Pad Thai with Chicken & Shrimp—Trust Me, You’ll Love It

Dinner in 15-minutes! This Pad Thai is tangy, sweet, savory, and a total time-saver.

I wasn’t aiming for Pad Thai—just something fast with rice noodles, leftover chicken, and a few freezers shrimp.

But then I added lime, fish sauce, peanuts… and suddenly, Tuesday night dinner turned into something way better than planned.

Tossed it all into the pan with what I hoped were the right sauces, and somehow ended up with something that made everyone at the table stop talking. That doesn’t happen often.

Since then, I’ve made this version more times than I can count. It’s fast. It’s flexible. And it always hits the spot. No fancy wok, no hard-to-find stuff. Just a hot pan and 15 minutes.

Check My Other Recipes

• Butter Chicken | Creamy North Indian Classic
• Sweet and Sour Shrimp 
• Black Pepper Chicken (Simple, Spicy, Satisfying!)
• Lemongrass Chicken Noodles (Light, Fresh & Zingy!)
• Tom Yum Noodles

Wait—What Exactly Is Pad Thai?

Think: soft rice noodles, eggs, garlic, something fresh and green, and a protein—often shrimp, chicken, tofu, or whatever’s handy.

Pad Thai is Thailand’s go-to street noodle stir-fry. The real star, though, is the sauce. It’s a mix of salty-sweet-sour flavors: tamarind, fish sauce, a bit of sugar, and often a hit of lime and chili.

Toss it all together and suddenly you’ve got that perfect mix of chewy, juicy, crunchy, tangy, and sweet.

Why You Might Love Shrimp Pad Thai

• It’s fast. You’ll be plating dinner in 15 minutes.
• You’re in control. Go heavy on the shrimp or swap in tofu. More heat? Less sugar? You decide.
• Just one pan. Less mess, more reward.
• Crowd-pleaser. It’s balanced enough for picky eaters and flavorful enough for spice lovers.

What You’ll Need for Chicken Pad Thai

Noodles

• 300 g dried rice noodles (soaked in warm water until soft but not mushy)

Stir-Fry

• 250 g shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 250 g chicken breast or thigh, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup bean sprouts or any sprouts you have
• 3 scallions, chopped into 3-inch pieces
• 2 eggs

Sauce

• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 tbsp brown sugar (or more if you like it sweet)

Garnish

• Crushed peanuts (optional)
• Lime wedges
• Sliced fresh chili (optional)

How to Make Pad Thai

1. Noodle Prep

Soak the rice noodles in warm water for about 20 minutes. They should be bendy but not soggy. Drain and set aside.

2. Sauce Setup

Mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Taste it. Add more sugar or fish sauce if needed—get it to a spot you love.

3. Sizzle the Proteins

Heat oil in a big pan. First cook the chicken until nearly done (3–4 minutes). Add shrimp and stir-fry until pink and just cooked through. Transfer both to a plate.

4. Aromatics + Eggs

Sauté the onion until soft in the same pan. Add garlic and stir until it smells amazing. Push everything to one side, crack in the eggs, and scramble gently. Stir them in.

5. Bring It All Together

Add noodles and pour in your sauce. Toss it all so the noodles soak it up. Return the cooked shrimp and chicken. Add bean sprouts and scallions. Stir-fry everything for another minute. You want things hot and coated.

6. Plate and Finish

Scoop into bowls. Top with crushed peanuts, a lime wedge, and chili slices if you’re feeling spicy.

Helpful Tips

Don’t boil your noodles. Just soak ‘em—trust me on this.

Taste everything. Sauce too sweet? Add more fish sauce. Too salty? Squeeze in lime.

Crushed peanuts and fresh lime make all the difference.

Pad Thai with Chicken & Shrimp—Trust Me, You’ll Love It

Soft rice noodles, eggs, garlic, something fresh and green, and a protein, often shrimp or chicken.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Course: dinner, lunch

Cuisine: Thailand

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

• 300 g dried rice noodles (soaked in warm water until soft but not mushy)

Stir Fry

• 250 g shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 250 g chicken breast or thigh, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bean sprouts (fresh or canned)
• 3 scallions, chopped into 3-inch pieces
• 2 eggs

Sauce

• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 tsp brown sugar (or more if you like it sweet)

Garnish

• Crushed peanuts
• lime wedges
• Sliced fresh chili

Equipment

• 1 Large Teflon

Method

 

1. Soak the rice noodles in warm water for about 10 minutes. They should be bendy but not soggy. Drain and set aside.
2. Mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Taste it. Add more sugar or fish sauce if needed—get it to a spot you love.
3. Heat oil in a big pan. First cook the chicken until nearly done (3–4 minutes). Add shrimp and stir-fry until pink and just cooked through. Transfer both to a plate.
4. Sauté the onion until soft in the same pan. Add garlic and stir until it smells amazing. Push everything to one side, crack in the eggs, and scramble gently. Stir them in.
5. Add noodles and pour in your sauce. Toss it all so the noodles soak it up. Return the cooked shrimp and chicken. Add bean sprouts and scallions. Stir-fry everything for another minute. You want things hot and coated.
6. Scoop into bowls. Top with crushed peanuts, a lime wedge, and chili slices if you’re feeling spicy.