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 flat-top rice noodles or vermicelli rice noodles for the best results.
- Carrot matchsticks – if you can’t find any carrot matchsticks you could grate a carrot instead.
- Yellow and red bell 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. You could also garnish with a lemon or lime wedge.
How to make chicken Pad Thai
Step 1: Add the first 7 ingredients to the Instant Pot in order.
Add the olive oil, chicken, garlic, soy sauce, Pad Thai sauce, water and rice noodles to Instant Pot in order.
Step 2: Cook on high pressure.
Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes, then do a quick release of the pressure.
Step 3: Toss in the veggies and peanuts.
Add in the carrot matchsticks, bell peppers and half the peanuts (about 2 tablespoons), and toss the mixture carefully with tongs. Add the lid back on and let it sit for about 5 minutes.
Step 4: Garnish and enjoy!
Top with green onions, remaining peanuts and cilantro. Serve and enjoy!
variations of this chicken pad thai
There are a few different ways you can customize this chicken Pad Thai recipe to your liking:
- Meat: Swap out the chicken breasts for chicken thighs or frozen shrimp. For a vegetarian option, stir in some tofu chunks after cooking.
- Noodles: Rice noodles or Pad Thai noodles are best, but vermicelli rice noodles will also work.
- Vegetables: Stir in more veggies like broccoli, green beans, peas, bean sprouts and more.
- Sauce: You can use a store-bought sauce or try making homemade sauce – add 1/4 cup tamarind paste, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tsp fish sauce and 2 tsp lime juice.
- Spiciness: This recipe isn't spicy as is, but if you want to add a bit of heat to your pad thai, top with some sriracha, Sambal Oelek or red pepper flakes.
- Eggs: Scramble a few eggs on the stovetop then stir into the finished chicken Pad Thai.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pad Thai sauce is traditionally made with fish sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar and tamarind. I find it's easiest to use a store-bought sauce like Thai Kitchen's Pad Thai sauce, since the taste is just as good and it's hard to find tamarind paste at the grocery store (which you need for the umami flavor). If you want to try making homemade sauce, add all the ingredients from my spiralized Pad Thai meal prep bowls into the Instant Pot instead.
If your noodles come out of the pot with a gummy or sticky consistency, they likely cooked unevenly. Add in some more water so they can cook longer, and make sure to give everything a good stir to help separate them. You could also cook the noodles separately by soaking them in boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain and toss them in the chicken and sauce.
Yes! As long as you don't go over the maximum line in your Instant Pot, you can definitely double this recipe. Cooking time should remain the same, but you might need to experiment and add 1-2 minutes to the cooking time.
If you want to make this recipe vegetarian, you can stir in some tofu chunks after the Pad Thai has finished cooking. For a pescatarian option, swap out the chicken breast for frozen shrimp.
I personally haven't tested this recipe on the stovetop, but you should be able to! Sauté the chicken, veggies, garlic and soy sauce in a skillet or wok over medium-high heat until the chicken is cooked through, and boil the noodles in a pot of water on the stovetop until al dente. Add the drained noodles to the chicken mixture, then stir in the Pad Thai sauce and cook for 2 minutes until combined and warm through.
Storing and reheating
You can store any leftovers of this easy Pad Thai in an airtight container 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 easy chicken Pad Thai 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
- 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.
- **Get my full list of tools here**
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
Debbie says
Hi. How do you measure the noodles to be 7pz? Is there a cup conversion?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Debbie – I used this package of noodles and you just put in half the package: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VYDE00/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B003VYDE00&linkCode=as2&tag=thegirlonbloo-20&linkId=f211da03c12a9185db49e2070eb1d695
Bettye says
Have you tried this recipe with shrimp?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Bettye! I haven’t tried with shrimp. In all honesty, I worry about the shrimp overcooking in the pressure cooker. You could always sautee your shrimp on the stove separately to avoid this issue.
Ashley says
By adding the veggies last and letting sit with the pot lid closed, do they become tender or are they super crunchy? If you added them at the beginning would they become too mushy?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Ashley – the veggies do become tender but they have a slight crunch to them. If you add them in the beginning they will turn to mush. If you want your veggies to be cooked through more, you can cook them on the stovetop then add them to the pot after, or you can slice the peppers into thinner strips. Hope that helps!
Kim says
I LOVE this, this is the 2nd time I have made it in a week. It’s my favorite Instant Pot recipe. Didn’t change a thing
Alexandra says
Made this tonight. It turned out fantastic. I tossed some red pepper flakes in my bowl for a little heat.
Leslie says
Just made this and three 5-year olds gobbled it up (including a picky neighbor kid)!! This will be in our rotation for sure. Good job!
Josephene says
I noticed that the order of ingredients put into the IP liner in the video are different from the written instructions. In the video, you put in the chicken after the olive oil, garlic, sauce, soy sauce. Does it matter, then? Looking forward to cooking this!
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Josephene! As long as you put the olive oil in first to prevent sticking and place the rice noodles in last above the rest of the ingredients, you will be fine 🙂 Those are the main things. The ordering of the rest of the ingredients in the middle doesn’t matter as much!
Janelle says
Would the cooking times be different if I double this recipe?
Taylor Stinson says
I don’t believe they would be!
Heather says
Two questions:
1) I bought thin rice noodles – is this going to screw everything up?
2) Would frozen bell peppers work too?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Heather – you may want to try cooking the rice noodles separately according to the package directions outside the Instant Pot to make sure they don’t overcook. Otherwise, you can follow all the rest of the instructions as listed. Frozen bell peppers should also work 🙂
Crystal says
This was my first meal made in my Instapot. First, thank you so much for the very clear directions. Super helpful for an Instapot newbie like me 🙂 Second – it was delicious! I would not change a thing. The noodles, chicken, and veggies – everything was cooked perfectly. Thanks!
Sarah says
Hi Taylor! I made this recipe and really enjoyed it. I’d like to try it with basmati or Jasmine rice next. How would you recommend doing that?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Sarah – I’m so happy you liked it with the noodles! Wish I could help with the rice but this would mean varying the cook time and liquid amounts. I just don’t know how to make this substitution without testing it myself. I’m sorry!