Pad Thai is a dish that I’ve always wanted to like but could never really get into. I just don’t like the combination of sweetness, peanuts and fish sauce. A few months ago I was in cooking rut and so I decided to experiment with Pad Thai using ingredients that I knew I would like. I ended up with a savory version loaded with veggies and chicken and zero peanuts. This peanut-free Pad Thai has become a bi-weekly regular in our house that we all love, including Mara! 
Peanut-free Pad Thai
Start by boiling about a pound of chicken breasts to shred. I’ve found that shredded chicken is the best for this recipe because it distributes evenly, so you get a bit of chicken in every bite. While the chicken is boiling, start soaking your rice noodles in warm water. Soaking the noodles ensures that they are soft when added to the pot, so you don’t need to fill your pot with a bunch of liquid. While the noodles soak and the chicken boils I usually chop and prep all of my veggies and canned items. My favorite veggies for this dish are julienned zucchini, shredded carrots, bean sprouts, water chestnuts and jalapeno. Of course, there’s also white onion and minced garlic for flavor.
Once the chicken is cooked (and shredded) add oil to the pot and cook the onion and zucchini until soft. Then add the chicken and garlic. As you cook look out for any sticking! If things start sticking to the bottom of the pot just add more oil. Add the additional veggies and noodles. After about 3 minutes, add the soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice and chicken stock. Coat everything evenly with sauce by stirring with either a large spoon or tongs (I prefer tongs because they make the noodles easier to stir) and allow to cook for a few minutes until the noodles are soft. Push things over to make a space directly on the bottom of the pot and add oil. Then add two eggs and allow to fry for about 30 seconds before stirring into the rest of the dish. After the eggs are cooked, top with a bit of chopped cilantro and serve! 
This peanut-free Pad Thai creation is so savory and delicious! I especially love the occasional crunch from the water chestnuts and the spiciness of the jalapeno. Depending on how spicy the jalapeno I’m using is, I sometimes save it until the end as a garnish for Jesse and I so that it isn’t too spicy for Mara. I also throw Mara’s into our Ninja Food Processor for a couple of pulses to make sure everything is small enough for her to eat without issue. This peanut-free Pad Thai is relatively quick to make, the longest thing is soaking the noodles, boiling the chicken and prepping the veggies. Once you get going, it’s only 20ish minutes of actual hands on cooking. Perfect for a mid-week family meal! 
Peanut-Free Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast shredded
- 1 16 oz package straight cut rice noodles
- 4 tbsp oil
- 1/2 white onion diced
- 2 medium zucchini julienne
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups carrots shredded
- 14 oz bean sprouts drained
- 8 oz water chestnuts drained
- 1 jalapeno sliced
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/8 cup chicken stock
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Soak rice noodles in warm water for 30 minutes.
- Boil chicken until cooked and shred.
- Add 4 tbsp of oil to the bottom of a large pot on medium heat. Heat oil to glisten.
- Cook zucchini and onion in oil until soft.
- Add shredded chicken and garlic to pot, cook approximately 2 minutes.
- Add carrots, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, jalapeno and rice noodles.
- Add lime juice, fish sauce, soy sauce and chicken stock. Coat evenly and cook approximately 5 minutes. Stir continuously and add a bit more oil to prevent sticking. Cook until noodles are soft and pliable.
- Push all noodles, veggies and chicken to one side of the pot and add ~1/2 tbsp more oil. Fry 2 whole eggs in this space for about 30 seconds, then stir.
- Stir to evenly distribute all ingredients, top with chopped cilantro and serve.
- Enjoy!
