Chicken Pad Thai

This dish is full of flavour, spice and isn’t too dry. It tastes even better than any pad thai I have had in a restaurant and comes to just under 600 calories per serving (that is 200 calories less than Wagamama’s Chicken & Prawn Pad Thai!). It is also quite quick and easy to make. If you have all of your ingredients beforehand, it is just a matter of whipping it up and serving. 

GETTING THE PERFECT CHICKEN

You will need to prepare the chicken before hand as for this recipe I poached then shredded it as this way it soaks up more flavour. If you slice up the chicken raw and cook like that, you end up with tougher chunks that just taste of meat. 

If you also want to add even more flavour to your dish, you can go the extra mile and season the water in which you boil the chicken in. For example, you can boil it in chicken stock or add some salt, pepper, chilli flakes, chilli oil, a bit of soy sauce etc to the boiling water so the chicken soaks it up whilst it cooks.

MAKE IT VEGETARIAN

You can easily make this dish vegetarian by switching out the chicken for some tofu, or just going all in with some veggies.

SWITCH UP THE ADDED VEG OR REMOVE IT COMPLETELY

You don’t have to stick to the veggies I have included in this. A traditional pad thai would include beansprouts, however I’m not a huge fan of these so left them out. Other great options I would suggest are mangetout, baby sweetcorn and maybe even some tenderstem if you want some extra protein. And if you literally just want to keep it simple you can omit the veggies altogether and just keep the chicken!

TRY IT WITH PRAWNS

If you’d rather than seafood over meat, then you can easily swap the chicken with some prawns. I would suggest going to the fishmongers and getting some fresh raw king prawns, peeled and deveined. If you decide to do this, I would recommend half cooking them beforehand to ensure they don’t stay raw. Then you can toss them in with the veggies in Step 4.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4):

• 250g dried rice noodles (if you can find brown rice noodles then even better!)

• 3 tbsp rapeseed oil

• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 4-5 Thai bird's-eye chillies, deseeded and finely chopped

• 3 tbsp soft brown sugar

• 6 tbsp tamarind paste mixed with 3 tbsp water

• 3 tbsp fish sauce

• 2 tsp light soy sauce

• 3 chicken breast pieces

• 3 eggs, beaten

• 3-4 carrots – chopped into thin sticks or shredded

• 1 large red pepper – sliced into sticks

To serve

• roasted and ground peanuts, optional

• sesame seeds, optional

• lime wedges, optional

• coriander leaves, optional

• siracha sauce, optional

METHOD:

1. Bring a large pan of water to boil then place in the chicken breast pieces. Allow these to cook for 15 minutes until it is no longer pink inside. Drain then slice/shred into smallish pieces.

2. Break the noodles into 15cm-long pieces if they are long, otherwise leave them as is. Place in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 10 mins so they start to soften, but no longer. You want them to be firm when you cook them, otherwise they'll go soggy. (Please read the packet instructions however as the technique for cooking the noodles can vary slightly between brands).

3. To make the sauce, put 1 tbsp of the oil in a small pan. Keep the heat low and add the garlic and chilli. Stir for 2-3 mins, then add the sugar, tamarind, fish sauce and soy sauce. Keep stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and leave to a side.

4. You will need a large wok to make this dish, but if you don’t have one you can make it in 2 batches. Have all your ingredients ready to go. Pour in the remaining oil and heat until hot. On medium-high heat, add the shredded chicken, peppers and carrots, cook for 2-3 mins, then push to the side. Add the beaten eggs, leave to set for 1 min, then scramble. Finally, add the noodles, and stir constantly, using 2 long spoons, to heat the noodles through. Pour in all of the sauce and keep stir-frying until absorbed. 

5. Remove from the heat and top with a sprinkling of peanuts and sesame seeds, a lime wedge in each and some coriander leaves. You can also put on some siracha sauce for added spice and tanginess!

NUTRITIONAL INFO – Per Serving:

592 calories

75.8g carbs

17g fat

33.3g protein