Drunken Noodles Recipe

closeup of drunken noodles in a grey bowl

5 from 3 votes

Drunken Noodles, or Pad Kee Mao, is a very popular street food in Thailand that features wide rice noodles, chicken thigh meat, garlic, ginger, Thai basil, Thai chili peppers, all in a delicious sweet, spicy, and salty sauce made with soy, oyster, and fish sauces, brown sugar, broth, and white pepper.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Thai

Servings:

Calories: 994kcal

Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thigh meat*
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp soy sauce
2-3 tbsp peanut oil split
8 oz wide rice noodles**
3 garlic cloves minced
1/2 tsp fresh ginger minced, grated, or shaved
2 shallots
4 stalks of scallions
2-4 fresh Thai chili peppers*** to taste
1 cup fresh Thai basil leaves****

Sauce:

2 tbsp soy sauce all purpose, or combination of 1 tbsp of light and 1 tbsp of dark soy
1 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp chicken stock
1/8 tsp ground white pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make sure to prepare all of your ingredients before starting to cook because this is a fast moving recipe.
Season your wok to prevent sticking.

Prep the Chicken:

Slice chicken into thin pieces and place it into a mixing bowl. (Remove excess fat.)
Add in soy sauce and mix. Sprinkle cornstarch and mix well.
Set aside while preparing other ingredients.

Prepare other ingredients:

Take the basil leaves off the stem.
Slice the chili peppers along the side and take out the seeds and membrane. (I highly recommend you wear disposable gloves while handling spicy peppers.)
Mince garlic and ginger, chop scallions, and slice shallots.
Measure all the ingredients for the sauce and whisk them together. (I recommend heating up the chicken stock and mixing it with brown sugar to help melt it and incorporate into the sauce.)
Soak noodles according to the package instructions.

Cooking Drunken Noodles:

Preheat a wok (or a deep, 12-inch cooking pan, preferably non-stick) over medium-high heat and add some peanut oil.
Add chicken, stir and cook until just about done. Take chicken out of the pan and set aside.
Add a little more oil and add in garlic, ginger, and sliced chili peppers. Sauté for a few seconds.
Add in sliced shallots and sauté until softens.
Stir in chicken and scallions and mix well.
Toss in noodles and pour in the sauce. Toss everything together and cook for just a few minutes, tossing often.
Stir in fresh basil leaves and take off heat.
Serve right away.

Notes

*Protein options - you can also use chicken breast meat or ground chicken as a chicken option. As another protein, try shrimp, ground pork, ground turkey, or tofu if you wish.

**Wide rice noodles - While fresh rice noodles are traditional, they also take time. To save time, choose wide rice noodles and in a pinch, you can use Pad Thai noodles. If you have an Asian market nearby, check their refrigerated section for fresh rice noodles!

***Fresh Thai Chili Peppers - It’s best to use fresh Thai chili peppers, just make sure to take the seeds out. If you can’t find fresh chilis, use dried chili peppers and decrease the amount slightly. Dried chili peppers are spicier than fresh ones.

****Thai basil - use sweet Thai basil or holy basil for most traditional results. You can also use pepper basil, which is another variation of Thai basil that's more peppery. Thai basil is stronger and has a prominent anise flavor. Both Thai basil and holy basil do have that anise flavor that you need. If you’re absolutely out of luck finding either of those basils, use regular Italian basil.

Make it Gluten Free - You will be using rice noodles and those are typically gluten free. Use gluten free soy sauce (or tamari, or coconut aminos), and gluten free oyster sauce. Make sure the fish sauce that you’re using is also gluten free.

Nutrition