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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
Oof. I really wanted to like this but it came out so salty that it was basically inedible. Not a recipe I would make again.
Hi Emma! I am really sorry to hear that! Please let me know if there is anything I can help with! I hope you enjoy some other recipes of mine! xTieghan
My husband the noodle lover approved this one! Very family friendly! : ) Thanks for this one!
Thank you Megan! That is so amazing! xTieghan
Where do you buy your wide rice noodles?
Hi Whitney! I just buy them at my local supermarket in the Asian foods section! You could also find them on amazon. I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
This was delicious! Next time, I will double the recipe for my husband and our 2 children. Thanks!! ?
I am so glad you enjoyed this Stephanie! Thank you so much for trying it! I hope you are all staying well! xTieghan
As others have said, this recipe is SO salty. I used less than what the recipe called for because it seemed like a lot, and I was STILL rummaging through my pantry to find something to cut the saltiness. Added more acid (vinegar and lemon juice) and added more plain noodles. Nothing worked. I’m sad this wasn’t a win for me.
Hi Stephanie! I am sorry to hear that! Please let me know if anything could have gone wrong/ anything I can help with! xTieghan
I am a spicy food wuss ? can this be made without the hot pepper? Or does it also change the flavor?
Hi Sarah! It should not change the flavor too much! I hope you love this recipe! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
These noodles were delicious, but the recipe missed the mark on telling you how to prevent gummy noodles. Since making this recipe I have done some research on the topic and it’s suggested that if cooking & setting the noodles aside you should strain them, run them under cool/cold water, and then splash them with a bit of oil to prevent a gummy starchy noodle mess. This tip would have significantly improved this recipe. It was still enjoyable, but it would have been perfection had I known how to keep the noodles from being gummy and breaking.
Thank you! xTieghan
So delicious!! Recipe is true to its name! I had to use the thin rice noodles as I could not find the wide, but it did not detract from the dish at all. My husband had taken down 2 helpings while I was still working on my first, lol. Thanks for the recipe. It really was a bright spot in the middle of this pandemic.
Hi Tamra! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
This was awesome used spinach instead of basil.
Thank you so much April! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This recipe is so good and flavorful! Question: my sauce did not come out as dark as what is pictured.. do you know why this may be? Flavor was still there though!
Hi Abby,
Did you adjust the recipe at all? If you want a darker sauce try simmering for a bit longer. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
My husband eats Asian food to show me love. Happy he enjoyed these noodles! And yes, they are better than takeout.
Aw that is so sweet! I am so glad you both enjoyed this recipe! xTieghan
So simple. I was able to substitute different things. I didn’t have wide rice noodles, but had spaghetti noodles. I also added whatever vegetables I had in my fridge. Kept the sauce 100% the same. So so sooo delicious and simple!!!! Thank you!
Thank you Lea! I am really glad this one turned out so well for you! xTieghan
The stir fry tastes heavenly but the sauce didn’t seem nearly enough for the noodles despite doubling it at the suggestion of a friend and somehow wasn’t as thick as it looks in the pictures so it didn’t coat the noodles. The veggies and chicken tasted heavenly though.
I used onion instead of shallots, added crushed red chillies, and used dried basil because I didn’t have any fresh. Flavour was still amazing.
Served with crushed roasted peanuts on the side.
Thanks!!!
Sounds amazing! I am so glad this turned out so well for you Mariam! Thank you so much! xTieghan
loved this recipe!!!
So happy to hear that! Thank you! xTieghan
This was so good & easy! Made a lot too so I’ll get to enjoy it as leftovers all over again ☺️ I ended up subbing egg noodles and using green beans instead of zucchini since that’s all I have during this quarantine/lockdown. Love having recipes in the rotation that you can tweak based on what you have and know it’ll still taste amazing! THANK YOU!
I am so glad you were able to enjoy this Kaitlyn! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan