Drunken Noodles is the literal translation of Pad Kee Mao because the theory is that these spicy Thai noodles should be eaten with an ice cold beer and that they are a great cure for hangover. I can confirm both cases to be true!
This Thai noodle dish is a very popular both in Thailand and in Thai restaurants outside of Thailand. You will be surprised how fast and easy this recipe is to make!
Drunken Noodles!
Get Drunken Noodles from the streets of Thailand, and unless you have an exceptional spice-o-meter, you’ll be chugging down the beer in an attempt to cool the burn in your mouth.
Make this at home and you can control the heat!
The amount of chilli I’ve included in the recipe is mild enough for most people (I think), but enough so you can taste the heat. By all means, feel free to turn up the spice dial!
What you need
There are all sorts of variations of Drunken Noodles in Thailand and even more in the western world. In Thailand the two constants are chicken and Thai Basil, and quite often it came with baby corn as well, though from my research I couldn’t confirm that this was a “must have” in this dish.
Rice Noodles
Get the widest dried rice noodles you can find at your grocery store. Here in Australian supermarkets, the widest I can find is labelled “Pad Thai”, though ironically, it’s actually too wide for Pad Thai!
Thai Basil
There are actually two types of Thai Basil – regular Thai Basil and Thai Holy Basil. Drunken Noodles can be made with either.
Outside of Thailand, restaurants typically use regular Thai Basil because it is easier to find than Holy Basil. I even have difficulty finding Holy Basil in Thai grocery stores!
Is Thai Basil the same as regular basil?
Thai Basil is not the same as regular basil. It tastes like regular basil with a slight aniseed flavour. A very distinct flavour that you know and love about your favourite dishes at your local Thai restaurant like Drunken Noodles and Thai Chilli Basil Chicken!
Best substitute for Thai Basil
Regular basil! In fact, Drunken Noodles is traditionally made with Holy Basil which tastes more similar to regular basil than Thai Basil!
How to make it
As with all stir fries and stir fried noodles, this moves fast once you start cooking – around 6 minutes start to finish – so have everything ready to go before you start cooking!
Comparison to other popular Thai noodles
Whereas Pad Thai is nutty and sweet, Pad Kee Mao is spicy and savoury. Compared to Pad See Ew, the sauce of Drunken Noodles is lighter in colour and not as sweet.
Also, neither Pad Thai nor Pad See Ew does not have Thai Basil in it, and it is not as spicy.
Actually, Pad Kee Mao is essentially like Thai Chilli Basil Chicken stir fry with noodles added!
Better made at home
In Western Thai restaurants, Drunken Noodles are usually very saucy, oily and salty – too much so in my opinion, and very different from the streets of Thailand. So it’s really nice to be able to make a healthier yet just as tasty version at home!
And remember to crack open an ice cold beer to enjoy these Drunken Noodles with! – Nagi x
More Thai Food favourites
(Yes, I ❤️ Thai Food, in case you hadn’t figured it out!)
Watch how to make it
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Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)
Ingredients
Noodles
- 7 oz /200g dried rice noodles , wide (Note 1)
Stir Fry
- 2 tbsp oil (peanut, vegetable or canola)
- 3 large cloves of garlic , minced
- 2 birds eye chilli or Thai chillies , deseeded, very finely chopped (Note 2)
- 1/2 onion , sliced
- 200 g /7oz chicken thighs , cut into bite size pieces (breast ok too)
- 2 tsp fish sauce (or soy sauce)
- 2 green onions , cut into 3cm/2″ pieces
- 1 cup Thai or Thai Holy Basil leaves (sub regular basil, Note 3)
Sauce
- 3 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 4)
- 1 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce (Note 4)
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Prepare noodles per packet directions.
- Mix Sauce in a small bowl.
- Heat oil in wok or large heavy based skillet over high heat.
- Add garlic and chilli and cook for 10 seconds. Don’t inhale – the chilli will make you cough!
- Add onion, cook for 1 minute.
- Add chicken and fish sauce, and fry until cooked, around 2 minutes.
- Add green onion, noodles and sauce and cook for 1 minute until the sauce reduces and coats the noodles.
- Remove from heat and immediately add basil, toss until just wilted, then serve immediately.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Drunken Noodles recipe originally published July 2014. Updated June 2019 with new photos, new writing, new video and most importantly, Life of Dozer section added!
Life of Dozer
Like my video shooting area isn’t a tripping hazard as it is, let’s add a giant fur ball into the mix. 🙄
(PS the wine is a PROP! I wasn’t having a cheeky glass at lunch!! 😂)
Super delicious and easy to make. Tasted like it was from a Thai restaurant! Topped it with some crispy chilli oil for extra spice. Would definitely recommend, thank you for a great recipe!
I have made this dish at least 50 times. Always turns out fantastic…restaurant quality! I usually make it without meat and add vegetables I have on hand. I usually use fresh green beans, carrots, white onion, broccoli and red and yellow bell peppers. Simply outstanding! Thank you, Nagi!
This recipe is amazing. It was easy and quick! But most of all it was delicious. I only used 3/4 long red chilli (reduced the warmth considerably but still left some flavour) and only used a touch of fish sauce. It was divine! I can’t wait to make it again! Nagi, you’re too good! I had this dish as a main and had the creamy Tom yum soup (Nagi’s recipe) for entree. No complaints here! As we speak, I am currently browsing your other recipes for something delicious to cook this weekend!
Absolutely delicious, i made mine with pork belly bites, did them in the air fryer and then added them. I couldn’t find birdseye chilli so i got chilli paste and used that. I think it would’ve been better had i used fresh chilli, the paste was a bit over powering i think. In saying that though it was still delicious and im looking forward to making it again next time ill do the chicken and with fresh chilli. My daughter absolutely raved about this dish for ages. Another Nagi success! thank you
That sounds absolutely fabulous Emma!!! N x
I’ve made this twice this week already – once with shrimp and tonight with fried tofu. Absolutely delicious!
I did only use one tablespoon of oyster sauce each time though, for those who think it’s too salty. Mostly because I can’t be bothered to get more than one tablespoon of the thick stuff out of the bottle each time!
Wow! Absolutely delicious on my first try! I followed the recipe exactly. I can’t wait to try the other Thai recipes on this site. Thanks Nagi!
I hope you do and love them too Mike!! N x
I love almost everything you do, But this was way too salty and we love soy/salt. I did make it exactly as you wrote it
I’m sorry to hear that Barbara! Thai food is seasoned well but I am most careful not to oversalt. I find over salting is the biggest problem with most restaurant food! N x
I am surprised how much this tastes lIke my favorite Thai restaurant!! Thank you for this amazing recipe! Don’t know if I will ever order out again!!!
These was so authentic. I tried several recipes, and it was the closest one that I had in Bangkok. Excellent!
I’m so glad you love it Artem! Wahoo!! N x
Just guessing one serving (like a restaurant entre portion)? Or is it for 2?
Hi Chelsea, the number of servings is listed under the heading of each of my recipes. This one serves 2-3 🙂 N x
These are so good! Just like the ones I tried at my favourite Thai restaurant. I suggest adding ground up fennel seeds if you use sweet basil. It really brightens up the dish and makes it taste like Thai basil!!
This is hands down my favorite recipe for my favorite dish! I’ve cooked it so many times and it’s always delicious! We’re vegetarian, so I usually sub in some tofu for the chicken, and add some bell peppers & broccoli in with the onions, and it comes out great.
Hi Nagi, I’ve tried this one a few times now but struggling to get the noodles right. I get the same pad thai ones from the supermarket as you but when I cook per packet instructions the noodles fall apart when I add them to the wok. How do you cook your dried rice noodles? and do you have any tips for cooking dried rice noodles?
Hi Samantha, sounds like you’re cooking them too long! Try cut a couple of minutes off the cook time and that should solve your problem 🙂 N x
I love this recipe!!! I’ve made it 4X now. IT’s probably my husbands NOW fav dish. And oddly he’s not usually a fan of Thai food. I was born in Bangkok and luckily have all the ingredients. I buy fresh noodles from my local Asian market so that makes them super tasty.
This was the BEST drunken noodles I’ve ever had. The recipe is so simple. DO NOT skip the Basil. The first time I used Thai Basil, but I couldn’t find it again, so I used regular Basil…..still great. But use as much as her recipe calls for, it makes the difference!
This looks great! I cannot find Thai or Bird’s eye peppers in my area. Would jalapeños work and in what quantity for mild to moderate spiciness?
See if you can find Chili paste, same flavor. Jalapenos would work, but the heat factor is different. The Chili paste, just use a teaspoon, or more according to your heat tolerance.
Can you use chili powder, and if so, how much?
This was the first thing I’ve ever made from your page and it was so good!! I am lucky to live near an Asian market so was able to get the proper noodles/ingredients easily and I’m glad I made the effort! The fresh wide noodles and the chillis really made it! I originally made this to pack for dinner tomorrow, but my husband and I couldn’t stop eating it as I was packing it up!! Will definitely be making this again..and again..
Yum! Great recipe, thank you! I used pea shoots because I didn’t have basil, and mushrooms instead of chicken. After, I realised my noodle package was 454g of fresh rice noodles but it turned out perfectly. Definitely will be this making again!
I loved this dish! First time cooking with Thai chilies. I like hot and three seemed plenty hot enough
I made this last night for my Mom and Hubby. We all loved it! Drunkin noodles are my fav and I was born in Thailand. I had forgotten to buy the oyster sauce so I subbed with hoisen. My local asian shop has fresh uncut noodles so I used those instead of dry ones. I also added mushrooms. Next time I will add broccoli.
This recipe is a keeper!