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30 Minute Better Than Takeout Thai Drunken Noodles…with all the summer vegetables. Quick-cooking, gluten-free rice noodles tossed in a sweet and spicy Thai sauce with lean chicken, zucchini, garden fresh bell peppers, carrots, and summer basil. Every bite is filled with saucy noodles, delicious vegetables, and hints of sweet basil. It’s so good and much healthier than something you might find at your favorite Thai place. Major bonus? This is made mostly in one pan and without the use of your oven.
Something about August and this time before “back to school” always leaves me inspired to create quick-cooking Asian inspired recipes. Growing up, my dad would often make us chicken stir fry on busy nights. Especially during the late August and early September days when school was starting back up. With six kids all in school, and a newborn baby, our house was beyond chaotic, so quick-cooking stir fry was a go-to for my dad.
He’d simply cook the chicken with plenty of soy sauce, then throw in whatever he had growing in his summer garden…usually an abundance of bell peppers and fresh basil. He’d serve his stir fry over rice and top with peanuts. My dad kept his stir fry incredibly simple, full of vegetables, and a touch on the salty side. I remember it being so so good, but of course, I was just a kid.
Looking back Dad’s probably could have used a little more flavor and a touch more color. But we didn’t care, we all thought his stir fry was the bomb. I’ve made a lot of stir fry recipes since those days of eating dads. And I must say, I think I’ve gotten pretty good. Just a few weeks ago I shared a simple sweet Thai basil chicken, and last summer it was weeknight udon noodles. Today? It’s all about these Thai drunken noodles, a dish I’ve been wanting to make for years now.
If you’ve ever had drunken noodles at your favorite Thai restaurant then you know that these noodles are spicy, saucy, and a touch sweet. Very classic to many Thai dishes.
There are a lot of different ways people make drunken noodles, but more often than not, they’re made with a mix of chicken, rice noodles, fresh chili peppers, soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and plenty of Thai basil. I’ve actually kept these flavors all pretty similar, but my big addition? Lots more vegetables. I’m talking fresh zucchini, bell peppers, and carrots. I figured with a fridge full of produce, why not toss them all in with my drunken noodles?
The vegetables soak up all the sauce and become highly addictive. In fact, I might like the vegetables more than the noodles.
So here’s how you make these saucy, spicy drunken noodles. You ready for this? It’s very quick and simple.
Start out by boiling the rice noodles according to package directions. I like these rice noodles best. They’re a wide-cut noodle and really hold up well to all the sauce.
While the noodles are boiling, make the sauce. It’s a mix of soy sauce (you can also use coconut aminos as well), oyster sauce, and fish sauce. I then thin the sauce with a touch of water, which helps to balance all the saltiness.
Next, stir the chicken with shallots, garlic, and green onions. Add the vegetables, cook some more, pour in the sauce, add the noodles, toss, toss, toss. As soon as the sauce begins to thicken around the noodles stir in the basil. Once the basil hits the heat, it immediately begins to wilt…and yes, this also smells incredible.
Here’s the trick, once you’ve added the basil, the noodles really need to be plated and served. If you allow the noodles to sit too long in the sauce, they will soak it all up. Therefore, serve as soon as the noodles are done cooking and be sure to top with plenty of fresh basil.
If you are a vegetarian, you can easily omit the chicken from this recipe. I’d recommend adding sliced mushrooms or an addition bell pepper. Then just swap the fish sauce for additional soy sauce, and use hoisin sauce in place of oyster sauce. They won’t be traditional drunken noodles, but they’ll still be insanely delicious.
My favorite part? These noodles are so good leftover and would perfect for packing up for lunch the following day. My suggestion? Add salty peanuts to give the noodles a flavor lift and a little crunch too. Delish.
And with that, what do you think? Should we just make the second Wednesday of the month “better than takeout” night here on HBH? I’m clearly loving these fakeout, takeout recipes, so maybe I should just make them a monthly thing?
OH, and you know what could be fun? What if we even cooked these “takeout” recipes together on Instagram?! Let me know what you think!
Until then, let’s plan on drunken noodles tonight? YES.
If you make these better than takeout Thai drunken noodles, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch The How To Video:
Better Than Takeout Thai Drunken Noodles
Servings: 6 6
Calories Per Serving: 426 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 8 ounces wide rice noodles
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce or liquid aminos
- 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons honey or maple
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 pound boneless chicken breast, cut into strips (optional)
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1-2 red Fresno peppers or jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 1 medium zucchini, cut into ribbons or chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, cut into ribbons or chopped
- 1 cup fresh Thai basil or regular basil, roughly chopped
Instructions
- 1. Cook the rice noodles according to package directions. Drain. 2. Combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, honey, and 1/3 cup water in a bowl. 3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken, if using. Season with black pepper and brown all over. Add the shallots, garlic, Fresno peppers, and green onions. Cook another 2-3 minutes, until the shallots are soft and the garlic is fragrant. Add the zucchini and bell peppers, cook another 5 minutes, until the vegetables have softened. Pour in the sauce and bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until the sauce coats the chicken, about 5 minutes. 4. Stir in the noodles, carrots, and basil. Toss to combine, cooking another 3-5 minutes until the sauce coats the noodles. Serve the noodles warm, topped with additional basil. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on August 14, 2019
This is a super recipe! It is both easy and delicious. Thanks!
Hey David,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have great week:) xTieghan
This was so delicious!
Hey Kim,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have great week:) xTieghan
Can I use fresh fettuccine noises? I can’t find wide rice noodles.
Hey Susan,
Sure, any noodles you have will work! I hope you love the recipe, let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
What can I use to replace the fish and oyster sauce? I saw hoisin in the comments below but would I substitute that for both?
Hey Shanthi,
I would just use hoisin and soy sauce, both of the fish and oyster sauce add such great flavor though:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Wow! I have never left a comment on a recipe. This was fabulous and can’t wait to make it again!!! I am also making Teigan’s overnight chai cinnamon rolls, can’t wait for breakfast. Thanks for the awesome Saturday dinner and Su day breakfast.
Hey Michelle,
I am thrilled you liked the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a go! Happy Sunday:) xTieghan
This was my first time trying out a recipe from this website and it did not disappoint! Not sure if the brand of sauces I used altered the flavor, but I found it slightly bland so I added juice from half a lime to enhance the tanginess of the dish.
Hey Phoebe,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am glad it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
We had this for dinner last night. I had high hopes – such an amazing ingredient list. Loved that it was a “one pot” meal. We were disappointed in the sauce, though. It just didn’t feel like the flavors all pulled together with the sauce and it was kind of just “meh.”
Hey Miranda,
So sorry you did not enjoy the recipe, please let me know if I can help in anyway. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
It was so good! I’ve stopped cooking mid covid bc i was exhausted but finally felt like I had enough energy for a simple recipe. This was like a restaurant drunken noodle. Not hard/complicated. I used mushrooms instead of chicken. Didn’t have the peppers so added chili flakes at the end plus a bit more honey (I like mine sweeter). As with all your recipes, amazing!
Thank you so much Yasmin! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Totally agree to add a bit more honey and maybe some crushed peanuts, but we loved it!
Hey Jenn,
I love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan
Looking nice, I would love to try this one. Thanks ?
Thank you! I hope you love this one! xTieghan
It really is better than takeout! I use coconut sugar instead of honey or maple, which I think gives it even more authentic flavor. And of course, I’m super glad I grew Thai basil this year, which gives much more depth to this dish vs Italian basil.
I am really glad this turned out so well fro you, Rachael! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
Finally made this for dinner tonight – it was delicious and the instructions were easy to follow. I only used one jalapeño pepper and it was perfect for me. (I usually order a 2 on a scale of 1-5 at Thai restaurants). I’ll definitely be making this one again. Thank you!
Thank you so much Kerri! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Loved it! I subbed in broccoli florets instead of the chicken. We also topped with some chopped peanuts.
Next time I will increase the honey but all of us loved it. I doubled the recipe to feed 5 of us and lunch tomorrow.
Wow love that! I am really glad this turned out so well for you all, Tara! Enjoy lunch! xTieghan
This recipe was delicious! I substituted brocoli for zucchini, and I grilled chicken marinated in a ginger-garlic sauce. Will be making this again!
Thank you so much Sandy! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I made this last night and it was amazing!! I read all of the comments before hand, and was sort of prepared for it to come out thin (at which point I was going to turn it into a wok like my favorite Thai restaurant and serve it with rice instead of noodles). But it ended up being perfect and looked just like the photo. Putting this in our recipe binder and regular rotation! I highly recommend taking other posters advice on the rice noodles (immediately rinsing with cold water and splashing with oil so they don’t get mushy and turn into a lump). We also added a good deal of red pepper flakes, because we like it spicy. We reserved half of the sauce, veggies, and chicken into a separate bowl, and plan to reheat it for dinner tonight and then mix in the rice noodles, can’t wait! Thanks again, you always have the best recipes and we all appreciate you sharing your gift <3
I am so glad this turned out so well for you, Jenny! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
delicious and turned out amazing! very happy with this recipe!!
Thank you so much Sharon! xTieghan