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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:
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Just saw this post for Thai drunken noodles – and some peoples’ comments about how salty it was – whoa, havn’t made it, but I can totally see how that would be. Over 9 Tbls. of salty items, as in soy, fish, oyster sauces!!! Waaay too much for just 1/2 lb of noodles. And sorry to say, you seem a bit defensive, Ms. Tieghan ( last name escapes me, sorry) Why are bloggers often defensive – if someone has something negative to say, don’t get offended!! They are not attacking you, personally – arghhh
Can I make this with egg noodles?
Definitely! xTieghan
The noodles you recommend look a lot thinner than the photos of your noodles, what noodles did you actually use?
I used Pappardelle noodles for this recipe cause I love a thicker noodle! xTieghan
What can I use to substitute out the fish and oyster sauces? I don’t like fish.
Hi there! I would use a bit more soy sauce to replace the fish sauce! xTieghan
Yum, yum!!! That’s all I have to say!
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it 🙂 xTieghan
Soooo delish!! My sisters loved this when I made it fir them last night. I used many thrive market products for the sauces and the rice noodles. It’s a keeper for sure!!
Hey April,
Awesome!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
Great recipe thank you
Hey Nicole,
Happy Friday!! I so appreciate you giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Way too salty even with the low sodium soy sauce. Get ready to throw the dish out and have plan b if you intend on making this dish. 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce max.
Hey there,
Sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe, please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
SO GOOD! I suck at cooking and even by following recipes, the flavor just doesn’t hit the spot more often than not for me. But this recipe is delicious! I didn’t have some things on hand so I’m sure following the recipe straight through would be stellar. I changed up the sauce a tiny bit due to what I had on hand: used tamari instead of soy sauce, added minced ginger, and added Korean red pepper flakes. Thank you for the recipe!
Hey Amanda,
Happy Friday! I am delighted to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! Thanks a lot for making it. xTieghan
So good! Our fave place for drunken noodles was closed. So I decided to make our own. I love Thai spicy so I added crushed red peppers and red chili garlic sauce. I currently cannot feel my lips! We will definitely make this again!
Hey Allison,
Happy Friday! I am delighted to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! Thanks a lot for making it. xTieghan
Looooved this! My husband and I are vegetarian so we made the suggested alterations- (and I added ginger) so good! Definitely keeping this to remake!
Hey Kelsey,
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed!! xxTieghan
I made this for lunch today. Great flavor. Has a kick. In lieu of putting zucchini in, I used zoodles instead of noodles.
Hey Julie,
Happy Sunday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad that it was enjoyed!! ☀️xTieghan
Made this recipe with Udon noodles. Absolutely delicious!! Definitely adding this as a keeper!!
Thanks for the recipe!!
Hey Pat,
Awesome!! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thank you so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
Woah salty!!! Smelled good while cooking it but when I went to taste for seasoning I was so surprised at how crazy salty it was! I can taste the flavor profile that it’s going for, but it’s so overwhelmed by the salt. I poured off the sauce and tried to dilute with water but the damage was done and it was inedible for me. Bummer. I recommend checking the sauce to your preferred tastes before adding it to the pan because it’s got quite a few salty ingredients and it’s only going to concentrate from there. Good luck everyone, I’m going to drink some more water…
Hey Morgan,
So sorry you did not enjoy this recipe, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
The soy sauce you use can be the prime factor in the overall saltiness. But, additionally, the oyster sauce you use can be too. Thai oyster sauce, like Maekura, is less salty than most Chinese oyster sauces.
Hi! I can’t use the Fish sauce due to an allergy- do you have a suggestion for a replacement?
Hey Marianne,
You could use soy sauce in place of the fish sauce. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan