Name: Drunken Chicken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce; 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce; 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce (plus 1 teaspoon of dark soy sauce); 1 tablespoon maple syrup; 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce; 1/4 cup of water (60ml); 300g (10.5oz) of boneless skinless chicken thighs (uncooked) - sliced into strips; 2 Thai red chillies, sliced; 200g (7oz) of flat rice noodles, uncooked; 1 red pepper, sliced; 1 courgette (zucchini), halved and sliced; 12 mange tout (snow peas); 2 cloves of garlic, crushed; pinch of black pepper; handful of Thai Basil; spray oil

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Drunken Chicken Noodles - love spicy noodle dishes? then this is the perfect recipe for you. Tender pieces of chicken with vegetables and rice noodles all coated in a flavoursome spicy sauce finished off with fragrant Thai Basil.

drunken noodles - chicken, vegetables and rice noodles in a spicy flavoursome sauce in a black pan with a wooden handle

Thai Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)

If you love Thai recipes then you will love Pad Kee Mao. It's a simple but delicious dish that will sent your taste buds crazy with an explosion of flavours.

This recipe is also found in the Slimming Eats Made Simple cookbook as one of the 15 bonus blog favourites. You can get it from all Major Retailers including Amazon

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There are various theories on how the recipe got its unusual name, one being that it originally included rice wine, to it being a dish that is often cooked after night out drinking or lastly that it is a dish that is usually made to accompany alcohol. I don't know about you but I do love learning about the history of certain recipes, but with so many theories out there it can be hard to know which is the correct story.

Obviously wine is a popular choice for accompanying food, and it can really enhance flavours so in that aspect it does make sense. However I don't really drink alcohol, maybe once in a blue moon on a special occasion I may have some and that's not very often, so for me this dish is perfectly enjoyed just as it is.

Thai Basil

It is worth sourcing Thai Basil for this recipe, because of it's unique flavour, totally different to what you get with the usual basil commonly used in pasta dishes. It really adds a lovely flavour.

However I know for certain places finding unusual or different ingredients like this can be difficult. So as a substitute I find a mixture or regular basil and a little fresh mint works well. Not quite the same flavours, but is better than basil just on it's own.

Noodles for Pad Kee Mao

While you could actually use any noodles you want for this dish. The best and traditional type of noodles to use are flat rice noodles (like what you would use in Pad Thai).

Sometimes when I don't have these on hand, I find Fettucine pasta actually works really well, as it has that similar shape and the noodles get coated in that delicious sauce.

Protein for Thai Recipes

Chicken thigh is my preferred protein to add to this Drunken Noodles recipe over chicken breast. I just find it absorbs so much more of the flavour from the sauce and stays lovely and tender.

But I have also made this with ground chicken, turkey and pork and even shrimp or prawns.

You can also do a combination of two proteins together, like chicken and shrimp, that works really well.

close up of drunken noodles - chicken, vegetables and rice noodles in a spicy flavoursome sauce in a black pan

Vegetables for Drunken Noodles

There really is no right or wrong for what vegetables to use in Drunken Noodles. It is a great recipe for just using what you have and can be varied every time you make it.

But typically I like to use mange tout (snow peas), red pepper and courgette (zucchini) as it add a beautiful fleck of colour through the dish.

Other great additions are:

Baby corn
Different Colour Peppers
Mushrooms
Broccoli
Green Beans
Carrot
Onion
Cauliflower
Sugar Snap Peas
Bean Sprouts

So much options to choose from really, so don't worry if you don't have the exact vegetables on hand, make this your own dish by varying what vegetables you add in, just be aware of different cooking times for certain vegetables. Drunken Noodles is a pretty quick and easy dish to make though overall.

Spice Level in Drunken Noodles

Drunken Noodles is typically a spicy dish, so not one for those who don't like a good level of heat. However you can totally up or reduce the spice level to your required taste.

I add 2 Thai Red Chillies, so if you are not used to spicy food, try with one first and you can also adjust to a level that is comfortable for you.

drunken noodles - chicken, vegetables and rice noodles in a spicy flavoursome sauce in a grey, brown and white bowl

More Thai Recipes

Love Thai Food? Check out my other Thai inspired recipes.

or if you would like more recipe ideas - head on over to the FULL RECIPE INDEX where you will find over 900 delicious recipes with calories and you can search by meal type, ingredients, course, diet and more..

All recipes on Slimming Eats have estimated nutritional information for your convenience.

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Recipe Card

Drunken Chicken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)

Yield: SERVES 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

300g (10.5oz) of boneless skinless chicken thighs (uncooked) - sliced into strips
2 Thai red chillies, sliced
200g (7oz) of flat rice noodles, uncooked
1 red pepper, sliced
1 courgette (zucchini), halved and sliced
12 mange tout (snow peas)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
pinch of black pepper
handful of Thai Basil
spray oil

for the sauce:

2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce (plus 1 teaspoon of dark soy sauce)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
½ tablespoon of fish sauce
¼ cup of water (60ml)

Instructions

In a bowl combine the ingredients for the sauce and cook the noodles according to package directions and set aside.
Spray a wok or frying pan over a medium high heat with cooking oil spray.
Add the chicken and the 1 teaspoon of dark soy sauce and fry until it's a lovely deep golden colour, remove and set aside.
Spray with some more spray oil and add the vegetables, chillies and garlic and stir fry for a couple of minutes just until lightly softened.
Add back in the chicken and the sauce ingredients and stir fry until all coated in sauce. Season with a little black pepper.
Then add in the cooked noodles and Thai basil and toss until all combined.
Serve and enjoy!!

Notes

Please see below for full nutritional info and additional details about recipe:

Calories - scroll down to nutritional info box
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Nutrition Information

Yield 4 Serving Size 1 SERVING
Amount Per Serving Calories 326Total Fat 2.9gSaturated Fat 0.8gTrans Fat 0gCholesterol 62.3mgSodium 80mgCarbohydrates 49.7gFiber 4.8gSugar 8.5gProtein 23g

Nutritional information etc are an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only. Ingredients can vary greatly from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information. It is always advised that you calculate by the ingredients you use.

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