Sweet & Tart Thai Chicken Noodles
45 minutes
Serves: 4
Pad Thai is really just a stir-fried noodle dish, with a sauce that’s a balance of salty, sour, and sweet. It’s a popular street food snack in Thailand, tossed with small dried shrimp and tofu, but strips of chicken add more weight for a main dish. Look for tamarind concentrate, fish sauce, and palm sugar in Asian grocery stores.
Ingredients
- NOODLES
- 8 ounces uncooked flat rice noodles (regular or brown rice)
- 1/4 cup tamarind concentrate
- 1/4 cup fish sauce (nam pla)
- 1/4 cup palm or brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons canola or peanut oil
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 to 3 (14 ounces) Just Bare Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into strips
- 1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- GARNISHES
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped dry roasted peanuts
- 3 green onions, diagonally sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro or Thai basil, torn
- 1 cup fresh mung bean sprouts, if desired
- Fresh lime wedges
- Thinly sliced fresh red Thai chiles or Sriracha chile sauce, if desired
Instructions
- Soak noodles in lukewarm water for 20 minutes; drain.
- Mix fish sauce, tamarind, and sugar in small bowl until sugar is dissolved; set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, chicken about 6 minutes or until no longer pink. Cook to internal temp of 165°F; remove from pan to a medium bowl. Add garlic and bell pepper to pan; cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Transfer to dish with chicken.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in pan over high heat. Add noodles, broth, and tamarind mixture. Cook, tossing occasionally, 4 to 6 minutes or until noodles absorb the liquid and are sizzling. Return the chicken mixture to pan; toss to combine.
- Divide noodles between plates and garnish with peanuts, onions, cilantro, and bean sprouts. Serve with limes and fresh chiles or chile sauce.