Chicken Pad See Ew
Description: As more people have become hip to Thai food, they’ve begun abandoning the classics that got them hooked on the cuisine in the first place. I’m all for skipping pad Thai, but this version of pad see ew, adapted from my book “Family Thai” (Abrams, 2025), written with Kat Thompson, is a kid favorite that I will never give up on. The char on the chewy rice noodles, the fresh and leafy gai lan, and the fluffy bites of egg make this dish a textural masterpiece. I’ve never gotten sick of it. “Pad” means stir-fry or wok-fry, and “see ew” means soy sauce, so the dish is exactly what it claims to be. One thing I love about it is that it goes with pretty much every protein: Chicken works great, and so do fatty cuts of pork, beef, shrimp or tofu. I even occasionally swap the rice noodles for pappardelle for a Thai-Talian twist I’ve coined “papp see ew.” In fact, you can use any size rice noodle (although wide, flat noodles are most traditional). Although pad see ew is hard to make at home without really high heat and a wok, it’s still possible to replicate it and get the street vendor vibes you want by using a stainless-steel skillet that can heat evenly and stay hot throughout the cooking process. In true Thai fashion, this dish gets finished with prik nam som (chile vinegar).
Ingredients
- 1 (8-ounce/225-gram) package dried long, flat rice noodles or fresh noodles or dried pappardelle (see Tips)
- 1/2 cup oyster sauce
- 1/4 cup Thai seasoning sauce or low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup black soy sauce (see Tips)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 6 ounces skinless, boneless chicken thighs, sliced (about 2 thighs)
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as sunflower
- 2 large eggs
- 4 ounces firm or extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/4-inch-wide rectangles
- 1/4 white onion, sliced
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
- 2 cups mixed mushrooms (4 ounces), such as trumpet, oyster, shiitake and cremini, trimmed and sliced
- 4 ounces gai lan (Chinese broccoli), cut into 2-inch pieces
- 4 scallions, pale green and white parts only, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper, plus more for serving
- Store-bought or homemade fried garlic, for serving
- Store-bought or homemade prik nam som (chile vinegar), for serving (see Tips)
Instructions
- Make the noodles: If using dried rice noodles, put the noodles in a large bowl and pour warm water over them (for other types of noodles, see Tips). Let stand until soft, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and set aside. Just before cooking, fill a large saucepan three-quarters full of water and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Make the oyster-soy sauce chicken: In a medium, nonreactive bowl, combine the oyster sauce, Thai seasoning, black soy sauce and sugar, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Coat the chicken with ¼ cup of the sauce and let stand for 5 minutes to marinate. Reserve the remaining sauce.
- Stir-fry the noodles: In a large skillet, heat the oil over high until it shimmers. Crack the eggs into the pan and cook until the whites begin to set and the yolks harden, breaking them slightly. They’re not scrambled in pieces but should look more like a broken omelet. Add the marinated chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is opaque, about 2 minutes. Add the tofu, onion and garlic, and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms, gai lan and scallions, and stir until combined. Stir in the white pepper.
- Blanch the drained rice noodles in the boiling water for 10 to 15 seconds. Drain the noodles, transfer them to the skillet and stir together. Drizzle in as much of the remaining oyster-soy sauce as desired, adjusting to taste (and keeping in mind that the sauce will reduce and intensify as it heats), and cook, stirring, until the sauce deepens in color and the noodles are tender, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer to a platter and then garnish with fried garlic and white pepper, and serve immediately with a side of prik nam som.