Easy Chicken and Shrimp Pad Thai Noodles Recipe (2024)

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By Courtney ODell

5 from 11 votes

Mar 12, 2018, Updated Mar 23, 2024

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The Best Easy Chicken and Shrimp Pad Thai Noodles Recipe is a delicious, Thai food restaurant quality dinner that tastes just like takeout – in under 2o minutes for a meal bursting with Thai food pad Thai flavor that everyone loves! Keto Pad Thai and low carb pad Thai recipe notes included too.

Easy Chicken and Shrimp Pad Thai Noodles Recipe (2)

Pad Thai is one of my favorite takeout dishes of all time – I think I survived off it out of every couple meals in my 20’s. I always ordered chicken, shrimp, and extra Thai hot noodles when I needed something quick and filling fast.

I love pad Thai with shrimp and chicken – and this recipe is just like my favorite Thai food restaurant, but fast, easier, and a million times more delicious!

Easy Chicken and Shrimp Pad Thai Noodles Recipe (3)

Keto Pad Thai Noodles Recipe – Low Carb Pad Thai Noodles Recipe Ingredient Swaps:

If you’ve been following my site for a while, you might know I am *trying* to stick to a low carb, keto diet after my husband lost a ton of weight doing keto. It has helped me lose weight, but more importantly, my joints feel much better when I am eating less carbs and sugars.

While this dish is naturally gluten free (rice noodles are usually gluten free and safe for even celiac eaters), the rice noodle carbohydrates are pretty off a low carb eating plan.

Luckily, this dish can easily work into a keto diet with a couple of low-carb vegetable noodle swaps!

  • Consider your Ketchup.
    • Ketchup can be loaded with carbs and sugar – find a low carb version to swap for the sugary stuff.
  • Zucchini noodles
    • Zucchini noodles are a quick and easy option – simply spiralize 3 zucchini (or buy 1 lb spiraled zucchini at your grocery/health food store)
    • Use keto/paleo ketchup, or swap for
    • Buy my favorite zucchini spiralizer here.
  • Spaghetti squash noodles
    • Halve a spaghetti squash and scoop out strings and seeds. Bake halved and cleaned squash for one hour until tender, then run a fork along the flesh to create “spaghetti” noodles. Add to recipe when adding rice noodles to wok as listed below.
  • Beet noodles
    • Beet noodles are often available at grocery stores (I can always find them at Whole Foods) – simply add them when adding sauce to recipe below and cook until slightly tender.
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Tips to Making The Best Easy Chicken and Shrimp Pad Thai Noodles Recipe:

This pad thai is super simple and so easy – all of your cooking is done in one large pot or wok – but there are a couple of simple steps to make easy pad thai at home.

  • Cook with high heat
    • This dish relies on hight heat to cook your dinner fast – don’t keep it low, or everything will boil and you won’t get the lovely, toasty flavors to develop.
  • Use a big enough pan.
    • Crowding your pad thai in a small pan makes it cook slowly – resulting in gummy noodles, soggy chicken, and bland vegetables. Give it room to cook at high heat and don’t crowd your pan!
  • Make sure you have enough oil
    • We’re counting on plenty of hot oil to make this recipe naturally nonstick – super hot oil makes your job easier! It also helps to form a slick sauce, so don’t cut back on the oil.
  • Stir often to prevent burning
    • Since we’re cooking this chicken and shrimp pad thai at high heat, it’s important to keep stirring to prevent burning or anything to become too charred.
Easy Chicken and Shrimp Pad Thai Noodles Recipe (5)

To Make The Best Chicken and Shrimp Pad Thai Noodles, You’ll Need:

This easy chicken and shrimp pad thai recipe is great because you really don’t need any fancy equipment that you might not have on hand already.

While a wok makes this recipe great – any large, heavy pan will work.

Easy Chicken and Shrimp Pad Thai Noodles Recipe (6)

If you love thisEasy Chicken and Shrimp Pad Thai Noodles Recipeas much as I do, please write a five star review in the comment section below (or on Pinterest with the “tried it” button – you can now add pictures into reviews, too!), and be sure to help me share on facebook!

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Easy Chicken and Shrimp Pad Thai Noodles Recipe (8)

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The Best Easy Chicken and Shrimp Pad Thai Noodles Recipe

If you love thisEasy Chicken and Shrimp Pad Thai Noodles Recipeas much as I do, please write a five star review in the comment section below (or on Pinterest with the “tried it” button – you can now add pictures into reviews, too!), and be sure to help me share on facebook!

Course Seafood

Cuisine Thai

Keyword best pad thai recipe, chicken and shrimp pad thai noodles, chicken pad thai, pad thai, shrimp pad thai, thai recipes

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 412kcal

Author Courtney ODell

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Cook rice noodles according to package instructions, set aside.

  • In a small bowl, mix together fish sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, chili sauce, and sugar – set aside.

  • In a large, heavy pan or wok, heat peanut oil on medium high until shimmery.

  • Add diced chicken to pan and cook until lightly browned, stirring often to prevent burning.

  • Add garlic, shrimp, and red pepper flakes.

  • Cook, stirring often, until shrimp is opaque and pink.

  • Add sauce mixture and stir for another 3 minutes.

  • Drain water from noodles and rinse well to remove any starchy water from noodles. Noodles should be slippery and soft.

  • Add beaten egg mixture to chicken, shrimp, and sauce in pan, and stir constantly for 1 minute.

  • Add drained noodles and toss until coated evenly.

  • Add in cilantro, peanuts, bean sprouts, and green onions.

  • Cook for 1-2 minutes until green onions are soft and pad thai has been evenly mixed.

  • Spoon into large bowl or serving platter, topping with additional fresh chopped peanuts and cilantro, as well as slices of limes to garnish.

  • Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 412kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 213mg | Sodium: 1293mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g

Categorized as:
Chicken, chicken breasts, Main Dishes, One Pot, Pasta, Recipes, Seafood, Shrimp, Thai

About Courtney

Courtney loves to share great wine, good food, and loves to explore far flung places- all while masting an everyday elegant and easy style at lifestyle blog Sweet C’s Designs. Sweet C's devoted to finding the best food and drinks you'll want to make or find, around the world!

Read More About Me

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Easy Chicken and Shrimp Pad Thai Noodles Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are the noodles in Pad Thai made of? ›

Pad Thai is made with flat dried rice noodles which can be found in everyday supermarkets. I recommend Chang's “Thai style” rice noodles rather than the actual Thai brand rice noodles (Erawan Rice Sticks – red pack below) that are sold at supermarkets.

What is a substitute for tamarind paste in Pad Thai? ›

If your recipe calls for 1 tablespoon tamarind paste, substitute with 1 tablespoon vinegar mixed with 1 tablespoon brown sugar. If using fresh lime juice, substitute 2 tablespoons lime juice for every 1 tablespoon tamarind paste. Both substitutes work best when the amount of tamarind paste is 2 tablespoons or less.

Do you have to soak Pad Thai noodles before cooking? ›

Flat Rice Noodles (Pad Thai Noodles)

Soak for 10 minutes. If the noodles are longer than the bowl, slowly bend them as they soften in the water so that they are eventually all submerged under the water. Strain the noodles and run your fingers through them to prevent sticking.

What is chicken Pad Thai sauce made of? ›

What is Chicken Pad Thai Made of? This Thai street food dish is primarily made with small pieces of cooked chicken, eggs, rice, noodles, an assortment of veggies and seasonings. Then it's all tossed in a sweet and savory sauce. My sauce is made with ketchup, fish sauce, sugar, garlic, peanut butter, and lime.

What's the difference between rice noodles and Pad Thai noodles? ›

Compared to rice noodles, vermicelli, and rice stick noodles, Pad Thai noodles are broader and thicker, giving them a chewier texture. Pad Thai noodles are used explicitly in the popular Thai dish called Pad Thai, known for its unique blend of flavors and textures.

Can I use lemon juice instead of tamarind paste? ›

As tamarind is used to add sourness in stews, chutneys and curries, you can easily substitute tamarind with lime or lemon juice. You will get a sweeter sourness using lime or lemons.

What is a substitute for lime juice in Pad Thai? ›

Lemon for 'Pad Thai' is still alright if lime is not available. Lime works better to balance the salty (soy and fish sauce) in the dish. Traditionally lemon is un-Asian as an ingredient in the kitchen.

Can you use ketchup instead of tamarind paste? ›

The simple ratio of 5 parts ketchup to one part vinegar makes a fast tamarind paste substitute that has a complex character and interesting depth of flavor. Grown in South Asia and Africa, tamarind comes from the Tamarindus indica tree.

Do you soak pad thai noodles in hot or cold water? ›

Soak the dried rice noodles in cool or lukewarm water for 30 minutes, or until they're limp but still firm to the touch; later cooking in the wok will soften them more. Drain the noodles thoroughly in a colander and set aside while preparing the other ingredients.

Why are my pad thai noodles mushy? ›

Cooking fresh rice noodles in boiling water can make them too soft and mushy. Soaking them in warm water is a gentler way to cook them and results in perfectly cooked noodles every time.

How to make pad thai noodles chewy? ›

When it comes time to cook said noodles, think al dente, or as Yenbamroong says, cooked through but still a bit chewy. “Don't overcook the noodles—some people boil them before throwing them in the wok,” he warns. “They get mushy and sometimes break up into little shards. Pad Thai noodles should have chew.”

How do you thicken Pad Thai sauce? ›

In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water until smooth to make a slurry (see note). Whisk the slurry into the tamarind sauce and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, whisking continuously, for 2 minutes. As the cornstarch cooks, it will thicken up the sauce.

Does Pad Thai contain shrimp paste? ›

Originating from Thailand, Pad thai (also called phad thai), is a popular street food dish of stir-fried flat rice noodles. The noodles are flavoured with tamarind, shrimp paste, chillies, fish sauce, sugar and lime. Common additions include eggs, tofu, prawns, chopped peanuts, bean sprouts and pickled radishes.

Is there ketchup in Pad Thai? ›

Pad Thai, a popular traditional rice noodle dish is very mild, pleasant and kid-friendly and can be a great starting point into Thai flavors. The more traditional Pad Thai is made with tamarind, but this recipe uses ketchup which is much easier to find. The taste is very similar.

What are the noodles in pad thai called? ›

It's called “sen jantr” - it is a slightly thicker and chewier rice noodle. I found this page that has pictures of the dried noodles and also an explanation of how to soak it before you fry it, so that the noodles are not too wet when you fry them, and they hold up, and don't break up into pieces.

Is pad thai made with egg noodles or rice noodles? ›

Egg Noodle Dishes vs Rice Noodle Dishes

Egg noodles are a versatile ingredient and are commonly used in dishes like lo mein, chow mein and beef and broccoli noodles. Rice noodles are used for dishes like pad Thai, pho, and noodle salad.

Is Pad Thai rice or wheat noodles? ›

What is Pad Thai? Pad thai (also spelled phad thai) is a stir-fried, rice noodle dish from Thailand.

Is Pad Thai noodles flour? ›

Pad Thai Noodles are medium-width rice flour noodles, about the size of Italian linguine.

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