Skip the takeout and make this Healthy Chicken Pad Thai recipe instead! This gluten free pad thai recipe is a healthier version of a classic takeout dish. Packed with veggies, chicken and brown rice noodles.
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I feel like I start every blog post by saying the recipe is my favorite, but in reality.. this Healthy Chicken Pad Thai recipe has 100% taken the number 1 spot on my list of favorite recipes.
It is ridiculously delicious, simple to make, and a healthier version of one of everyones favorite takeout meals… what’s not to love?!
Jam packed with ALL the veggies, lean protein, and healthy carbs thanks to brown rice noodles – it’s an easy meal everyone will love!
Thai food is one of my favorite cuisines. It’s our go to whenever I’m sick of cooking (which usually happens on Friday or Saturday night).
What makes this recipe healthier?
There is a lot to love about this boneless chicken breast recipe. It’s one of our favorite proteins for a healthy dinner because it’s:
- Lower in salt: Some Thai dishes are high in salt (most restaurant meals are!) This dish is lower in salt than most Pad Thai recipes, but it is still higher in salt than most recipes on our site.
- Few ingredients: This recipe is only made with a few ingredients, all of which can be found at the store,
- Extra Veggies: I always order my pad Thai with extra vegetables – so I loaded this recipe up with veggies.
Ingredients for Healthy Pad Thai:
To make this Healthy Pad Thai, you’ll need a few ingredients that you can get at almost any grocery store!
You’ll need:
- chicken breasts
- peppers, bean sprouts, carrots
- brown rice noodles
- peanut butter
- honey
- lime juice/zest
- rice wine vinegar
- fish sauce
- coconut aminos
- peanuts
- red pepper flakes
I’ve included substitutions for all of these ingredients below under ‘Substitutions’
We love to get our chicken from ButcherBox. Learn more about why we love it in this Butcher Box Reviews Post.
How to make Healthy Chicken Pad Thai:
- In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil. Cook chicken over medium heat for 12-15 minutes until completely cooked.
- While chicken is cooking, bring a pot of water to a boil + cook rice noodles according to the directions on the package
- While noodles/chicken are cooking, whisk together the sauce ingredients + set off to the side. Chop vegetables.
- Once chicken has cooked, remove chicken from the pan + set aside in a large bowl. Try to leave the oil in the pan. Add in peppers, carrots, garlic and onion to the oil and sauté uncovered for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, stir in bean sprouts and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Push vegetables to one side of the pan + crack eggs into the pan. Scramble eggs until cooked, approximately 2 minutes. Stir veggie / egg mixture together. Remove from the pan and set aside with the chicken.
- Add the sauce mixture to the empty pan (you do not need to clean the pan!) and bring to a boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. The sauce should bubble and slightly thicken.
- Add cooked veggies, cooked chicken and cooked noodles into the pan with the sauce and toss to combine. Garnish with peanuts. Optional garnish: lime, cilantro, green onions.
The next time you’re craving takeout, try making this instead.
It takes the same amount of time to make as you’re probably going to have to wait for delivery anyways, so you might as well try it!
You can also make this recipe in the instant pot! Scroll down and in the recipe you’ll see ‘Instant Pot Instructions.
Important Note: This is not an authentic pad Thai recipe. My goal is always to share recipes that are a bit healthier and made with affordable, accessible ingredients so everyone can enjoy them regardless of their food allergies or dietary restrictions. If you are looking for an authentic pad thai recipe – check out this recipe!
Substitutions for this lower calorie pad thai:
There are lots of substitutions for this recipe! Here are some that we recommend:
Egg free: You can simply omit the eggs.
Bean Sprouts: You might have a hard time finding bean sprouts. You can just skip them or sub in more vegetables.
Oil: You can sub olive oil with avocado oil or canola oil
Vegetables: You can omit the bean sprouts if you’re having a hard time finding them. Bulk up the dish by adding more carrots or peppers! I’ve also added in mushrooms and match-stick sliced zucchini and it was yummy!
Vegetarian: Feel free to skip the chicken and bulk up on veggies to make this vegetarian!
Protein: You can sub in shrimp for the chicken if you’d like. Shrimp take much less time to cook, depending on their size I would cook about 2 minutes on each side until shrimp begin to turn pink. You can also use shaved steak/beef if you prefer! I have not tried this recipe with cooked tofu but I think it would work!
Chicken: Boneless skinless thighs or chicken tenders will also work. We also have a Thai Chicken Wings recipe that is delish!
Fish Sauce: If you can’t find or don’t have fish sauce you can sub it in for more coconut aminos or soy sauce. It won’t taste the same but it will still be good! I promise you will not taste the fishy-ness of fish sauce.. I don’t eat fish and absolutely love the flavor it gives! (It does have a bit of an off-putting smell if this is your first time cooking with it, don’t be alarmed!)
Coconut Aminos: If you don’t have coconut aminos – substitute soy sauce or Bragg’s liquid aminos. If you use Bragg’s use 1/2 the amount as it is much saltier.
Peanut Butter/Peanuts: I have not tried making this recipe without peanuts/peanut butter. Sunflower butter or cashew butter may work but I’m not sure how they will affect the taste.
Do you need to use fish sauce in this recipe?
If you can’t find fish sauce near you, you can sub in more coconut aminos for it. It definitely will not taste as good as the fish sauce adds such a yummy flavor, but it will be ok!
I like to buy red boat fish sauce from Trader Joe’s, it’s cheapest there and has the best ingredients.
Storing/Serving Pad Thai:
Storing: This pad thai will last for 3-4 days in an airtight container in a refrigerator
Reheating: You can reheat this pad thai in the microwave or on the stove. Sauté over low heat on the stove or microwave until warmed through.
Freezing: I haven’t tried freezing this pad thai, but I don’t think it would work well.
Can you use zucchini noodles instead of brown rice noodles?
Yes, I’ve also tested this recipe with zucchini noodles and it was delicious. I definitely prefer brown rice noodles, but the last time I made it I did a 50/50 split zoodles to brown rice noodles and it was so yummy!
Lower in carbs and extra veggies. Make sure to really squeeze all the liquid out of the zucchini noodles to avoid them from getting soggy!
Other healthy takeout recipes:
Looking for other easy meals? Check out these 40+ Healthy Dinner Recipes. Click here to grab our free healthy 30 minute dinners cookbook.
Need more ideas for dinner? Check out these 40+ Healthy Dinner Recipes. Love chicken? Check out our favorite healthy chicken breast recipes!
Healthy Chicken Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 5 oz brown rice noodles
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded thinly
- 1 cup red bell peppers sliced into thin pieces
- 2 cup carrots sliced into thin pieces
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 2 eggs
For the Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1.5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- ¼ cup coconut aminos or low sodium soy sauce
For Garnish:
- 1/4 cup green onions sliced thinly
- ⅓ cup peanuts crushed or chopped
- red pepper flakes (optional)
- lime wedges (optional)
- cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Cut chicken in 1 inch square pieces. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in cubed chicken to the pan and cook over medium high heat for 12-15 minutes until completely browned and cooked!
- While chicken is cooking, bring a pot of water to a boil + cook rice noodles according to the directions on the package
- While noodles/chicken are cooking, whisk together the sauce ingredients + set off to the side. Chop vegetables.
- Once chicken has cooked, remove chicken from the pan + set aside in a large bowl. Try to leave the oil in the pan.
- Add in peppers, carrots, garlic and onion to the oil and sauté uncovered for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, stir in bean sprouts and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Push vegetables to one side of the pan + crack eggs into the pan. Scramble eggs until cooked, approximately 2 minutes.
- Stir veggie / egg mixture together. Remove from the pan and set aside with the chicken.
- Add the sauce mixture to the empty pan (you do not need to clean the pan!) and bring to a boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. The sauce should bubble and slightly thicken.
- Add cooked veggies, cooked chicken and cooked noodles into the pan with the sauce and toss to combine.
- Garnish with peanuts. Optional garnish: lime, cilantro, green onions.
Instant Pot Instructions
- To make this in the instant pot – it is important to DOUBLE the sauce recipe. All other ingredients remain the same.
- Bring a separate pot of water to a boil (outside of instant pot) and cook the rice noodles according to package directions. While the rice noodles are cooking, turn instant pot on Sauté- High. Heat 1 tablespoon. of the olive oil, add the eggs in and scramble them quickly. Put them on a plate and set aside.
- Drizzle in the other 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add the whole chicken breasts. Sear them 2 minutes per side to get them nice and golden brown. Meanwhile mix together your sauce ingredients. Make sure to double sauce ingredients from recipe.
- Move the chicken breasts onto a cutting board and chop them into one inch pieces.
- Add the garlic and onion into the instant pot. Saute for 30 seconds then add in the chicken, peppers and carrots. Mix it all together and pour the sauce over top.
- Set the Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure and Cook for 3 minutes. Keep in mind the Instant Pot takes 3-5 minutes to come to pressure before counting down the 3 minutes you’ve set.
- When the time is up quick release the steam. Remove the chicken and vegetables with a slotted spoon. Set aside.
- Turn the Instant Pot to the high sauté setting once more and bring the sauce up to a bubble. Allow it to bubble for 10-12 minutes until it thickens slightly. You’ll know it’s done when it begins to look darker and when you drag a spoon across the bottom of the pan and it takes just a second or 2 to come back together.
- Add in your noodles, eggs, chicken and veggies. Toss it all together. Garnish with peanuts, green onions. Note – nutritional facts will vary slightly because of the increase in sauce.
Video
Notes
- Egg free: You can simply omit the eggs.
- Oil: You can sub olive oil with avocado oil
- Veggies: You can omit the bean sprouts if you’re having a hard time finding them. Bulk up the dish by adding more carrots or peppers!
- Protein : You can sub in chicken for shrimp if you’d like. Shrimp take much less time to cook, depending on their size I would cook about 2 minutes on each side until shrimp begin to turn pink
- Make sure to cook the chicken whole and then cut it into cubes. Due to shape, the instant pot just doesn’t have the browning power of a wok or skillet when doing small pieces of chicken.
- DO NOT cook the noodles in the Instant Pot. They are just too starchy and will not work.
- Add in your noodles, eggs, chicken and veggies. Toss it all together. Garnish with peanuts, green onions. Note – nutritional facts will vary slightly because of the increase in sauce.
Christie says
This is one of our favorite recipes and we can eat on this for days. My 11 year old gets excited when I make this and even my picky husband loves it. I’ve made it for many people who have never tried Pad Thai and they have all loved it. I have even printed it out to save it to my book so I don’t have to keep searching for it when I crave it.
Cassie says
Easy to make and great for weeknights! Will be adding this to my rotation 🙂
laura kiley says
Loved it so much! Easy to make and all of my picky eaters couldn’t get enough of it. I Doubled the recipe and they still cleaned out the pan. Thanks so much !
Sarah says
This is my first time making Thai food. This was so good, my vegetables were a little different,(no peppers, I added shredded cabbage) but this sauce with my brown rice noodles was everything! I didn’t mix the noodles and sauce together because my husband prefers his sauce separate from the noodles, he made a face when he saw it, tasted the sauce and loved it! This recipe is a keeper!
Lily says
LOVE this recipe!! Couldn’t find any rice noodles so we used fettuccine! Super easy to follow and love all the extra tips and tricks 🙂
S says
We love this! We triple the sauce because we like it saucy. Couldn’t find bean sprouts so we grated up carrots and added in grated broccoli stocks.
Thank you for this recipe!
Beth says
I made this for dinner for my family last night and it got rave reviews from each member! It was easy to make and full of flavor. Will definitely make it again!
Katie says
539 calories!? 🤣🤣🤣 That’s not low calorie. Nice try
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Katie – If you don’t like the estimated nutrition facts on this recipe, simply don’t make it – No need for the snarky comment! 🙂 This is not a low calorie food and no where does it say this. It’s a healthier option when compared to takeout per the reasons listed in the post. I’ve pasted them here.
Lower in salt: Some Thai dishes are high in salt (most restaurant meals are!) This dish is lower in salt than authentic Thai food.
Few ingredients: This recipe is only made with a few ingredients, all of which can be found at the store.
Extra Veggies: I always order my pad Thai with extra vegetables – so I loaded this recipe up with veggies.
Carol says
Excellent dish. One of our favorites.
Monica says
This looks delicious and I’m definitely going to try it. I’m a 50+ diabetic and most definitely looking for better ways to eat.I hope The Clean Eating Couple can get me off to a good start!
Joanne Sprickman says
Can this be frozen?
The Clean Eating Couple says
I wouldn’t recommend freezing this- the noodles will get a little bit soggy!
Ashley says
This is the best healthier pad Thai I’ve ever had! I’ve made it twice – the first time I doubled the sauce which didn’t work out at all. The amount of sauce the recipe calls for doesn’t look like a lot but it’s the perfect amount once you add it in. The second time I followed the recipe to a T and it was amazing. My husband also loved it! It’s definitely best topped with peanuts, cilantro and extra lime!
Alden G says
YUM! This was such a delicious weeknight meal that tasted like Friday night takeout. I love how veggie packed it is!
Angela says
Delicious! Easy to follow instructions.
Nikki says
Amazing recipie and one that turns out super every single time. Whole family of adults n kids enjoy it every week !!! Sometimes I add cooked prawns too
Sara says
Yellow or white onion?
The Clean Eating Couple says
Yellow and white onions can be used interchangeably. White onions have a bit more flavor so that’s what we use but it’s such a nominal amount it will have no impact on this recipe.
Travis says
Excellent base recipe, I always reference it when making a big batch of pad Thai and don’t stray much at all.
Note: it freezes AMAZINGLY well. I make about 12 servings at once, and the frozen portions never last long at all. Just wanted to share that since this recipe has been such a helpful staple in my kitchen for a couple years already.
I will say, if you add broccoli it is excellent while fresh, but cooked broccoli does NOT do well after being frozen- stays soggy.
Thanks for the excellent recipe.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you like it, Travis! I’ve never frozen this before so this is great to know- thanks!
Taylor says
I make this all the time for my husband and I and it is one of our all-time favorite recipes. I add a lot more peanut butter and omit the sprouts but besides that make it according to the recipe and it’s incredible!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it!
Sarah says
I just made this tonight for dinner and it was a huge hit. My kids, my husband and myself all loved it. I prepped everything beforehand and it came together really quickly. I’m always intimidated by what seem to be more difficult recipies, but this was incredibly easy and tasted amazing. It’s definitely getting added to our rotation.
Also, I made a separate batch for myself with minor adjustments and it was like I wasn’t eating “diet” food. I did an all vegetable version and swapped out the rice noodles for hearts of palm pasta plus used PB2 powder and sugar free syrup in the sauce. Still absolutely delicious.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you and your family liked it, Sarah! Thank you!
Maggie says
We LOVED this!! Quick and easy… Had my husband grill the chicken because I always get nervous of over or under cooking it. He used to be a chef and even after his first bite it was “mmm this is great babe”!
Will be making again 🙂
The Clean Eating Couple says
so happy you both enjoyed it! Thanks, Maggie
Vivian says
Husband exclaimed, wow – this is something we should feed people when they come over! Made without bean sprouts because the grocery store was out and it was still fabulous. Great job!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it! Thank you so much, Vivian!
Lili says
Have tried it and it is amazing!
Any suggestions for substitutes for the peanut in the sauce as my hubby is allergic and could not try my ate and was quite jealous 🙂
Thank you
The Clean Eating Couple says
I have not tried making this recipe without peanuts/peanut butter. Sunflower butter or cashew butter may work but I’m not sure how they will affect the taste.
AshleyMara says
This is better (and healthier) than takeout. My boyfriend LOVED it. Thansk so much for the recipe!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you both enjoyed it! Love hearing that! Thank you!
Adrianne says
This was really good. I was making it to meal prep for the week but ended up having it for dinner after my test bite! The only “down side” is that fish sauce has a terrible smell but you truly can’t taste anything remotely fishy in the recipe. Next time I will probably add more veggies too.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it. You can skip the fish sauce if the smell bothers you – sometimes I just use coconut aminos because the smell is very offputting – I totally agree with ya!
Tianna says
SO GOOD! I’ve never even attempted pad thai before so I was excited to try this recipe and it came out amazing! My sauce was actually a little thick so I ended up having to thin it out with some water – plus I made a ton of veggies/noodles (more than the recipe called for), so it ended up being good that I had more sauce. Will definitely make again! Thank you Liz!!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂