Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Noodles) is a bold, savory, and spicy Thai noodle dish that satisfies with every bite. A takeout favorite at home!
This easy Thai Recipe makes a flavorful weeknight meal. Be sure to try my Pad Thai for another favorite Thai noodle dish.
Sabrina’s Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Noodles) Recipe
Drunken Noodles make an excellent comfort food dish. The chewy noodles and chicken are crowd-pleasing and filling with a well-rounded sauce. Because of the jalapeños and bird chiles in the sauce, Pad Kee Mao is higher on the heat scale than many other Thai recipes. However, you can always use fewer or more chiles depending on how spicy you like it. If you’re stumped on how to find the right noodles, I’ve included what to look for below the recipe card.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Pad Kee Mao Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 3 tablespoons sweet dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Noodles:
- 8 ounces dried wide rice noodles
- 1 pound chicken thighs , boneless skinless
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 Thai red chili peppers , deseeded and thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeno , deseeded and minced
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/2 cup green onions , thinly sliced green and white parts
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 cup Thai basil leaves
Instructions
- In a small bowl mix together fish sauce, oyster sauce, sweet dark soy sauce, low sodium soy sauce, sugar and vegetable oil.
- Add the rice noodles to a bowl of cold water and let sit for 1 hour or according to the directions on the packaging, then drain well.
- Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized 1" chunks and season with soy sauce.
- To a large skillet or wok on high heat add the vegetable oil on medium high heat.
- Cook the chicken until seared and cooked through, then remove from the pan and reserve on the side.
- Add in the Thai chili peppers, jalapeño, garlic and green onions, cooking for 30 seconds.
- Add in the sauce, stirring constantly and cooking until it all starts bubbling rapidly.
- Add in the drained rice noodles, cooked chicken, sesame oil and toss to coat.
- Add in Thai basil and toss to coat, then serve immediately.
Nutrition
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Sabrina’s Note
When looking for wide rice noodles, try your local Asian market first. Search for ones that say either Sen Yai, Chow Fun, Pad See Ew, or Wide Rice Stick on the packaging. You’ll want them to be ¼ to ½ inch wide. American grocery stores have become more reliable in carrying wide rice noodles in recent years, so be sure to check there too if you don’t have an Asian grocery store nearby.
Table of contents
Can this be made ahead of time?
This is best served fresh because of the texture of the noodles, but they do make great leftovers if you follow the How to Store section below.
How to Store
- Serve: Don’t leave at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Store: Transfer to an airtight container to store in the fridge. They can stay good for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or enjoy cold, depending on your preference.
- Freeze: You can also freeze this recipe for up to 2 months. However, the fresh rice noodles will lose some texture in the freezer.
Variations
- Vegetables: Use stir fry-friendly veggies like bell peppers, snow peas, bean sprouts, and Chinese broccoli. I usually use non-leafy vegetables because fresh leafy vegetables wilt in the stir fry.
- Brown sugar: For a slightly richer sweet flavor, you can use a brown sugar in the sauce instead of granulated sugar.
- Chicken breasts: If you don’t have chicken thigh meat, it doesn’t make a big difference to use chicken breasts instead.
- Ground pork: Sear ground pork in your wok, or cut up pork fillet.
- Shrimp: If you want a seafood version of this you can replace the chicken with shrimp. Cook the shrimp until they’re nice and pink, about 3-5 minutes.
- Meatless: You could also cut the meat altogether and substitute tofu. This is a great way to make the recipe vegetarian friendly.
- Peanut: Lots of Thai dishes use peanut flavoring. To add some of that taste to this recipe, replace the sesame oil with peanut oil. Mix the peanut oil into the sauce and use it for cooking. Then add crunchy peanuts and red pepper flakes to the top of the dish when serving.
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