The BEST Drunken Noodles (2024)

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Learn how to make THE BEST Drunken Noodles with chicken! This homemade recipe for the spicy Thai restaurant favorite Pad Kee Mao, is easy to make in just 20 minutes!

I was originally inspired to make this dish after my favorite Thai restaurant in San Diego closed. I was a loyal customer and totally addicted to their Thai Drunken Noodles, Yellow Curry and Pan Fried Roti Bread!

Since they closed their doors a few years ago, I’ve been perfecting my own versions of their classic recipes from Thailand. After dozens of recreations of their Drunken Noodles, I’ve finally made the perfect homemade recipe, that tastesjust like their classic noodle dish!

And bonus, it’s made in less time than it takes to order Thai food on an app! In just 30 minutes, this dish is on the table for dinner.

While the recipe is quite simple, getting the perfect Drunken Noodles sauce is really the key to this noodle dish. The sauce is so flavorful and slightly spicy. That’s where the name comes in, the story goes that you’ll need to drink an ice cold beer with this recipe because it’s so spicy!

But don’t worry, in this post, I’ll share how to adjust the spice to your preference.

Ingredients

Some of the ingredients listed below might be hard to find at a traditional American grocery store. Refer to the section below for easy substitutions of these items

• Oyster sauce – you can find this ingredient in the Asian section of most major grocery stores. Even though it has oyster in the name, this sauce isn’t actually fishy tasting at all. It’s thick, sweet and salty. It helps thicken the drunken noodle sauce and adds a wonderful umami flavor.
• Fish sauce – you can also find this sauce in the Asian section of most grocery stores. It adds another element of umami to the dish and a wonderful salty, savory flavor.
• Ground fresh chili paste – this dish is known for it’s spicy flavor and the chili paste adds to the spiciness of the dish. Add more or less to the sauce, depending on how spicy you want to make the drunken noodles.
• Soy sauce – feel free to use low-sodium or traditional soy sauce, depending on the level of saltiness that you like in a recipe. I’ve used both versions in this recipe over the years and I honestly can’t tell a huge difference in the final result.
• Sesame oil – this oil is adds another layer of flavor to the sauce for the noodles. Feel free to also use it for cooking the vegetables, instead of canola oil.
• Granulated sugar – just a little bit of sugar is adds sweetness and balances out the salty, spicy flavors in this dish.
• Thai basil – check out this article all aboutThai Basilto learn more about the herb, including where to buy it and how to freeze it. Refer to the substitution notes below if you can’t find Thai basil at your local store.
• Wide rice noodles – you can find these at some major grocery stores and all Asian markets. If you can’t find them, use a thin rice noodle instead, which may be labeled as “Pad Thai Noodles”.
• Canola oil – or another vegetable oil that will stand up to high heat, like avocado, peanut or sunflower oil.
• Garliccloves – fresh minced cloves are always preferred for the best flavor!
• Thai chilies – refer to the substitution notes below if you can’t find Thai chilies at your local supermarket.
• Onion – the onion can be sliced or diced for this recipe, depending on your preference of the texture in the dish.
• Egg – only one egg is scrambled in this recipe. Feel free to add one or two more, if you’d like more egg in the dish.
• Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or chicken thighs) – see other protein options below.
• Chinese broccoli – see the substitution notes below if you can’t find Chinese broccoli.
• Tomato – a ripe, tomato on the vine is perfect for slicing into wedges for this recipe.

Instructions

I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

1. Make the sauce. In a small bowl, combine oyster sauce, fish sauce, red chili paste, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and Thai basil. Set the sauce aside.
2. Boil the noodles.Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove. Add the rice noodles to the hot water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. Cook the veggies. Add canola oil, or vegetable oil, to a large skillet or wok on the stove over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add minced garlic cloves, Thai chilies and diced onions. Sauté for 2 minutes.
4. Scramble the egg. Add a whisked egg to the wok and scramble for 1 minute.
5. Cook the chicken. Add small pieces of diced chicken breast to the wok and cook for 3-4 minutes.
6. Stir fry the drunken noodles.Toss in chopped Chinese broccoli, tomato wedges and the cooked rice noodles. (If the cooked noodles are stuck together, rinse them in cold water before adding them to the wok.) Pour the previously prepared sauce into the skillet and toss everything together. Sauté for 2 minutes.
7. Finish the dish.Remove the wok from the heat and stir in more fresh Thai basil leaves. Serve immediately.

Other protein options

Instead of chicken, you can easily substitute beef, shrimp, pork or tofu in this recipe.

• To make this recipe with shrimp, simply add peeled & deveined shrimp at the same time you would add the chicken. Continue to cook the recipe as directed.
• To make this recipe with beef, I highly recommend checking out my Kung Pao Beef recipe. In this recipe I share the secret that Chinese restaurants use to make the most tender beef. That same method can be used for beef in this recipe. Simply follow the recipe above to tenderize sliced flank steak, then add the steak at the same time you would add the chicken or shrimp.
• To make the recipe with pork, you can add 1/2 pound of small diced pork tenderloin or ground pork, at the same time you would the chicken. Continue to prepare the rest of the recipe as instructed.
• To make this recipe with tofu, press the liquid from a block of extra-firm tofu, then dice the tofu. Add the tofu, in place of the chicken, after scrambling the egg.

Diet variations

• Make this recipe gluten free with a couple of simple swaps. Use gluten free oyster sauce, gluten free fish sauce and gluten free soy sauce, also known as tamari. Combining gluten free versions of each of these sauces, will make the entire dish gluten free.
• To make this recipe vegetarian, either omit the chicken, or replace it with small cubes of tofu or diced portobello mushrooms. Replace the fish sauce with an additional tablespoon of soy sauce. Replace the oyster sauce with a vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce.

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originally published April 24, 2019 — last updated April 6, 2023 7 Comments

Posted in: 29 Minute Meals, Chicken Recipes, Dinner Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Method, Quick and Easy Recipes, Recipe Videos, Recipes, Thai Recipes, WB Favorites