Instant Pot Chicken Pad Thai

Name: Instant Pot Chicken Pad Thai
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 37 min
Ingredients: 1/4 cup brown sugar; 1/4 cup chicken broth or water; 1/4 cup rice vinegar; 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce or wheat-free tamari; 2 tablespoons fish sauce (or sub with more low-sodium soy sauce); 2 tablespoons creamy natural peanut butter; 5 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tablespoon sesame oil; 1 tablespoon Sriracha (or to taste); 1 lb chicken breast, 1.5-inch dice; 1 cup matchstick carrots (about 2 medium carrots); 1/4 cup diced green onion, white and light green parts only (reserve dark green part for garnish); 8 oz rice noodles; 2 zucchini, spiralized or cut into matchsticks; 1 cup bean sprouts; 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced; cilantro; sliced green onion; lime wedges; chopped peanuts

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Skip the takeout and make this easy Instant Pot Chicken Pad Thai! Made with homemade sauce and plenty of vegetables, you will love how easy it is to make this healthier version of pad Thai at home.

If you’re looking for more takeout-inspired meals, try my Instant Pot Chicken “Fried” Rice!

Instant Pot Chicken Pad Thai on a white plate garnished with cilantro and chopped peanut, next to small bowls of garnish and a second plate

Lately, I’m really into making at-home versions of our favourite takeout dishes. We’re eating out a lot less these days, but sometimes we miss a particular meal. This Instant Pot Chicken Pad Thai has quickly become a go-to recipe.

This version of pad Thai is definitely not authentic (well, of course, it’s made in a pressure cooker!), but I love that it uses easy-to-find ingredients. Traditional pad Thai sauce includes tamarind paste, but it’s not easily found in my local grocery store and I bet not everyone has it on hand. I don’t think you’ll miss it, once you taste the sauce in this recipe!

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make Instant Pot Chicken Pad Thai. See the recipe card below for detailed ingredients and instructions.

For the homemade pad Thai sauce

Soy sauce – or wheat-free tamari, if you follow a gluten-free diet
Brown sugar – for sweetness
Chicken broth – water works, too
Rice vinegar – you can substitute apple cider vinegar in a pinch.
Fish sauce – I used the Thai Kitchen brand. I highly recommend fish sauce for the umami flavour it brings, but you can substitute more soy sauce if you don’t have it.
Peanut butter – the creamy, natural variety. This makes the sauce (in my opinion). I tried it without peanut butter and it tasted great, but didn’t have the same wow factor.
Garlic – because garlic makes everything better
Sesame oil – for flavour
Sriracha – for some heat. The recipe as written is mildly spicy with 1 tablespoon. Add more if you like it hot!

For the pad Thai

Chicken breast – one pound, 1.5-inch dice. You want the pieces to be bite-sized, but fairly large so they stay juicy once cooked.
Carrot – cut into matchsticks
Green onion – sliced. Pressure cook the white and light green parts and reserve the dark green tips for garnish.
Rice noodles – flat stick noodles that are typical of pad Thai, not the super thin kind
Zucchini – I like it spiralized, but you could also cut it into matchsticks if you don’t have a spiralizer. I’ve linked to a spiralizer similar to the one I have in the recipe card below.
Bean sprouts
Red bell pepper – thinly sliced

For serving

Lime wedges – highly recommend
Chopped peanuts – so awesome, if you like peanuts
Cilantro – unless it tastes like soap to you (haha)
Sliced green onion

diced green onion, matchstick carrots, spiralized zucchini, bean sprouts and sliced red bell pepper on a wooden serving tray

How to make it

First, make the sauce. Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl.

homemade pad Thai sauce being whisked in a white bowl

Next, pressure cook the chicken and cook the noodles. Place the diced chicken in the Instant Pot and pour the sauce on top. Put the carrots and diced green onion on top of the chicken. Pressure cook on Manual High pressure for 4 minutes. At the end of cooking time, let the pressure release naturally (NPR) for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil on the stovetop. Cook the rice noodles according to package directions, until they just reach your desired texture. Drain and set aside.

Diced chicken breast, homemade pad Thai sauce, sliced green onion and matchstick carrots in an Instant Pot viewed from overhead

Now, steam the vegetables. After the 5-minute NPR, quick release the remaining pressure. Add the zucchini, bean sprouts and bell pepper. Stir until well combined and let the vegetables steam with the lid on top for about 3 minutes.

Add the cooked rice noodles and use tongs to gently toss them until they’re evenly coated in sauce and warmed through. Then serve with your chosen garnishes!

sliced red bell pepper, bean sprouts and spiralized zucchini in an Instant Pot viewed from overhead

Variations

Change up the added vegetables. Use any vegetable that would steam nicely in about 3 minutes.
Add some scrambled egg. I tend to skip this because I don’t want to wash another dish, but egg is a great addition.

Can I cook the noodles in the Instant Pot with the chicken?

You can, but I don’t recommend it. After many tests, I wasn’t as happy with the texture of the noodles or the chicken when I cooked them together. There are 3 main reasons:

Rice noodles are starchy. If you’re not draining the cooking water, they get really sticky due to the starch. It tastes okay, but it’s not the best texture for Pad Thai.
Inconsistent pressure cooking results with different noodle brands. I want you to have success when making this recipe. There’s a better chance you’ll be happy with the result if you make the noodles on the stovetop and have control over the finished texture.
Natural pressure release results in a better meat texture. If you pressure cook with the noodles, you need to do a quick release or they’ll turn to mush. Cooking the noodles separately means you can give the chicken some time to hang out in the cooking liquid, resulting in a juicier, more tender texture.

Okay, but I still want to cook the noodles in the Instant Pot. How do I do that?

If I didn’t convince you with my reasons above (I admire your determination!), you can add 1.5 cups of water along with the sauce and sit the noodles just on top of the vegetables (spread out the carrot and green onion in a layer on top of the chicken first).

Pressure cook for 3 or 4 minutes (depends on your noodle) and quick release pressure at the end of cooking time. Steam the added vegetables as written in the recipe.

Tips for Success

Don’t skip the natural pressure release. It makes the resulting chicken texture so much more tender and juicy!
Rinse the noodles in cold water if they’re done cooking well before the chicken. This will stop them from cooking further and reduce stickiness.
Test your noodle texture. I found the package timing wasn’t always long enough. Some manufacturers may assume you’ll continue to stir fry the noodles. We want the texture to be just reaching your desired finished texture, so they’ll be perfect once they sit in the sauce for a minute or two.

Chicken Pad Thai in an Instant Pot being swirled with kitchen tongs

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