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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
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.
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!Â
Need to edit my previous comment. I also used garlic as listed and Thai chili peppers for heat!
Thanks again Jim!
Hi Thiegan. I’ve been trying to make this dish for a while now. Drunken Noodle is my favorite non-curry Thai dish. Adaptations: I used fresh rice noodles, rather than dried, increasing the amount to one pound to keep the same ratio. I did use chicken. I used the veggies I had on hand (red onion, red bell pepper, carrots and mushrooms) – one of the things I love about stir-fry meals is the ability to just clean out the fridge. Your sauce absolutely makes the dish! Other recipes I’d tried used sugar or brown sugar. The honey gave the sauce the perfect Thai takeout flavor. I’ll be checking out your other recipes. Thank you so much for this!
Hey Jim,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! ?xTieghan
Made these for dinner tonight and they were a hit. I followed the recipe carefully and added a handful of roasted cashews at the end. I fried up some rice and steamed some broccoli on the side. Delicious!
Hi Cynthia,
Happy Wednesday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! xx
So good! Swapped the bell pepper for broccolini, added shredded Napa cabbage, and used 1/2 cup coconut aminos+2 tbsp vegan Worcester sauce to replace the soy sauce, fish sauce and oyster sauce. Definitely a keeper, thanks for the awesome recipes Teighan! Love that it’s packed with veggies and made with minimal ingredients, yet is incredibly tasty.
Hi Claira,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xx
Hey tieghan! I’m going to be out of town and prepping food for the trip. Is this sauce one that will freeze well? Thank you in advance.
Hi Resa,
I probably wouldn’t freeze this one, just because the noodles are delicate and could become mushy. Please let me know if you have any other questions!! xTieghan
I normally love all your recipes but didn’t like this one. Just not a fan of the flavor. I followed the recipe exactly except omitted chicken.
Hi Carolyn,
So sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
Carolyn….some of my family doesn’t like the fish sauce…..might try removing that one element. I also add an extra half recipe of the sauce. I’ve replaced the basil with cilantro on occasions as well. I’ve also used fettuccine instead of rice noodles if I didn’t have them on hand
Great recipe!!! Thank you! I’m not a big fan of too much fish and oyster sauce so I only added a teaspoon of fish sauce and omitted the oyster sauce. I also added some siracha. So yummy!
Hey Laura,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xxT
Such goodness! I started making this for my daughter in law who must eat gluten free. It’s become a family favorite. Several of us don’t eat chicken or much meat but it is never missed with this recipe. Last night I made it for just the husband and I and he was sooo excited. I just knew I had to write to tell you how much we love it. And it’s ridiculously good cold too.
Hey Dianne,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xxTieghan
I love this recipe, I make it at least a few times each month, so good!
Hey Megan,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great day:) xxT
Really good recipe.. Used 5 ounces of noodles instead of 8 and substituted shrimp for the chicken. Yumm. Will make again!
Hey Robin,
Awesome!! Love to hear this recipe was a winner, thanks for making it. Have the best week:) xT
This is too salty. I had no idea the soy sauce, oxyster sauce, and fish sauce would exude that much salt. This goes to show, that we need to read the label on the ingredients to manage our salt intake. I had to throw it out. I use homemade noodles that I had frozen, in hopes of having a great meal. I should had manage the ingredients much better, b/c I did read others comments about the salt content. I just forgot, because I was making other items as well. You should adjust your recipe to reflect changes in the salt content and/or mention it.
Hi Cynthia,
Sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe, but I do call for low sodium soy sauce:) Thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
I think you should know that anything that calls for these types of sauces WILL BE SALTY!! It is up to YOU to modify the recipe to your liking, not the creator of the recipe. How rude of you to make it seem like it was anyone’s fault other than your own!
Cynthia….did you remember to add the water?
I made this tonight, but substituted Hoisin Sauce for the Fish/Oyster Sauces, and it turned out amazing! I also added some hot chili garlic sauce and red pepper flakes to add some spice. These were definitely better than takeout- will be making again! Thanks!
Hey Amy,
Fantastic!! I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try. Have the best week! xTieghan
What could I use instead of fish sauce. Making it for a birthday dinner but I don’t want to put him in the hospital…
Hi Natalie,
You could use soy sauce. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
This recipe is amazing! My family and I make it at least a few times a month. We use coconut aminos and coconut secret Hoisen sauce instead of oyster because of allergies. Ive made it with and without the chicken and both ways are delicious!!
Hey there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 xTieghan
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. I am a cooking teacher in the boston area, and also lived in Thailand – so, I know, whereof I speak
Why would you comment on a recipe that you haven’t even made?! I made this tonight and used low sodium soy sauce as the recipe called for and it was not too salty at all and delicious! Stop the trolling ?