Instant Pot Chicken Pad Thai

Better than take out, this Thai flavor-inspired, dump and start Instant Pot Chicken Pad Thai is so easy to make and kid-friendly too! Made with juicy chicken, fresh vegetables, and noodles in a homemade creamy peanut sauce, this dish makes the perfect all-in-one summer meal.

We love ordering Pad Thai when we’re out at Thai restaurants. It’s one of our favorite chicken Thai dishes. The flavors are so fresh and delicious! When thinking about how I could recreate this family favorite at home, I knew I wanted to capture similar flavors but without a lot of complicated steps. Enter the Instant Pot!

I love using the Instant Pot when I want to get dinner on the table quickly with minimal prep and clean-up. Cooking chicken Pad Thai with this method ensures that the chicken is tender and juicy every time! Although definitely not authentic, this recipe uses some really great Asian-inspired flavors.

This version has juicy chicken thighs, bell peppers, carrots, rice noodles, and an amazing homemade sauce made with peanut butter, rice wine vinegar, soy and fish sauces, and a touch of Sriracha sauce for added flavor. You will love how simple it is to make this Pad Thai at home.

If you’d like to make an entire Thai-inspired feast, check out my recipes for Thai Mango Sticky Rice, Roasted Carrot Soup, and Coconut Shrimp Curry!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

1. It’s full of flavor. The chicken, fresh veggies, and rice noodles soak up all of the delicious sauce, so every bite is bursting with flavor.
2. It’s adaptable. You can swap out the veggies for some of your favorites, change the protein, or leave it out altogether if you like!
3. There’s minimal prep. Everything can be prepped in just a few minutes and then it all goes into the Instant Pot so there’s minimal cleanup!

What is Pad Thai?

Pad Thai is traditionally served as street food in Thailand. It is typically made with rice noodles, shrimp, peanuts, scrambled eggs, and bean sprouts. The ingredients are fried in a wok in a delicious sauce.

You’ll usually find Pad Thai on the menu in most Thai restaurants around the world. Not entirely authentic, the dish we are served may come with chicken or tofu and various other toppings. With protein, veggies, and rice noodles all in one dish, it’s clear to see why this meal is so popular!

I wanted to adapt this recipe for my Instant Pot, as I’m always on the hunt for recipes I can get on the table in a short amount of time. All the great flavor with minimal fuss makes this recipe a winner!

Ingredients In Instant Pot Chicken Pad Thai

The list of ingredients may look a bit long, but you have the option of using a premade Pad Thai sauce from a jar or making your own sauce at home. Either way you’ll end up with a delicious meal!

Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

• Chicken thighs: Look for boneless and skinless thighs which you can dice into bite-sized pieces. I like to use the thighs because they remain juicy when cooked. 
• Thai flat rice noodles: These noodles are made of rice, and you can often find them in the Asian aisle of your grocery store. They are also available to order online. 
• Vegetables: Carrots, red and yellow peppers, bean sprouts, and green onions
• Toppings: Roasted peanuts, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges

For the sauce you can use jarred Pad Thai sauce to save time or make your own homemade sauce.

Here’s what you’ll need to make the sauce at home:

• Vegetable oil: You want to use neutral tasting oil for the sauce.
• Fish sauce: This sauce is popular in Asian cuisine, and it adds an ‘umami’ taste to the sauce.
• Soy sauce: I use low sodium soy sauce so I can control the salt in the dish. 
• Rice wine vinegar: This vinegar is made from fermented rice and can be found in the Asian section of your grocery store.
• Sriracha hot sauce: This sauce is made with crushed chilis. Rather than adding heat to the sauce, it’s used to add flavor. 
• Light brown sugar: Adds a touch of sweetness to the sauce.
• Garlic: A classic aromatic, minced garlic is a must.
• Peanut butter: Go for creamy unsweetened peanut butter for a smooth and creamy sauce. You can also choose to leave it out entirely, but I think it’s very delicious!

How To Make Instant Pot Chicken Pad thai

This method of cooking chicken Pad Thai is simple and quick and delivers big on flavor! Here are the steps to follow:

1. Add the sauce ingredients. To the instant pot, add the sauce ingredients or if you’re using jarred sauce, pour it into the Instant Pot now. Give everything a whisk, then add the water and whisk again.
2. Add the chicken and noodles. Mix the chicken pieces in with the sauce and then lay the rice noodles on top of everything.
3. Pressure cook. Secure the lid of the Instant Pot and make sure that the vent is in the SEALING position. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 3 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will take around 10 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking. When the cooking program ends, quickly release the steam and remove the lid.

1. Cook vegetables. Give everything a good stir (the noodles will absorb most of the sauce), then quickly add the vegetables and cover with the lid. You have to be quick here, so you don’t lose too much heat. Let the vegetables sit for 5 minutes with the lid on, this will help them soften a little but still stay crunchy and nice, and it will help the noodles absorb sauce.
2. Serve. Remove the lid, stir everything, and serve in bowls.

Recipe Tips

• Cut even sizes. Try to cut your chicken and vegetables into even-sized pieces to help them cook more evenly and at the same rate.
• Amount of liquid. You might think that this is too much liquid, but it’s not! The noodles will absorb the sauce.
• Clump-free noodles: Sometimes it happens that noodles cooked in an Instant Pot can end up clumped together. To help avoid this, you can break them in half and place them in a criss-cross pattern. Lay half the noodles down in one direction and the other half on top in the other direction.

Variations

This Instant Pot chicken pad Thai recipe is very easy to customize to your preferences. Try some of these suggestions or come up with some of your own!

• Add shrimp for additional or alternative protein. Add it while the veggies are steaming.
• Toast the peanuts before adding them as a garnish. This gives the peanuts an extra crunch.
• Add some crushed red pepper flakes to the sauce to add some heat.
• Add more vegetables. Broccoli or zucchini would be good options. 
• Add scrambled egg. Scramble 2 eggs at the beginning of the cooking process, break them apart and set them aside. I use a similar method in my instant pot fried rice recipe. 
• If you’re having trouble finding rice noodles, substitute them for fettuccine noodles.

Storing Tips

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2–3 days.

To reheat, place the leftovers in a microwavable bowl and sprinkle a bit of water on top so the noodles don’t dry out. Microwave for 1 minute, then stir everything. If it is not completely heated through, put it back in the microwave for another 30 seconds.

How to Serve Chicken Pad Thai

Serve your Instant Pot Pad Thai in bowls and top with chopped green onion, cilantro, peanuts, and lime wedges. 

If you’d like to round out your meal with more Thai-inspired dishes, try serving it with:

• Green salad with papaya
• Coconut shrimp curry
• Thai mango sticky rice
• Steamed dumplings
• Crispy spring rolls
• Savory Coconut rice

More Asian Instant Pot Recipes To Try

Instant Pot Firecracker Chicken

Instant Pot Fried Rice

Instant Pot Chinese Chicken and Broccoli

Instant Pot Hibachi Steak and Vegetables

All Instant Pot ➜

FAQs

I hope you enjoy making this Instant Pot Chicken Pad Thai at home. I know the kids will love it too, even the pickiest eaters! Pin it for more people to enjoy too!

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe

5 from 8 votes

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Instant Pot Chicken Pad Thai

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 25 minutes mins

Author: Diana

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Instant Pot Chicken Pad Thai is made with rice noodles, chicken, and crunchy veggies smothered in a peanut sauce. A perfect one-pot meal!

6 servings

Instant Pot Chicken Pad Thai is made with rice noodles, chicken, and crunchy veggies smothered in a peanut sauce. A perfect one-pot meal!

Recipe Video

Equipment

• Instant Pot

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 ½ pounds (650g) chicken thighs boneless and skinless, diced into bite size pieces
• ▢ 7 ounces (200g) thai flat rice noodles
• ▢ 1 cup carrot julienned/cut into matchsticks
• ▢ ½ red pepper sliced
• ▢ ½ yellow pepper sliced
• ▢ ½ cup bean sprouts
• ▢ ¼ cup sliced green onions
• ▢ ¼ cup roasted peanuts chopped
• ▢ ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
• ▢ Lime wedges for serving

For the sauce (¾ cup jarred pad thai sauce, or homemade sauce below:)

• ▢ 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• ▢ 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Sriracha hot sauce
• ▢ 4 tablespoons light brown sugar
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter optional but delicious!
• ▢ 2 cups water

Instructions

• To the instant pot, add the sauce ingredients (vegetable oil, fish sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sriracha, brown sugar, garlic, and peanut butter). Give everything a whisk, then add the water and whisk again.
• Add the chicken, mix it with the sauce, then place the noodles on top of the chicken.
• Secure the lid of the Instant Pot and make sure that the vent is in SEALING position. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 3 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will take around 10 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking. When the cooking program ends, quickly release the steam and remove the lid.
• Give everything a good stir (the noodles will absorb most of the sauce), then quickly add the vegetables (carrot, bell peppers, and bean sprouts), and cover with the lid. Let the vegetables sit for 5 minutes with the lid on, this will help them soften a little but still stay crunchy and nice, and it will help the noodles absorb sauce/flavor.
• Remove the lid, give everything a stir, and serve in bowls, top with chopped green onion, chopped cilantro, chopped peanuts, and lime wedges (for squeezing over the dish).

Notes:

• Storing: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2–3 days. To reheat, place the leftovers in a microwavable bowl and sprinkle a bit of water on top so the noodles don’t dry out. Microwave for 1 minute, then stir everything. If it is not completely heated through, put it back in the microwave for another 30 seconds.
• Cut even sizes. Try to cut your chicken and vegetables into even-sized pieces to help them cook more evenly and at the same rate.
• Amount of liquid. You might think that this is too much liquid, but it’s not! The noodles will absorb the sauce.
• Clump-free noodles: Sometimes it happens that noodles cooked in an Instant Pot can end up clumped together. To help avoid this, you can break them in half and place them in a criss-cross pattern. Lay half the noodles down in one direction and the other half on top in the other direction. We’re also adding oil to the recipe to help with this.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 491kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 111mg, Sodium: 844mg, Potassium: 504mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 4075IU, Vitamin C: 36mg, Calcium: 53mg, Iron: 2mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Little Sunny Kitchen