This Instant Pot Chicken Pad Thai is a quick and easy one-pot dinner – the noodles cook alongside the other ingredients for minimal clean-up!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like canola or avocado oil.
- Chicken breasts – you can also make this pad thai with frozen shrimp or add in some tofu chunks after cooking.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best. Jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
- Soy sauce – coconut aminos or tamari are the best substitutes for soy sauce.
- Jarred pad thai sauce – I use Thai Kitchen’s sauce but you can also make your own using this recipe.
- Water
- Rice noodles – use vermicelli rice noodles if you don’t have any rice noodles on hand.
- Carrot matchsticks – if you can’t find any carrot matchsticks you could grate a carrot instead.
- Red and yellow pepper – use any colour combination of bell peppers of your choice.
- Green onions – chives would also be good or you can leave these out.
- Peanuts – leave this out altogether if you don’t like peanuts.
- Cilantro – leave this out altogether if you don’t like cilantro.
How to make chicken Pad Thai
- Add the first 7 ingredients to the Instant Pot in order.
- Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes.
- Do a quick release of the pressure.
- Toss in the carrot, peppers and half the peanuts.
- Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Garnish and enjoy!
What is Pad Thai sauce made of?
When it comes to the sauce, I find using a store-bought jarred sauce is easiest. I actually love Thai Kitchen's Pad Thai sauce (this is not a sponsored post, I just love this product)! I have made a version of homemade Pad Thai sauce that's relatively easy, but when you're looking to throw dinner together in a hurry, the jarred sauce is where it’s at.
Plus, it can be hard to find tamarind paste in the grocery store – and since tamarind is the secret ingredient to Pad Thai sauce, you can’t really make the sauce without it! If you do want to try your hand at a homemade sauce though, you can always check out these Spiralized Pad Thai Meal Prep Bowls and add the ingredients to the Instant Pot instead!
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicken Pad Thai is a delicious Thai street food dish. It’s typically made with thick rice noodles, chicken, veggies, eggs and a sweet and savoury sauce. This recipe tastes just like your favourite takeout recipe but with half the calories!
This recipe offers the perfect blend of sweet and savoury thanks to the sauce. The tamarind in the sauce gives it a sweet flavour with a bit of saltiness. If you add in the chopped peanuts, you’ll get a nutty flavour too.
Pad Thai is most commonly made with chicken but you can also make it with frozen shrimp or even tofu. If you’re using tofu, make sure to stir it in after the noodles and sauce have cooked – otherwise, it will fall apart in the pressure cooker.
This recipe has 402 calories per serving, which is significantly less than the Pad Thai you’d get at your favourite takeout spot. One serving of Thai Express’ Pad Thai sauce alone has 420 calories, and that doesn’t even include the noodles and chicken!
Storing and reheating
You can store the leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days. Sprinkle a little bit of water over top before reheating, then microwave for 1-2 minutes until heated through. You can also reheat it in a pan on the stovetop for a few minutes. Garnish with fresh green onions and cilantro to keep the dish feeling fresh!
Freezing this recipe
I have not tried freezing this recipe but based on the ingredients, I'd say it's worth a shot! Store everything in airtight glass containers and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, let it defrost in the fridge overnight then sprinkle a tiny bit of water over top to keep everything from drying out. From there, you can reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop.
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More easy Instant Pot recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- The Instant Pot DUO Plus 60
is the version I use in this recipe. - I use these Thai Kitchen Rice Noodles and buy this Pad Thai sauce.
- I get grass-fed chicken from my monthly Butcher Box.
is the version I use in this recipe.
and buy this 
Instant Pot Chicken Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 chicken breasts, diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1/2 cup jarred pad thai sauce (I like Thai Kitchen brand)
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 7 oz rice noodles
- 1 cup Carrot matchsticks
- 1/2 each red and yellow pepper, sliced
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 1/3 cup chopped peanuts
- 1/3 cup fresh chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Add olive oil, chicken, garlic, soy sauce, pad thai sauce, water and rice noodles to Instant Pot in that order, leaving noodles floating slightly above other ingredients. Set to manual and pressure cook on high for 2 minutes. Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to pre-heat and then 2 minutes to cook. When complete, press cancel and do a quick release of the steam, waiting until the pressure gauge drops back down and the lid is safe to open.
- Add carrot matchsticks, bell peppers and half of peanuts, tossing carefully with tongs. Place lid back on and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Remove lid and serve, then top with green onions, remaining chopped peanuts and cilantro. Enjoy!
Comments & Reviews
Iris says
I have just bought the instant por and am reading all the cautions before I jump in. It say that I should use a minimum of 500ml liquid. Most recipes I see on the net don’t use anywhere near this amount. Can someone please advise me on this. Thanks
Taylor Stinson says
You only need 1 cup total (at least it used to be this, maybe Instant Pot has changed this amount out of an abundance of caution) and chicken/veggies emit liquid as they cook which contributes to the liquid amount. You should have no problem with less than 2 cups of liquid.
Bernie says
Very good! 1st time I’ve tried Pad Thai and it was a winner with the family. We got three dinners (with a side of Forbidden Rice) and three generous lunches. I didn’t have my act together with the toppings and warming plates so it sat for a good 5+ minutes than specified which resulted in too much sauce being absorbed by the noodles. It was still very good but… would have been better if I’d followed instructions. I ground peanuts with an immersion blender which worked well. The noodles and Pad Thai sauce were both exactly double what the recipe calls for so we’ll be having it again soon. The only “variation” I’d make is to add something for a little heat; maybe 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes. We didn’t have any cilantro so maybe adding that to the pot or as a garnish would handle that? Always better to be under spiced than over, Put a couple of drops of Tabasco on mine and it really seemed to highlight the other flavors.
I didn’t quite believe the cook times as listed were enough to adequately cook the raw chicken but it was. Following the instructions next time will make this even more awesome!
Smilesxl says
I need to double, and though I have the 6 quart it will not fit with double noodles, so my question is: If I cook the noodles separate, should I use less water in the instant pot?
Taylor Stinson says
Unfortunately I haven’t tried doubling it and the liquid ratios are very sensitive so I can’t advise.
Mike says
Hey there, I’ve made this a few times now and the flavor is incredible. Definitely a favorite. I’m struggling a bit though with rice noodle selection. A couple of tries in now and the noodles are a giant delicious clump, but there is no amount of manipulation to get them to come apart so that everything can be mixed nicely.
What rice noodles are working the best?
Nicole says
I always had this problem too- but just discovered Thai kitchen that sells rice noodles in four separated dried disks- it worked so much better for mixing in all the toppings!
Smilesxl says
I had this problem until I started making it a peanut curry pad thai, I add a little peanut butter in the layers of noodles.
Bernie says
I like the idea of peanut butter. My wife wants me to leave out the peanuts… ah, that’s not Pad Thai. She only objected when she found a piece of peanut I hadn’t ground with the immersion blender. Our Kroger store has a grinder that makes peanut butter out of “fresh” peanuts which is really good. We always have that on had. I’ll still want some chopped nuts for mine but I’m the only one.
Bernie says
This was my 1st time making Pad Thai and the 1st time using rice noodles. I used Butterfly Brand Pad Thai Noodles from Kroger and Kroger Pad Thai sauce. The great thing about this was they were both exactly double the recipe required quantity. Dividing the noodles was a bit of a challenge but you don’t need to get them under the liquid like when doing one pot pasta. They can sit on top (like it says in the instructions 😉 and the noodles cook just fine.
Amanda says
Fast and delicious! Thanks for a great recipe!
Bernie says
Very easy one pot dinner. It took me 30 minutes to “dice” the chicken but I’m not a chef. For me, prep time is more like 45 minutes and waiting to do some after the 1st cook cycle might result in the “sit time” being too long that detracts from the texture of the noodles and the sauce. Very forgiving recipe and was still excellent but keeping strictly to the times outlined will result in the best product.
Phoebe says
SOOOO GOOD! Will be in my regular rotation. Easy to make and simply delicious!
SA says
Does the chicken go in raw?
Taylor Stinson says
Yes it does.
Jessamy says
Hi there, how is two minutes enough to cook raw chicken? I know it’s an instant pot but other recipes I see it takes at least 10 minutes
Taylor Stinson says
The chicken is diced up so it cooks much faster and the Instant Pot takes time to preheat before pressure cooking the 2 minutes. I cook frozen chicken in 10 minutes in the Instant Pot – I worry fresh chicken would be overcooked at that time!
Bernie says
I had the same concern but it works. You have to dice the chicken to bite size which is time consuming but I think is why it cooks so fast… pay me now or pay me later. I need to get much faster with my knife skills. As a hack, on a short schedule I bet canned drained diced chicken would work.
Linda says
Thank you! Does this recipe double well? I have nine people in my family and we are Pad Thai fanatics. Should I double it or make two single recipes?
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Linda – I would definitely double it!
Alain says
If you double the recipe would you also need to double the time to cook? I’m new to the instant pot… Really looking forward to trying your recipe! Thank you so much!!!!
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Alain – as far as I’m aware you would not need to double the cook time but I have not tried it myself.
lois says
i have a 3 qt. I start pot….is that what this receipt is for?
Taylor Stinson says
This recipe is for a 6 quart and up. It *might* work in a 3 quart though! I just can’t say with absolute certainty
Ashley says
Hey! I also have a 3 qt pot. Just curious if you tried the full recipe and how it worked out for you..? I’d love any tips from your experience 🙂