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!
One of my favourites of your recipes!
Delicious! The whole family loved it!
So glad you liked it!!
SO yummy and super easy! This is quick and delicious and makes amazing leftovers – I like to double it and freeze half for later!
So happy you enjoyed it!
This is the absolute best recipe for Pad Thai! It is perfection! I love that it doesn’t leave that oily feeling in my mouth!
So happy you enjoyed it, Kim! thank you!
Our family loved this. A great healthy alternative to takeout!
DELCIOUS & SO EASY! My family of picky eaters devoured it!! Definitely adding to our dinner repertoire!! LOVED!!
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that Christine! Thank you!
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
This came out absolutely delicious. Recipe was easy to follow. Perfection. This is gonna be a weekly staple in my house
Amazing!!!! I added extra veggies and sriracha. One of the best recipes. This will be in a regular rotation!
Can I sub the honey for coconut sugar?
I haven’t tried that. I’m not sure that it will work. I’d stick to honey!
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!
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!
I made this for the first time tonight and it was so good! Best Asian-inspired dish I’ve ever made at home.
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
This was delicious! I doubled the amount of noodles though…5 oz are really not enough for 4 people (at least for my family).
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!
Is Fish Sauce necessary ?
We cover this in the green substitutions section listed in the blog post.
Super filling and tasty!
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.
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.
Delicious!!
Was very good! We will definitely be making it again. Actually, every recipe from this page has been 🔥
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.
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.
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
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!