A healthy low-carb alternative to your favorite takeout meal! Full of veggies, flavorful sauce, and lean proteins, this delicious Chicken Pad Thai recipe will be your new go-to for when you’re craving Thai food.
Hands down my favorite thing to order when I go our for Thai food is Pad Thai. Basic? Maybe. But I am not talking about a bastardized American version of Pad Thai. I mean the authentic, REAL thing. You won’t see me ordering Pad Thai at PF Changs, if you know what I mean. 😉 (No hate to PF’s of course…their chicken lettuce wraps are life!)
My favorite authentic Thai place in Buffalo is called Saigon Cafe. They used to be right down the street from my house when I was little so my parents and I would go there pretty often. Since then, they’ve moved a little farther away, still in the neighborhood though, so I don’t get there as often as I’d like.
Funnily enough, I passed it on a walk recently and had a major craving for my childhood fave! I called my parents and they agreed to go with me to see if everything there was just as good as we remembered it. We weren’t disappointed in the slightest.
Of course, I am no Thai cook…but after studying the menu and dish description, I wondering if I’d be able to recreate this flavorful dish in my own kitchen. With a Healthy Helper spin of course! 😉
One thing I KNEW I wanted to change was the noodle base. As much as I LOVE rice noodles (when they are from an authentic restaurant like Saigon), I’ve never been able to purchase a brand on my own that doesn’t get incredibly gummy and sticky when cooking them at home. The noodle are KEY to a perfect Pad Thai and when they are too soft or mushy, the dish just FAILS overall.
A Low-Carb Alternative
My solution? Use ZOODLES! Zoodles are MEGA popular right now anyways, so why now incorporate them into my first homemade Thai dish!?
Once I had the noodles sorted out, I focused on perfecting that classic mix of Thai spices and sauces to achieve the bold flavor graces your taste buds upon every bite of Pad Thai. I made sure to include: ginger, fresh garlic, coriander, lime juice, green curry paste, chilis, and sesame oil!
The final product was pretty darn delicious! Would it pass the test of an authentic Thai chef? Not sure. But it certainly passed my taste bud test! 😉
Healthy Low-Carb Chicken Pad Thai
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
- Category: Main Meals
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast tenderloins, cut into chunks (or pre-cooked plain grilled chicken)
- Pure sesame oil, to taste
- 1 cup thinly sliced carrots
- 1/2 cup white mushrooms, chopped
- ½ bag of frozen peppers and onions, thawed
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- ½ cup Egg Beaters or egg substitute
- 8oz zucchini noodles (I got mine from Wegmans, but any local grocery store or Whole Foods should have them)
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce (make sure it’s certified gluten-free)
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp green curry paste
- Chopped peanuts for topping, optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine spices, soy sauce, honey, lime juice, and curry paste. Set aside.
- Drizzle sesame oil in a large frying pan and turn heat to medium. Place chicken in the pan and cook until well done. Remove cooked chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Using another drizzle of sesame oil, cook egg beaters in pan. Remove when finished and set aside with the chicken.
- With another few teaspoons of sesame oil, cook the garlic, mushrooms, peppers & onions, and carrots until soft. Add chicken and egg back to the pan, stir to combine.
- Add zucchini noodles and cook until they begin to soften. Add the sauce mixture, stir together, and cook for 3-5 more minutes.
- Serve hot and sprinkle peanuts on top, if desired.
Full of veggies, like carrots, peppers, and onions, alongside lean proteins, like chicken and eggs, this meal is packed full of healthy, nourishing nutrients that will satisfy your Thai food cravings AND keep you on track with your healthy living goals.
Make It Vegan
Naturally gluten-free and low-carb, this Chicken Pad Thai is perfect for feeding your family no matter what diet they follow. Want to make it Vegan friendly? Nix the eggs, sub out the honey for agave nectar, and swap the chicken for extra-firm tofu! Easy-peasy and still just as delicious as the original.
The whole recipe takes less than 30 minutes from prep to final plating, so it’s perfect for a simple weeknight meal when you’re in rush but don’t feel like eating another bowl of cereal for dinner. Tasty food doesn’t have to complicated or unhealthy. You can make a wholesome dish like this in the time it would take to find your stack of takeout menus in the junk drawer!
Whether you LOVE Thai food or have never had it before, this is an excellent dish to make in your own kitchen. The mix if saltiness, spices, and bold flavors will please even the pickiest of palates.
I hope you give it a try!
Do you enjoy Thai food?
Have you ever tried making Thai food at home?
What’s your favorite Thai dish? Another one of mine is a plate full of Spring Rolls made with lots of fresh veggies and thick n’ creamy peanut dipping sauce! Hmmmm maybe I should recreate that next! 😉
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22 responses to “Healthy Low-Carb Chicken Pad Thai [gluten-free + vegan option]”
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I have never made Thai food at home before but this looks so yummy! Visiting from What’s for dinner Sunday link up!
Thanks for stopping by, Kelly! I hope you try this! 🙂
Pad Thai is so goodddd, honestly I just ate it several times since the first time I travelled to Bangkok. You make me remember it so much but I’m not sure I could cook it as the ingredients are quite complicated for me. Btw, the zoodles you use is really a good idea and hope you can find the suitable rice noodles for the future cooking 🙂
I have always wanted to visit Thailand! Have to make it there someday soon!
Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner link up!
Thanks Helen!
Your Chicken Pad Thai looks delicious! Hope you are having a great weekend and thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday!
Miz Helen
★★★★★
Thanks Helen!
Your Chicken Pad Thai looks delicious, we will love it! Hope you are having a great week and thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday!
Miz Helen
★★★★★
Thanks Helen! Enjoy!
WAIT, you can buy zucchini that has already been spiralized?! That’s great news: my spiralizer died a while back. I’ve made pad Thai at home, but not with zoodles. This sounds so yummy! #brillblogposts
★★★★★
YES! It is SOOO convenient!! Cam’t wait for you to try this!!
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[…] Healthy Low-Carb Chicken Pad Thai (vegan option) […]
I have never made Thai food at home before but this looks so yummy! i’ll try to do it
I hope you try it!! It’s so flavorful and fresh with all the veggies and spices. 🙂
[…] Low Carb Chicken Pad Thai | Healthy […]
Taught my g-daughter this recipe to teach her how to read a recipe and cook it. Came out delicious.
Thank you, Kaila!
★★★★★
I love this!! So happy to hear you both enjoyed it.
This looks wonderful. Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party! Have a wonderful weekend and hope to see you this Sunday at the party.
Great! I just finished it last night and the result was unexpected, my wife and daughter both liked it, which made me happy. Thanks for your recipe!
★★★★★
Thanks Elliot!! Glad you enjoyed this dish!!