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Home » Main Meals

Healthy Chicken Pad Thai (Easy Recipe)

November 15, 2023 by Bailey Sissom 1 Comment

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This Healthy Chicken Pad Thai recipe is loaded with vegetables, lean protein, whole grains and a lightened up silky sauce. It utilizes simple ingredients that can be purchased at your local grocery store. All the spicy, tart, umami flavor that you love in traditional Pad Thai recipes, but re-worked with less sugar, salt, calories and additives.

Healthy Chicken Pad Thai  topped with cashews, green onions, limes and cilantro. this recipe

My entire family devoured this dish! I love that it has lots of fresh vegetables and that it is a healthier version of Pad Thai than what we get at our local Thai restaurant. It was easy to make (faster than grabbing take-out) and is our family's new go-to recipe.

Savannah

So here's what happened ...

My family fell into a bit of a Chicken Pad Thai take-out habit. Because here's the bottom line: IT IS SCRUMPTIOUS.

Authentic Pad Thai is quite healthy and largely made up of colorful vegetables, lean proteins and fresh herbs. However, Western Thai (what is typically served in America) tends to use recipes that are higher in salt, sugar and contain ingredients that aren't always the highest quality. For this reason, I decided to recreate a healthier version in my kitchen. And honestly, who even knew how easy it is to make a Healthy Chicken Pad Thai at home? I am so happy with how it turned out + the teeny tiny amount of effort it takes to get it on the table.

This recipe was inspired by a Chicken Pad Thai recipe on this site from 2015. The original recipe contained 22 ingredients, LOTS of chopping, and included items that needed to be purchased at specialty grocery store.

The new version is healthier, swapping out chicken thighs for chicken breasts, utilizing reduced sodium soy sauce, amping up the amount of vegetables and opting for brown rice noodles in place of traditional rice noodles. It's an easy Chicken Pad Thai recipe and one of my go-to easy dinners!

If you want to try another healthy + easy meal that tastes like take-out, try my Chicken (Cauliflower) Fried Rice.

Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • Instructions For Healthy Chicken Pad Thai
  • Substitutions
  • Variations
  • Storage
  • Top Tip
  • 📖 Recipe
  • Recipes Like Healthy Chicken Pad Thai
  • Comments

Ingredients

Healthy Chicken Pad Thai ingredients on a white countertop.

Pad Thai Sauce Ingredients:

  • rice vinegar - has a distinct flavor and provides acidity to the dish.
  • brown sugar - sweet savory flavor present in classic Pad Thai
  • fish sauce - a staple in traditional Pad Thai, don't skip this ingredient
  • chili sauce - gives the dish a little heat - adjust according to your preferences
  • fresh lime juice - a quick squeeze livens up the flavors

Healthy Pad Thai Ingredients:

  • brown rice noodles - flat noodles recommended, but any width will work
  • chicken - boneless skinless chicken breast is the perfect lean protein, chicken thighs can also be used
  • soy sauce - can't have Thai food without that umami flavor - a low sodium variety is recommended
  • cornstarch - helps to thicken things up
  • olive oil - used in place of of traditional vegetable oil
  • vegetables - red bell, pepper, carrots, mung bean sprouts, and snow peas are used in this recipe, but swap for what you have on hand
  • garlic - the OG flavor enhancer
  • garnishes - crushed peanuts, chopped green onion, lime juice and fresh cilantro

*** See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions For Healthy Chicken Pad Thai

Step 1 - Healthy Chicken Pad Thai. Cook brown rice noodles.

Step 1: Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Step 2 - Healthy Chicken Pad Thai. Mix up the pad Thai sauce.

Step 2: In a small bowl, combine rice vinegar and brown sugar. Whisk until smooth. Next, add ⅓ cup warm water, fish sauce, chili paste and a squeeze of lime juice. Stir well.

Step 3 - Healthy Chicken Pad Thai. Marinate and cook chicken.

Step 3: In a medium mixing bowl, combine cornstarch and soy sauce. Mix until smooth. Add chicken to the bowl and toss to coat. Sauté coated chicken and a little olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside.

Step 4 - Healthy Chicken Pad Thai. Stir fry vegetables until tender crisp.

Step 4: While the chicken is cooking, start on stir frying your vegetables. Set stove to medium-high heat. Add olive oil to a large skillet and toss in minced garlic. Cook garlic for 1 minute and then toss in all the vegetables. Cook until tender crisp.

Step 5 - Healthy Chicken Pad Thai. Add noodles and pad Thai sauce.

Step 5: Add the cooked noodles and Pad Thai sauce into the skillet with the vegetables. Cook for an additional 5 minutes while stirring frequently.

Step 6 - Healthy Chicken Pad Thai. Add chicken, mix and garnish.

Step 6: Add the cooked chicken to the skillet with the noodles and vegetables. Stir. Continue cooking an additional 1-2 minutes. Garnish with green onions, chopped peanuts, cilantro, lime wedges and serve immediately.

Helpful Hint: To save on time and chopping purchase frozen crushed garlic and pre-shredded carrots.

Substitutions

Bean sprouts - not all grocery stores carry these year round, sub for sliced Napa cabbage if needed

Chicken - instead of chicken breasts you can sub chicken thighs, beef or even shrimp.

Vegetarian - eliminate the chicken and add tofu and/or extra veggies (about 2 cups) to make the recipe vegetarian

Vegan - follow modifications for vegetarian + sub soy sauce for fish sauce

Gluten free - brown rice noodles do not contain gluten. Swap soy sauce for liquid coconut aminos for a gluten-free dish

Variations

Spicy - add extra chili sauce or finish the dish off with a hit of sriracha

Kid-friendly - half the amount of chili sauce used

Storage

Healthy Chicken Pad Thai undeniably tastes best fresh. That said, nobody will be complaining about eating leftovers from the refrigerator.

I like to use extras as "meal prep" for lunches throughout the week. Just store leftovers in individual small bowls with lids.

Chicken Pad Thai can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days. When reheating, add a bit of water to thin out the sauce and then heat in the microwave until warmed through.

Do not freeze Healthy Chicken Pad Thai, it does not reheat well.

Top Tip

The trick to not becoming overwhelmed when making recipes like Healthy Chicken Pad Thai is to prep the ingredients prior to starting to cook. You can slice the chicken, prepare the veggies, and/or make the sauce the day before or the morning that you plan to cook.

Print

📖 Recipe

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Healthy Chicken Pad Thai topped with peanuts, green onions, limes and cilantro.

Healthy Chicken Pad Thai (Easy Recipe)

★★★★★ 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Bailey Sissom
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stir-fry
  • Cuisine: Asian
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Description

This Healthy Chicken Pad Thai recipe is loaded with vegetables, lean protein and a lightened up silky sauce. It utilizes simple ingredients that can be purchased at your local grocery store. 


Ingredients

Scale

For the Pad Thai Sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup warm water
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1 ½ teaspoons chili sauce
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

For the Pad Thai:

  • 8 oz. brown rice noodles
  • 2 pounds chicken boneless chicken breast, sliced thinly on a diagonal
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup snow peas, snipped and de-stringed
  • 1 cup red peppers, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup mung bean sprouts
  • 1 cup carrots, julienned (store-bought shredded carrots can be subbed)
  • OPTIONAL: chopped peanuts, cilantro, green onions and lime wedges for garnish.

Instructions

Cook The Noodles:

  1. Cook rice noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Make Sauce:

  1. In a small bowl, combine rice vinegar and brown sugar. Mix until fully incorporated.
  2. To the same bowl, add ⅓ cup warm water, fish sauce, chili paste and a squeeze of lime juice. Whisk to until smooth.

Cook Chicken

  1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine cornstarch and soy sauce. Mix until smooth. Add sliced chicken to the bowl. Toss to coat.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add marinated chicken. Sauté until no longer pink, about 4-7 minutes depending on thickness. Remove from pan onto a plate.

Sauté Vegetables + Stir Fry:

  1. While the chicken is cooking, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to a second skillet. Add garlic, stir for 1 minute. Add the snow peas, red peppers, bean sprouts and carrots. Cook until tender crisp, 5-10 minutes.
  2. To the skillet with the veggies, add the noodles and Pad Thai sauce. Use a wooden spoon to gently "loosen" the noodles as they will be sticky/gummy until covered in warm sauce. 
  3. Add the cooked chicken into the skillet with the vegetables and noodles. Mix gently over medium heat.
  4.  Garnish with sliced green onions, chopped peanuts, a lime wedge, cilantro and serve immediately.

Notes

Liquid Aminos can be substituted for soy sauce to make this recipe gluten-free

Sub frozen crushed garlic cubes for fresh to save on time and chopping.

Julienned carrots can be replaced by store-bought shredded carrots in a pinch.

Keywords: Pad Thai, Asian, Noodles, Healthy

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @simplysissom on Instagram and hashtag it #simplysissom

Is Pad Thai healthy?

Pad Thai contains lots of nutritious ingredients, but it can be very high in sodium. By making this homemade version, you control the amount of each ingredient used. You also have control of the quality of your proteins and vegetables, making this recipe a healthier alternative to traditional take-out.

Why doesn't this recipe you Tamarind paste?

I intentionally left out this ingredient as it not accessible at all local grocery stores and I wanted to keep the recipe as simple as possible. The brown sugar + rice vinegar takes the place of tamarind paste in this recipe. Even with the swap, the result is a delicious tangy sauce.

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About Bailey Sissom

Bailey Sissom is a 3rd grade teacher turned stay-at-home mom and the creator of Simply Sissom, a blog for busy moms who value feeding their kids healthy meals and snacks, but struggle with finding the time to make it happen. On Simply Sissom, Bailey shares practical recipes, tips and tricks to help make preparing whole food meals happen consistently.

Comments

  1. Savannnah says

    November 14, 2023 at 10:41 am

    My entire family devoured this dish! I love that it has lots of fresh vegetables and that it is a healthier version of Pad Thai than what we get at our local Thai restaurant. It was easy to make (faster than grabbing take-out) and is our family's new go-to recipe.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Bailey! Boy Mom x3 and former teacher turned food blogger. On Simply Sissom you will find simple, tasty, fuss-free recipes that are perfect for busy families.

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Healthy Chicken Pad Thai topped with lime wedges, cilantro, peanuts and green onions.