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Healthy Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)–a popular Thai stir-fried dish that is lightened up and simplified just enough. Make it any night of the week!
If you follow me an Instagram (@litecravings), you know that I try to check in with my followers to see what recipes they’d like to see me lighten up. So many of you love my Healthy Pad Thai and have requested more Asian stir fry recipes, so your wish is my command!
Drunken Noodles consistently comes up, and I can see why! Spicy noodles and veggies doused in a savory/sweet sauce? Sign me up! And the basil adds such an interesting touch and the perfect amount of brightness.
I’ll admit that I was a little intimidated by this one. A lot of traditional recipes call for ingredients that would require trips to multiple stores. While I love shopping at my local Asian markets, I know not everyone has one close by.
I wanted to make sure anyone could make this with a single trip to their local grocery store. While this version might not be as authentic as other recipes, it’s easy to make and lightened up just enough.
However, with the exception of the thicker rice noodles, all of the ingredients in this recipe can be found in the Asian aisle of any grocery store!
Ingredients for Healthy drunken noodles
- Rice Noodles: You can definitely make this recipe with regular Pad Thai rice noodles. Those are thinner than traditionally used in Drunken Noodle recipes, but it will taste the same. To make this as close to restaurant versions, you’ll want to buy wide rice noodles. I had a pretty hard time finding them in my grocery store, so I just ordered this brand off of Amazon.
- Protein of choice: I went with chicken breasts, but you could use tofu or shrimp instead. Keep the same amount (1 pound) and follow the same cooking process.
- Veggies: This is a versatile recipe, so use whatever veggies you want. I think bell pepper, onion, garlic, and green onion are pretty essential. Other than that, I’ve used shredded carrots, sliced mushroom mushrooms, bok choy, kale, spinach, etc. Whatever works in a stir fry for you!
- Low-Sodium Soy Sauce: Most recipes I read call for a mixture of dark and light soy sauce, but I wanted to keep the ingredients as simple as possible without skimping on flavor. Adding just a little more soy sauce with the honey and oyster sauce did the trick!
- Honey: Adds some depth of flavor and balances the salt in the recipe. You could use maple syrup or brown sugar instead.
- Oyster Sauce: This adds a deep, savory flavor to the sauce. Don’t worry–the sauce doesn’t taste fishy! Also put my Air Fryer Orange Chicken on your menu for later in the week to use up more of that oyster sauce.
- Fish Sauce: This is an essential ingredient for the classic Thai flavor, so definitely don’t skip it! If you’re looking for other recipes to use up that fish sauce, my Healthy Pad Thai and Caesar Dressing recipes are excellent!
- Chilis: Optional, but so good! Use serrano peppers if you can’t find Thai chilis at your store.
- Basil: The ingredient that truly makes this taste like restaurant Drunk Noodles! If you can find Thai bail, definitely use that. But the standard basil that you find in any grocery store will do.
I’d love to hear from you if you make this recipe! Leaving a starred review and comment below helps my blog grow. I’m always grateful when you can take the time to do that!
It also makes my day when you share your pics on Instagram and tag me (@litecravings). Don’t forget to use #litecravingsrecipes to make sure I see it. If I don’t get a chance to scroll through my tags quickly enough, I won’t see your post. I always make a point to look through the hashtags, though, so I’ll see it there!
Print Recipe
5 from 13 votes
Healthy Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)
Healthy Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)–a popular Thai stir-fried dish that is lightened up and simplified just enough!
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Total Time35 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian
Servings: 5
Calories: 332kcal
Author: Geri
Ingredients
FOR THE STIR FRY
- 8 ounces dried rice noodles, cooked for stir fry according to package directions (wide noodles are preferred but you can use Pad Thai noodles)
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small pieces (can sub tofu or shrimp)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 serrano pepper, seeds removed (use jalapeno for mild spice, or use 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes) (optional)
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 1 medium bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 5-6 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup basil, chopped
FOR THE SAUCE
- 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
Run cooked noodles under cold water, then drain and gently pat dry with paper towel so they are as dry as as possible. Toss with the 1 tsp olive oil. Set aside.
Mix sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Spray a large skillet with cooking spray. Season chicken lightly with salt and pepper. Over medium-high heat, cook chicken until brown and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side.
Remove chicken from skillet and set aside. In the same skillet, sauté garlic and chili until just fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add onion and bell pepper to skillet. Sauté until just soft, about 5 minutes.
Add carrots and green onion to skillet. Sauté another 2-3 minutes.
Push veggies to the sides of the skillet. Add noodles to the center and sauté until just slightly browned, about 2-3 minutes.
Toss noodles, veggies, and chicken together in the skillet. Add in the sauce and continue to sauté for another couple of minutes, until the sauce has absorbed into the noodles and all ingredients are evenly distributed.
Remove from heat, then mix in the basil. Serve immediately.
Notes
Click hereto determine your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe (if you are logged in to your WW app, it should calculate for you automatically). Serving size is 1 1/3 cup.
WW Green SmartPoints: 9 for 1 1/3 cup
WW Blue and Purple SmartPoints: 7 for 1 1/3 cup
Nutrition
Calories: 332kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g
