Home / Recipes / Comfort Food Dinner Recipes / Better-Than-Takeout Comfort Food Recipes

Spicy Drunken Noodles With Chicken

ByAlex Langdon Hours Updated on
Comments 1 Comment
Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe Add us as a trusted Google source

This post may contain affiliate links. We only promote products we actually use and truly love!

This Thai takeout-style spicy drunken noodles with chicken can be made in 35 minutes for an authentic, super spicy, and comforting dinner at home.

A black bowl of Thai chicken drunken noodles with chopsticks next to it.

The weather is getting colder, and we’re starting to crave more comforting, spicy, savory dishes that we can curl up on the couch with and eat while watching a movie. The best kind of couch dinners are the ones that are super easy to make and eat out of a single bowl, preferably with chopsticks – almost like eating takeout straight from the container, but homemade.

To satisfy our cravings and avoid spending money on takeout dinners, we cooked up our very own restaurant style Thai drunken noodles recipe! It’s another one of our favorite Thai dishes, along with red curry (which inspired our Thai chickpea potato curry recipe) and Thai fried rice.

Drunken noodles, or pad kee mao, is a stir-fried Thai dish typically made with spicy chili peppers, some kind of protein, flat rice noodles, and a savory sauce. Despite the name, there isn’t actually any alcohol in drunken noodles!

What To Expect

  • Great for: When you’re craving spicy takeout but want to save some money. Perfect for movie nights or date nights at home.
  • Ready in: 35 minutes
  • Makes: 4 servings
  • Flavor profile: Super spicy, savory, and a little sweet. Like a classic takeout dish of drunken noodles.
  • How to make it: Thinly slice and marinate the chicken and whisk together the sauce. Then boil the noodles, stir-fry the chicken, and then the veggies. Combine it all and serve.

We hope you love this recipe!

If you give it a try, please let us know what you think by leaving a rating and review. We read and reply to every single comment!

Key Ingredients

Ingredients for making Thai drunken noodles: Thai rice noodles, vegetable oil, frozen chicken breast, yellow onion, red bell pepper, mung bean sprouts, thai chilies, fresh basil, minced garlic, sriracha, fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and brown sugar.
  • Thai rice noodles – We check every grocery store we go into for the classic wide, flat rice noodles that you get in takeout dishes. Sadly, we have yet to find them. Fortunately, any Thai rice noodle will work for this recipe. We use the widest ones we can find. 
  • Frozen chicken breast – Slicing the chicken breast from frozen is the easiest way to get consistent, thinly sliced chicken like you’d get in a real Thai takeout dish. 
  • Fish sauce and oyster sauce – While you might not already have these ingredients on hand, they are essential for drunken noodles and are used very frequently in Thai dishes. Check out our thai chickpea potato curry for another recipe that uses fish sauce. 
  • Thai chilies – These little peppers are hot. Like really hot. But this is a spicy drunken noodle recipe. Be sure to wear gloves while handling these peppers. 
  • Fresh basil – If you can find Thai basil at the store, use it! We often can’t find it where we shop so we use Italian basil; the flavor still works great, but Thai basil will give you a more authentic flavor and hold up better to the heat of the wok.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How To Make Spicy Drunken Noodles With Chicken

Slicing partially thawed chicken breast into thin shavings with a large Chinese chef's knife.

Step 1: Thinly slice the frozen chicken. Between 1/16th- and 1/8th-inch cuts are ideal.

A glass mixing bowl of thinly shaved chicken marinating in a soy sauce mixture.

Step 2: Toss the sliced chicken with the marinade ingredients. This is easiest to do by hand.

A white ceramic bowl of Thai drunken noodle sauce being whisked in it.

Step 3: Whisk together the sauce: combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sriracha, and fish sauce in a small bowl.

A large pot of Thai rice noodles boiling on the stove.

Step 4: Boil the Thai noodles according to package directions. Note: test them as you would pasta. We find that some packaged noodles take longer to cook than the directions claim.

A carbon steel wok with thinly shaved marinated chicken cooking in it.

Step 5: Cook the marinated chicken in a pre-heated wok over medium-high to high heat in a little cooking oil. The pan should be hot enough that any liquid from the chicken quickly evaporates. Stir fry the chicken until it’s cooked through, then remove it from the pan (about 5 to 7 minutes).

A carbon steel wok with fresh peppers, mung bean sprouts, and onion cooking in it on the stove.

Step 6: Add the veggies to the wok and cook until soft (about 3 minutes).

A carbon steel wok of Thai drunken noodles with veggies cooking on the stove.

Step 7: Add in the noodles and sauce and stir to combine.

A wok full of Thai drunken noodles and veggies with thinly sliced chicken stirred in.

Step 8: Add in the chicken and fresh basil, stir to combine, and serve hot.

Expert Tips

  • Slicing the chicken – Slicing the chicken from frozen with a sharp chef’s knife (or even better, a chinese chef’s knife) is the best way to get the perfect thinly sliced chicken you’re used to in Thai dishes. A couple tips:
  • Let the chicken defrost slightly (even just 20 to 30 minutes helps) or put it in the microwave on the defrost setting for a minute. This will make the chicken easier to slice, while still keeping it firm enough to thinly slice.
  • If you have fresh, non-frozen chicken, simply throw it in the freezer for 30 to 60 minutes to help it firm up.
  • Cut the chicken across the muscle grain, this will help the pieces keep their shape while cooking instead of thickening. 
  • Marinating the chicken – Get the marinade mixed in a bowl before you slice the chicken. If you already have it ready to go, you can toss the chicken in and mix it by hand before cleaning off your hands – easier to mix, and no extra mess!
  • Thai chilies – We use roughly 20 Thai chilies (0.75 ounces) for a super spicy dish. This is more in line with how our local restaurant serves dishes off their “Authentic Thai” menu which comes with a spice level disclaimer. We recommend using anywhere between 0.5 ounces and 1 ounce of Thai chilies. But you can also reduce it drastically if you don’t want a spicy drunken noodle. 
  • Cooking with and working with Thai chilies – These peppers are hot! Wear gloves while cutting them and turn on the kitchen fan while cooking with them. The fumes they put off are no joke. 
  • Cooking Thai noodles – We’ve made many different brands of Thai rice noodles, and generally find that they claim the noodles will cook in 4 to 6 minutes. However we find that they take closer to 8 to 10 minutes. So be sure to taste test your noodles before calling them done. 
  • Using a wok over high heat – This dish is best prepared in a wok over high heat so that any liquid that comes from the chicken and veggies is quickly evaporated. This does two things: 1. It gives the chicken and veggies a little sear for extra flavor and tenderness. And 2. It makes sure the sauce that’ll be added later doesn’t get watered down. We’ve had this wok for years and absolutely love it. 
  • Oiling a wok for cooking – If you’re new to cooking with a wok, here’s a great video on how to easily, and properly oil a wok at home. 
  • Storing and reheating – Refrigerate leftover drunken noodles in an airtight container for up to 4 days. To reheat, warm in a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat or microwave for a few minutes until warmed through.
Two bowls of freshly cooked Thai drunken noodles with chicken.

Serving Suggestions

  • Enjoy in place of your regularly scheduled Friday takeout by serving yourself a bowl, grabbing your chopsticks, and heading to the couch for a movie.
  • Serve with a batch of homemade pork dumplings for a delicious dinner and side. Plus, making dumplings is a great date-day activity. 
  • Make a large batch for easy leftover lunches all week long.

Other Takeout-Style Asian Recipes To Try

Love this recipe? You may enjoy these recipes, too:

Tell us what you think!

We hope you enjoy this recipe! When you try it out, please leave a review and a star rating in the comments below. Happy cooking! – Nicole and Alex

FREE EMAIL GUIDE

Ultimate Game Day Guide

5 days of crowd-pleasing recipes for entertaining this football season!

Follow us on social:

A black stone bowl of Thai drunken noodles with bell pepper, thai chilies, chicken, and fresh basil.

Spicy Drunken Noodles With Chicken

Nicole & Alex Langdon
This Thai takeout-style spicy drunken noodles with chicken can be made in 35 minutes for an authentic, super spicy, and comforting dinner at home
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Save this recipe!

Enter your email and we’ll send it right to you.

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Asian, Thai
Servings 4 servings
Calories 431 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

  • 8 ounces flat Thai rice noodles
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • ¾ ounce green Thai chilies minced
  • 1 small red bell pepper roughly chopped
  • ½ medium yellow onion sliced
  • 4.5 ounces mung bean sprouts
  • 1.5 ounces fresh basil leaves washed and dried

Marinated Chicken

  • ½ pound frozen chicken breast partially thawed
  • 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon sriracha

Drunken Noodle Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar tightly packed
  • 5 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
  • 4 teaspoons sriracha
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce

Instructions
 

  • First, slice the frozen chicken breast into thin, wide pieces with a sharp chef's knife and toss with the rest of the marinade ingredients in a bowl.
  • Then, boil the noodles in a large pot of salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water, then set aside.
  • Prepare the drunken noodle sauce. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sriracha, and fish sauce to a small bowl and stir well to combine. Set aside.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok over medium-high. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken along with the marinade. Stir fry until cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes, then transfer to a bowl and set aside.
  • Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to the wok. Then add the Thai chili peppers, bell pepper, onion, and mung bean sprouts to the wok. Stir fry until slightly softened, about 3 minutes, then add the cooked noodles and drunken noodle sauce. Stir well to combine.
    • Turn on the exhaust fan! The Thai chili fumes are spicy too.
  • Finally, add the cooked chicken back into the wok along with fresh basil leaves. Toss gently to combine, then remove from heat. Serve immediately.
Click To Leave A ReviewIf you loved this recipe, leaving a review helps us continue making new recipes for you and others. Thank you for supporting real humans.

Notes

Slicing the chicken – Slicing the chicken from frozen with a sharp chef’s knife (or even better, a chinese chef’s knife) is the best way to get the perfect thinly sliced chicken you’re used to in Thai dishes. A couple tips:
  • Let the chicken defrost slightly (even just 20 to 30 minutes helps) or put it in the microwave on the defrost setting for a minute. This will make the chicken easier to slice, while still keeping it firm enough to thinly slice.
  • If you have fresh, non-frozen chicken, simply throw it in the freezer for 30 to 60 minutes to help it firm up.
  • Cut the chicken across the muscle grain, this will help the pieces keep their shape while cooking instead of thickening. 
Marinating the chicken – Get the marinade mixed in a bowl before you slice the chicken. If you already have it ready to go, you can toss the chicken in and mix it by hand before cleaning off your hands – easier to mix, and no extra mess!
Thai chilies – We use roughly 20 Thai chilies (0.75 ounces) for a super spicy dish. This is more in line with how our local restaurant serves dishes off their “Authentic Thai” menu which comes with a spice level disclaimer. We recommend using anywhere between 0.5 ounces and 1 ounce of Thai chilies. But you can also reduce it drastically if you don’t want a spicy drunken noodle. 
Cooking with and working with Thai chilies – These peppers are hot! Wear gloves while cutting them and turn on the kitchen fan while cooking with them. The fumes they put off are no joke. 
Cooking Thai noodles – We’ve made many different brands of Thai rice noodles, and generally find that they claim the noodles will cook in 4 to 6 minutes. However we find that they take closer to 8 to 10 minutes. So be sure to taste test your noodles before calling them done. 
Using a wok over high heat – This dish is best prepared in a wok over high heat so that any liquid that comes from the chicken and veggies is quickly evaporated. This does two things: 1. It gives the chicken and veggies a little sear for extra flavor and tenderness. And 2. It makes sure the sauce that’ll be added later doesn’t get watered down.
Oiling a wok for cooking – If you’re new to cooking with a wok, here’s a great video on how to easily, and properly oil a wok at home.
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 431kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 19gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 1678mgPotassium: 509mgFiber: 3gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 1235IUVitamin C: 48mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 2mg
Like this recipe?Please leave a review below! We read and respond to every single comment.

If you have any questions regarding the information presented in this post, please refer to our Nutrition Disclaimer here.

FREE EMAIL GUIDE

Ultimate Game Day Guide

5 days of crowd-pleasing recipes for entertaining this football season!

Follow us on social:

As a kid, Alex was deemed the pickiest eater ever. That was at least, until he learned how to cook. While he always enjoyed cooking and eating good food growing up, the definition of good food was just really limited. Alex’s world of food quickly expanded in college as a way to get to know new friends. Now he’s constantly looking forward to finding new recipes and cuisines to try.

Alex is a mechanical engineer by degree, but a food blogger by reality. Even though engineering isn’t his day to day anymore, Alex has carried over many lessons learned from the engineering world to The Candid Cooks. With a very detail oriented, analytical mind, Alex thrives in the amount of data, science, and experimenting that comes with both cooking and running a website.

When Alex isn’t cooking or working on the blog, his favorite hobbies include playing soccer, running, hiking, reading a good book, or getting lost in a video game. Alex loves baking bread of all sorts, which is probably why pizza is one of his favorite foods to both make and eat!

5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




 

One Comment