jessica! Glad you liked it!
We LOVE this recipe and make it about once a month. All the good Pad Thai flavors but with lighter ingredients. I usually make double sauce and add roasted broccoli.
So glad you like it, Natalie! I need to try this with roasted broccoli!
I think it’s fair to warn everyone (who bothers to scroll all the way down to this comment…) that, before being cooked and mixed with everything else, I found the smell of the sauce to be *very* off-putting! BUT: all is forgiven when everything gets combined and tastes “normal” 😉
This is a solid recipe! I doubled it (except for eggs and chicken) and included 400g of shrimp – 95% of the pad thai I’ve consumed has had chicken *and* shrimp.
I plan on making the following adjustments:
– Half the fish sauce, as the result is saltier than what I usually make for myself
– Add a green vegetable (e.g. broccoli, snap peas) and red cabbage (which I like adding to just about everything)
Fish sauce smells like fish, so yes this sauce does have a scent to it. You’re welcome to add shrimp or any veggies to this recipe! Halving the fish sauce will result in a less salty dish, but as is this dish has about half the sodium than what you would get at a typical Thai takeout dinner!
This is the best healthy Pad Thai I’ve had!! YUMMY!! It’s packed full of veggies and protein so my kids don’t know they are eating good 😉It’s also a easy recipe to follow. My kids are picky eaters and I have a hard time finding recipes my whole family loves but everyone gobbled this all up and there were no leftovers!! Thank you for putting this recipe out there!! I’ll definitely be making this again♥️♥️
So glad you liked it, Jessica!!