Drunken Noodles (pad kee mao)
If you love getting Thai food take-out, these Drunken Noodles (pad kee mao) are the best noodles you can make at home that taste better than take-out! Made with rice noodles, your favorite protein, loads of vegetables, and a spice level you can adjust to your taste, these noodles are SO good! You’ll want to add this recipe to your dinner rotation.
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My partner and I marathoned all three seasons of The White Lotus right before the Season 3 finale dropped. We invited a friend over to watch the finale with us and decided at the last minute to have a little dinner party to match the Thai theme of the season. So this White Lotus-inspired recipe was born out of our love for this season and of the flavors of Thai cuisine.
How to Make Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Noodles)
I LOVE Thai food, so I had to learn to make my own version of one of my favorite Thai dishes. Drunken noodles (also known as drunkard noodles, pad kee mao, pad ki mao, or pad kimao) is a stir-fried noodle dish that originates from Thailand. It gets its famous name “drunken noodles” because it’s a Thai street food that is popular amongst the inebriated. I don’t drink alcohol anymore, but I can image how hard this dish would hit if I was tipsy and stumbling around the streets of Thailand after enjoying some spicy nightlife.
Despite the name “drunken noodles” there is no alcohol in this dish, but it’s just a popular drunken late-night snack, or even a hangover cure for the morning after a bender. I bet Frank in The White Lotus would have gone to town on some pad kee mao after breaking his sobriety to help his friend plot to kill his father.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It’s better than take-out. Seriously, this dish rivals your local Thai take-out spot. Plus, I love making homemade versions of take-out dishes because it’s nice to know exactly what’s going into a dish!
- It’s an excuse to visit your local Asian grocery store. I LOVE an H Mart. Although you can most likely find a majority of these ingredients (or their substitutes) at a regular grocery store, I take any excuse to visit H Mart and pick up a few of my favorite Asian snacks as I fill my cart with the produce and groceries I actually need.
- It’s incredibly flavorful. The combination of ingredients in the sauce makes this dish so irresistible.
Ingredients for Drunken Noodles
Keep scrolling to find a list of ingredient substitutes in case you can’t find or don’t have some of these ingredients here. Most ingredients can be purchased at a regular grocery store. But you may want to check out your local Asian grocer for the best, high quality produce and ingredients you need for this recipe!
- Chicken thighs. You can also use chicken breast, shrimp, or even tofu as your protein option, but I love chicken thighs for this recipe!
- Thai red chiles. These can be as spicy or mild as you make them. Remove the seeds and ribs for a more mild flavor, but keep as much or as little as you want to increase the heat!
- Chinese broccoli. you’ll roughly chop the leafy greens, and chop up the stems. Keep them separate, because they cook at different rates!
- Brown sugar. Add this to the chicken marinade and the sauce to sweeten them up.
- Fish sauce. The depth of flavor this adds is simply *chef’s kiss* 👩🍳💋
- Soy sauce. A must in many Asian dishes.
- Red bell pepper. To add some colorful veggies to this dish.
- Shredded carrot. Not necessarily a traditional ingredient, but I always like to add carrot to some Asian noodle dishes for some color and crunch.
- Garlic. Lots and lots and LOTS of garlic!
- Thai basil. I’m OBSESSED with Thai basil. You’ll want lots of it to add even more flavor to this noodle dish.
- Dark soy sauce. Richer, slightly thicker, and less salty than regular soy sauce, but this adds a deep color to this dish!
- Oyster sauce. A viscous dark brown sauce that adds a savory flavor to many Asian dishes.
- Rice noodles. The wider the noodle, the better. I was on the hunt for a wide, flat rice noodle and couldn’t find what I wanted. But a pad thai-style rice noodle is just fine! Just pay attention to cooking instructions on the package.
How to Make Pad Kee Mao
Keep on scrolling to find the recipe card with exact measurements and detailed instructions, but if you are a visual learner and like to have a photo guide when cooking a new recipe, stop right here and see how it’s made!
- Marinate the chicken. Add cubed chicken thighs to a large bowl with soy sauce and brown sugar, then toss. You can marinate this chicken for as little as 20 minutes (while you prepare the rest of the ingredients) to 8 hours. I opt for the quick marinade, because I’m impatient and lack the forethought to do things 8 hours ahead of time.
- Make the chile garlic paste. Slice the Thai chile down the middle lengthwise. You’ll expose the seeds and ribs. If you like a spicy noodle dish, keep some (or all) of the seeds and ribs. If you can’t handle the heat, carefully cut out the ribs and seeds (or use a small spoon to scrape them out). Then roughly chop the chiles and add them to a mortar and pestle. Grind them up into a rough paste, then add garlic and continue pulverizing until a rough paste is formed. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, you can use a small food processor and pulse a few times to create a rough paste.
- Cook the chicken. In a large pan or wok over medium high heat, cook the chicken for 3-5 minutes per side until cooked through to an internal temperature of 165ºF. Cook the chicken in batches if needed so you don’t overcrowd the pan (this causes the chicken to steam because of the excess moisture and you won’t develop a crust on the chicken bits). Remove from the pan once cooked and set aside.
- Make the sauce. While the chicken cooks, mix together the oyster sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, and about 1/4 cup water. Whisk until sugar is dissolved.
- Cook the vegetables. Reduce the heat of the pan to medium, then add oil if needed. Add the chile garlic paste and cook for about a minute. Then add chopped Chinese broccoli stems, carrots, and red bell peppers. Toss, then let it cook until it starts to char slightly.
- Add in the noodles. Add the rice noodles to the pot. I used a brand of fresh rice noodle that steamed in the pan and became soft and tender from the sauce. But you can also use dry rice noodles. No matter what kind of rice noodle you use, be sure to cook according to the instructions on the package before adding the noodles to the pan.
- Pour in the sauce. Pour the sauce into the pan and toss the noodles and veggies. Add the chicken back to the pan. Allow the rice noodles to crisp up in the pan a little before tossing.
- Add in the greens. Add the chopped Chinese broccoli leafy greens and Thai basil leaves to the pan and toss, cooking just until the greens are slightly wilted.
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
- Protein. Instead of chicken thighs, you can use chicken breast, shrimp, thinly sliced beef, or tofu!
- Vegetables. I used red bell pepper, shredded carrot, and Chinese broccoli. But you can use bok choy instead of Chinese broccoli (it’s more accessible at most grocery stores). You can also add onions, baby corn, mushrooms, bean sprouts, thinly sliced zucchini, asparagus, spinach, grachai, broccoli, or cauliflower. Really, any combination of vegetables you’d like!
- Thai basil. There are actually two types of Thai basil–Thai Basil, and Thai Holy Basil. Either one works for this dish, but Thai basil is usually more accessible in grocery stores or Asian markets. If you can’t find either, you can use regular basil.
- Sauce. The sauce is typically made with oyster sauce, light and dark soy sauce, fish sauce, and brown sugar. If you don’t have brown sugar, you can use white sugar or honey. If you don’t have both light and dark soy sauce, regular soy sauce can be substituted for one or both. However, dark soy sauce is great to have in this recipe because it really adds to the color and taste of this sauce more so than a regular soy sauce. You can also add some rice vinegar or lime juice for acidity. Hoisin sauce can be substituted for oyster sauce.
- Noodles. This dish traditionally uses wide rice noodles. In a pinch, you can use another kind of noodle, like fettuccine or pad thai noodles.
Storing and Reheating
These noodles do not keep very well, but they can still be stored and reheated. As long as you accept that this dish is best served fresh, and not as leftovers! We have kept leftover noodles for as long as 2 days and they are still fine. But they do absorb a lot of the sauce and end up being quite dry.
However, I always have a trick to reheating leftovers that don’t keep well! If you microwave them, add 1-2 tbsp of water and reheat for about 45 seconds. Remove from the microwave, toss, add another tablespoon of water if needed, then continue heating for about 45 seconds to 1 minute, or until fully reheated.
You can also reheat these noodles in a non-stick pan, like my favorite Caraway pans, on the stovetop. Add about 2 tbsp of water per serving, and reheat on medium-low heat with a lid, tossing the noodles every few minutes and adding more water if needed to make sure the noodles don’t dry out.
FAQs
Where can I find rice noodles?
You can buy pad thai style rice noodles from Thrive Market, and you can also find them at most regular grocery stores. I like to go to my local Asian grocery store to find fresh, wide rice noodles for this dish. You can also order wide rice noodles on Amazon.
How can I make a vegan drunken noodle?
To make this drunken noodle dish vegan, you can replace the chicken with tofu or simply add more vegetables in place of the chicken. You can substitute the oyster sauce with hoisin sauce, or you may be able to find a mushroom-based substitute for oyster sauce. You can replace the fish sauce with more soy sauce. There are also some vegan fish sauce substitutes on Amazon, and you might be able to find a vegan fish sauce at Whole Foods!
What makes it “drunken noodles”?
“Drunken noodles” gets its name from the Thai name “pad khi mao,” where “phat” means “to stir fry” and “khi mao” means “drunkard.” This dish is a Thai street food staple, and they make a great late-night noodle snack when you’re stumbling home from a drunken night on the town. So while there is no alcohol in this dish, these “drunken” noodles get their name from the kinds of people who consume them!
What is the difference between pad thai and drunken noodles?
Pad thai is a nuttier and sweeter noodle dish, made with tamarind paste in the sauce and usually a thinner rice noodle. Drunken noodles are more savory and spicy, made with a wider rice noodle.
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Small mixing bowl or measuring cup
- Cutting board
- Chef’s knife
- Large wok or pan
Drunken Noodles (pad kee mao)
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Noodles
- Method: One Pan
- Cuisine: Thai
Description
Drunken noodles (pad kee mao) with chicken is the Thai take-out you’ve been craving, made easily at home! Loaded with vegetables and a delicious sauce, it’s so easy to make, and it comes together in one pot, too!
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Small mixing bowl or measuring cup
- Cutting board
- Chef’s knife
- Large wok or pan
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp white pepper (optional)
- 2 Thai chiles, roughly chopped, seeds and stems removed if needed
- 6–8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
- 1 cup shredded carrot
- 5 oz Chinese broccoli, leaves separated, stems roughly chopped
- 1.5 cups packed Thai basil leaves
- 1 7oz pkg fresh rice noodles
For the sauce:
- 6 tbsp oyster sauce
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1.5 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1.5 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Prep your ingredients. There’s a lot happening in this recipe, so before you begin cooking, I highly recommended getting your mise en place (aka, get your sh*t together) before you begin. Thinly slice your red bell pepper. Measure out the carrots. Mince the garlic. Chop or dice the Thai chile and figure out how spicy you want the dish to be (more seeds and ribs.= more spicy; no seeds and no ribs = no heat). Separate the leafy greens from the stems of the Chinese broccoli and roughly chop both. And most importantly, read the cooking instructions on your package of rice noodles. Fresh vs. dry noodles cook differently, so figure out how (and when) you’re going to cook the noodles before adding them to your pan!
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Marinate the chicken. Cut the chicken thighs into bite sized chunks and place in a large mixing bowl along with soy sauce, brown sugar, and white pepper. Let this marinate while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.
- Chop the Thai chiles. For more heat, keep some of the ribs and seeds from the Thai chiles. For a mild sauce, remove the ribs and seeds.
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Make the chile garlic paste. Combine chopped Thai chiles and minced garlic in a mortar and pestle and grind it into a rough paste. It should still be chunky, but the chiles should be slightly broken down with some juices.
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Cook the chicken. In a large skillet or wok over medium high heat, heat 1 tbsp neutral oil. Add the chicken. Do not overcrowd the pan, or the chicken will steam cook. Cook for 3-5 minutes per side until internal temperature reaches 165ºF, then remove the chicken and set aside.
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Cook the vegetables. Reduce the heat to medium. Add chile and garlic paste to the pan and cook for 30 seconds. Then add red bell pepper, shredded carrot, and broccoli stems. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
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Add noodles to the pan. Add the noodles (prepared according to package instructions) to the pan and drizzle the sauce into the pan. Return the chicken to the pan and toss everything together.
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Add leafy greens. Add the leafy parts of the Chinese broccoli and the Thai basil to the pan and toss until greens are slightly wilted.
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Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 592
- Sugar: 10.5 g
- Sodium: 2607.3 mg
- Fat: 13.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 61.4 g
- Protein: 52.3 g
- Cholesterol: 213.1 mg
