Take your favorite takeout dish outdoors by making grilled Pad Thai. Grilling the chicken adds a smoky depth that elevates the classic flavors.
Disclosure Aspire by Hestan compensated me for this recipe.
What is Pad Thai?
Pad Thai is a classic Thai stir-fried noodle dish built on flat rice noodles combined with a protein, vegetables, eggs and a distinctive sweet‑sour‑savory sauce. It’s full of umami and bright citrus notes and can be customized with chicken, shrimp, steak or tofu.
What’s in Pad Thai sauce?
Traditional Pad Thai sauce blends fish sauce, tamarind paste, a sweetener, lime juice, and rice wine vinegar, with a touch of heat. Coconut palm sugar is a good choice if you prefer a slightly less sweet, more caramel-like flavor. For spice, sriracha or crushed red pepper both work well.
Fish sauce adds deep umami rather than an overt fishiness; if you must, soy sauce can be used as a substitute, but it will alter the flavor. Tamarind paste provides that signature sweet‑tart caramel quality and is typically available at Asian markets.
How can you grill a noodle dish?
The trick to “grilling” Pad Thai is grilling the protein and finishing the stir-fry in a hot skillet. In this recipe, boneless, skinless chicken thighs are marinated in the Pad Thai sauce and briefly grilled, then chopped and added to the noodles during the final stir-fry. You can substitute shrimp or steak if you prefer.
Because the chicken is grilled first and then combined with the noodles, avoid overcooking it on the grill; the meat will finish cooking when mixed with the sauce and noodles.
I prepared this on a gas grill, but you can also use an outdoor side burner or move the skillet indoors for the stir-fry steps.
How to prepare rice noodles
Rice noodles can be prepared many ways. For a pleasant chew, soak them in warm water rather than boiling. Start the soak first so they’re ready when you need to add them to the skillet. They should be pliable but still slightly firm to the bite when combined with the sauce and finished cooking.
The stir-fry steps
I like to complete the stir-fry on the grill, but you can do this on any high-heat cooktop. If using the grill, use a heatproof skillet without plastic parts. Heat the skillet until very hot, add oil, then sauté shallots and garlic briefly before adding the drained noodles and tossing to coat.
Push the noodles to the side, add a bit more oil, and crack in the eggs. Let them sit about a minute to set, then scramble and fold them into the noodles.
Add the chopped grilled chicken and the reserved marinade to the pan, tossing and cooking briefly so the noodles absorb the sauce and everything heats through. Reusing the marinade is safe here because the mixture will be fully cooked during the stir-fry.
The final step is to steam the vegetables. Add half of the bean sprouts, green onions and chopped peanuts to the center of the skillet, fold the noodles over them and let them steam for 30–60 seconds. Toss everything together for a final coating of sauce.
Serve the Pad Thai plated with the remaining fresh bean sprouts, green onions and peanuts on top. Finish with lime wedges for a bright squeeze of acidity.
Grilled Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 8 oz rice noodles
Pad Thai Sauce
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 1/4 cup tamarind paste
- 2 tbsp coconut palm sugar
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tsp sriracha sauce, optional
Remaining Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp canola oil, divided
- 1 tbsp shallots, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 1/4 cup peanuts, chopped
- 4 lime wedges
Instructions
-
Prep the noodles. Place the rice noodles in a large bowl and cover with warm water. Let them soak while you prepare the rest of the dish.
-
Make the sauce. Combine the sauce ingredients and reserve a portion to marinate the chicken. Marinate the chicken for about 30 minutes.
-
Grill the chicken. Heat the grill to medium-high. Grill the marinated chicken about 5 minutes per side, then remove and let rest 10 minutes before chopping.
-
Cook the aromatics and noodles. Increase heat to high and place a grill-proof large skillet on the grill. Heat 1 tablespoon oil, sauté shallots 30 seconds, then garlic 30 seconds. Drain the noodles and add them to the pan, tossing to coat.
-
Cook the eggs. Push noodles to the side, add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the open area, crack in the eggs, let set about 1 minute, then fold into the noodles.
-
Add the chicken. Add the chopped grilled chicken and the reserved marinade to the skillet. Toss and cook until the noodles are coated and heated through, about 2 minutes.
-
Steam the veggies. Spread the noodles across the skillet, add half the bean sprouts, green onions and peanuts to the center, fold the noodles over to steam for 30–60 seconds, then toss together.
-
Serve. Transfer to plates and top with the remaining bean sprouts, green onions, peanuts and lime wedges.
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 65g
Protein: 31g
Fat: 15g
Saturated Fat: 3g
Cholesterol: 189mg
Sodium: 1447mg
Fiber: 3g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
Additional Info
Did you try this recipe?
Be sure to rate it, leave a comment and save it so you can make it again. Share your results by tagging @girlscangrill.