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This beautifully rich and savoury Pad See Ew, or Thai noodle stir fry, is made with juicy chopped chicken thighs, Chinese broccoli and wide rice noodles that are stir fried in the sauce until slightly charred and caramelised with that perfect chewy bite.
“Came out delicious.. thank you❤️restaurant style..”
Nicky’s Notes
The trick is not to cook the noodles fully before they go into the wok, I cook mine for around 2 minutes less than the packet instructions, then rinse them in cold water and toss them with a little oil.
This is also one of those recipes where having everything chopped, mixed and ready to go makes a huge difference. Once that wok is hot, things move quickly, and you don’t want to be hunting around for the soy sauce while your garlic is getting a little too enthusiastic!
I use chicken thighs because they stay lovely and juicy during the high-heat stir-frying. And if you can’t find Chinese broccoli – I generally have to visit a larger Asian supermarket here in the UK for it – a mixture of Tenderstem broccoli and pak choi works really well instead.
Those chewy noodles coated in that slightly sweet, umami sauce are just so comforting. It takes no time at all to be on the table and I guarantee it will be devoured by the family.
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients for Pad See Ew
***Full recipe with detailed quantities in the recipe card below***
Dried Wide Flat Noodles – You can find these in most larger supermarkets, look for Sen Yai noodles, Ho Fun, wide pad Thai noodles or 10mm wide rice noodles.
Chicken Thigh – Thigh meat stands up better to high-heat cooking without drying out.
Chinese Broccoli – I can only find Chinese broccoli in larger Asian supermarkets near me in the UK. If you can’t get hold of them, replace them with half tenderstem broccoli (slice the stalks in half, lengthways) and half bok choy. At a push, you can use spring greens (collard greens) instead of bok choy.
🧑🍳 Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***
Stir-fry the chicken in hot oil until browned, then add the Chinese broccoli stems, followed by the leaves and garlic. Push to one side, scramble in the eggs, then scoop everything out. Fry the noodles with a little sauce until slightly caramelised, add the chicken and veg back in with the rest of the sauce, toss together to heat through and serve with chilli vinegar.
Recipe Tips
- Give the noodles a little time against the hot wok rather than constantly tossing them. That contact with the heat is what gives you those gorgeous caramelised edges and plenty of savoury flavour.
- Make your own chilli vinegar to serve on top by placing 1 or 2 sliced red chillies (I use Serrano or Fresno, which are relatively mild) into a small jar and pour over 4 tbsp of white wine vinegar or cider vinegar. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then serve!
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItI love how the sauce caramelizes slightly, leaving you with a coating packed full of flavour!
🍽️ What to serve it with
- Pad See Ew is a whole meal in itself, so it doesn’t really need anything added to it. However, if you want to make this meal a proper banquet, I recommend these dishes to go alongside it:
- Thai Basil Chicken
- Easy Chicken Satay with Peanut Chilli Sauce
- Thai Sweet Potato Skins
Or you could even drizzle a little Homemade Sweet Chilli Sauce over the top!
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📺 Watch how to make it
Pad See Ew Recipe
Ingredients
Noodles:
- 300 g (10.5 oz) dried wide flat noodles (look for sen yai noodles, ho fun, wide pad Thai noodles or 10mm wide rice noodles)
- 1 tsp oil
Stir fry:
- 2 tbsp oil
- 300 g (10.5 oz) boneless, skinless chicken thighs chopped into small chunks
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 300 g (10.5 oz) Chinese broccoli stalks separated from leaves. Stalks sliced in half lengthways, leaves sliced into strips( *see notes for replacements)
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped or minced
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tbsp oil for frying noodles
Sauce:
- 4 tbsp oyster sauce
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 3 tbsp white or light brown sugar
- ¼ tsp white pepper
To Serve:
- chilli vinegar *see notes to make your own
Instructions
- Soak the noodles in boiling water for 2 minutes less than the pack instructions. For me this is 8 minutes.300 g (10.5 oz) dried wide flat noodles
- Then drain and rinse thoroughly in cold water. Toss with the oil and put to one side.1 tsp oil
- Add the sauce ingredients to a bowl or jug and mix together. Put to one side.4 tbsp oyster sauce, 3 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 3 tbsp white or light brown sugar, 1/4 tsp white pepper
- Heat up the oil in a wok, over a high heat.2 tbsp oil
- Sprinkle the chicken with the salt and pepper, then add to the wok and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until lightly browned and cooked through.300 g (10.5 oz) boneless, skinless chicken thighs , 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Add the Chinese broccoli stalks and stir fry for 2 minutes.300 g (10.5 oz) Chinese broccoli
- Add the Chinese broccoli leaves and garlic and stir fry for a further minute, then push the chicken to the side of the wok.4 cloves garlic
- Add the egg to the space in the wok, and fry, stirring it up to scramble.2 large eggs
- Transfer everything out of the wok into a bowl.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok and heat over a high heat.1 tbsp oil
- Add the drained noodles and 3 tbsp of the sauce mixture.
- Fry the noodles for 2 to 3 minutes, tossing once or twice. We want the noodles to be slightly charred and caramelised for that authentic flavour. The sauce will help them to caramelise.
- Once the noodles are hot and slightly caramelised, add the remaining sauce and the chicken, egg and Chinese cabbage back to the wok.
- Sir fry for 1 minute, then serve.
- Serve with chilli vinegar.chilli vinegar
Video
Notes
Chinese broccoli swap
I can only find Chinese broccoli in larger Asian supermarkets near me in the UK. If you can’t get hold of them, replace them with half tender-stem broccoli (slice the stalks in half, lengthways) and half bok choy. At a push you can use spring greens (collard greens) instead of bok choy.Chilli vinegar
Place 1 or 2 sliced red chillies (I use Serrano or Fresno, which are relatively mild) into a small jar and pour over 4 tbsp of white wine vinegar or cider vinegar. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then serve with your noodles.Nutritional information is approximate, per serving (this recipe serves 4), not serving suggestions.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This Pad See Ew recipe was first posted in Sept 2024. Updated since with recipe improvements and for housekeeping reasons.
🍲 More fantastic stir-fry recipes
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Came out delicious.. thank you❤️restaurant style..
Came out delicious.. restaurant style.thx dear❤️
Great recipe as always. You’re my ‘go to’ Nicky whether for midweek, Friday night or new inspirations. Thank you! Linda😊