Healthy Chicken Pad Thai

This recipe actually came about by request from my good friend Rebecca, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy a big bowl of pad thai every now and then. However, I've never enjoyed the way I felt after eating pad thai from my favorite Thai food take out restaurant. So with a little research, patience, and some serious scouring the grocery store, my healthy chick pad thai recipe was born!

Ingredients

yields 4 servings

16 oz chicken (I prefer organic)

2 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil

1 red bell pepper

1 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup chopped white onion

2 eggs

1 tbsp minced garlic

8 oz brown rice quinoa spaghetti noodles

SAUCE

1 tbsp peanut butter

2 tbsp honey

1/2 tbsp rice vinegar

1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice (1 lime)

1/4 cup fish sauce or oyster sauce

1/4 cup coconut aminos (replaces soy sauce)

TOPPINGS (optional)

green onions

cilantro

lime wedges

crushed peanuts

Step 1: Cook Chicken and Veggies

First, place your chicken on a cutting board, put a layer of paper towel over it, and use your hands and fists to hit it until the breasts are flattened out and tenderized. Next, slice your tenderized chicken into bite-size strips and place in a bag or bowl with a light coating of avocado oil and coconut aminos. Add minced garlic and allow to soak for about an hour.

After your marinating is complete, preheat a large pan to medium heat, add your chicken (and the marinade) and cook until chicken is cooked fully through. You can check by cutting a larger piece in half. Remove chicken from the pan and place in a bowl off to the side.

Next, prep your veggies: chop onion, slice carrots (if you didn't already buy them shredded), and slice your red bell pepper into long strips. Add all your veggies to the juices left in the pan from the chicken and cook until they start to get soft.

While the veggies are cooking, push them off to one side of the pan and crack in two eggs. Scramble the eggs and then mix in with the veggies once cooked. Once the veggies get soft you can remove them and add them to the bowl with your chicken. This time make sure all the juices follow.

Step 2: Cook Noodles

Preheat a pot of water until it comes to a boil. Add your brown rice quinoa noodles to the water and follow the instructions on the packaging to cook until aldente.

Remove noodles from once water once aldente and run under cold water to prevent them from continuing to cook. Place off to the side with your chicken and veggies.

Step 3: Make Sauce

In a bowl, mix peanut butter, honey, rice vinegar, red wine vinegar, worcestershire sauce, lime juice, fish sauce, and coconut aminos. Be sure that all sauce ingredients are completely combined.

Next, pour mixture into the pan and cook on medium heat until it starts to thicken. It'll start to thicken after the sauce starts to bubble. Be sure to constantly mix this while it thickens to ensure you don't burn it.

Step 4: Mix It All Together

Once your sauce is thickened, add your chicken and veggies back in and stir until they are coated. Then add in your cooked noodles and stir until coated in the sauce.

Step 5: Serve It Up, & Top It Off!

To serve this, be sure to split the portions equally so that each portion gets 4 oz of chicken and an even amount of noodles (2 oz). Cut up some lime wedges and squeeze over your meal. Chop your fresh cilantro and green onions and sprinkle over top. You can also sprinkle crushed peanuts over the top (I don't personally like peanuts on mine though).

All together, this meal is just under 400 calories! If you want to be closer to 350 calories, you can eliminate the eggs from this recipe OR you can swap the noodles for zoodles.

I hope you LOVE this healthy chicken pad thai recipe as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below!