This Pad Thai recipe is coming straight from a Thai restaurant in North Hollywood.

How to Make Delicious Pad Thai at Home

Pad Thai is a beloved Thai street food that has found its way to the streets of LA making it one of the most popular cuisine here. It's tangy, savory with incredible textures. Whether you’re a seasoned cook or a beginner, making this dish at home is easier than you think.

What Makes Pad Thai So Special?

This classic dish is a stir-fry of rice noodles, fresh vegetables, and your choice of protein—like chicken, shrimp, or tofu—all tossed in a bold, well-balanced sauce. The magic is in the toppings: crunchy bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, and a squeeze of lime for that bright, tangy finish.

The Secret Sauce: No Tamarind? No Problem!

Ok, I get that tamarind is an important piece of the puzzle. But the chef at Barn Rau in North Hollywood, takes a different approach. Instead of tamarind, he uses oyster sauce for a savory depth, paired with fish sauce and a hint of sweetness. I'm sorry I don't make the rules. I just know that that dish is bang on!

Tips for Authentic Pad Thai Flavor

Quick Stir-Fry Technique: Cook everything over high heat to create that slightly smoky, street-style flavor. A hot wok or large pan works best.
The Right Noodles: Use flat, dried rice noodles for the perfect texture. Soak them in hot water until pliable, then drain before cooking.
Balance is Key: The sauce should have the perfect combination of sweet, salty, and sour—without any one flavor overpowering the others. You can definitely adjust here and if you do have tamarind paste, use it!
Toppings: Don’t skimp on fresh toppings like bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, and lime wedges. restaurants always always add a generous helping of crisp bean sprouts and crushed peanut. Sprinkle a little paprika to add that reddish hue.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Quick and Easy: Ready in under 30 minutes, it’s perfect for weeknight dinners.
Accessible Ingredients: You don’t need to hunt down tamarind; oyster sauce and pantry staples do the job perfectly.
Packed with Flavor: Every bite has a balance of textures and tastes that feels fresh, light, and satisfying.

The Easiest Pad Thai You Will Ever Make!

Izzah Khan

The easiest and foolproof, fail-safe Pad Thai you will ever make! This recipe is golden and comes straight from an authentic Thai restaurant!

5 from 2 votes

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Course Main Course

Cuisine Thai

Servings 2

Ingredients

¼ cup peanut oil or regular canola
1 egg
¼ lb chicken thighs skinless, boneless and cut in very thin strips
½ a packet of rice noodles I used the wider rice noodles at home
5 tablespoon vinegar
2 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoon oyster sauce thin it out with 2 tablespoon water
salt to taste
2 tablespoon white sugar
paprika I sprinkle about ¾-1 teaspoon for color
1 ½- 2 cups bean sprouts
peanuts, green onions, and cilantro to garnish

Instructions

First we're going to cook the rice noodles like pasta until it's al dente, meaning it should not be cooked all the way through but should still have a bite. For this, add your noodles to a pot of water. Place the pot on the stove and on a low heat let the noodles soften for about 10-12 minutes. Once done, drain the noodles.
When noodles are done, heat up a wok on the highest flame. Once wok is hot, add oil and let it heat up.
Next, crack in an egg directly in the wok and stir.
To the eggs, add the chicken strips and stir until no longer pink and cooked through about 5-6 minutes. Make sure the chicken is in small strips so it cooks fast.
Next, add in rice noodles and stir.
Add the remaining ingredients: vinegar, lemon juice, fish sauce, oyster sauce, salt and sugar and stir really well. *Just throw it all in. This is why I love this recipe!*
Sprinkle paprika to give the dish a little color.
Pad Thai should not have a sauce so dry out the liquid by continuing to stir on the highest heat of the burner. My wok is not restaurant quality so it took me about 10-15 minutes to dry out the sauce. So it is very important that your noodles are not fully cooked in step 1 because they will continue to cook in the wok.
Lastly add in the bean sprouts and stir for a minute or two because we want bean sprouts to still be a bit crunchy.
Garnish with crushed peanuts, finely chopped green onions (just the green part) and cilantro and serve!