We have been trying to get creative with meals for our daughter since she is both gluten and dairy free. She has been getting bored, especially at lunch. So my husband bought her a frozen pad Thai the other day and she loved it. I tasted it and thought, I can make this! Not only did I re-create that meal, but I did it in the Instant Pot in under 30 minutes!
*Updated 8/18/19
I love the peanut sauce in this dish so much. It is full of those amazing Asian inspired flavors that I love. To keep this gluten free, I use Tamari which is a gluten free soy sauce. I try to find low sodium, so that I have more control over the saltiness of the dish.I have also used coconut aminos which is a soy free alternative to soy sauce. Both are equally delicious.
The fish sauce is what really adds that depth of flavor that you find in Pad Thai, but it doesn't overpower the other flavors. The acid from the lime juice and rice wine vinegar help balance things out. Peanut butter and brown sugar make the sauce so rich and add just the slightest hint of sweetness.
The toppings are what really put it all together. I used fresh lime wedges, chopped cilantro, green onion and crushed salted peanuts. I love the texture that the peanuts add to the dish. It is perfect with the creamy sauce and noddles.
The sauce does have a little bit of heat from the pepper flakes but not much, so my husband and I love to add sriracha to ours to spice it up some more.
Does the chicken actually cook in such a short amount of time?
Yes! While you only set the timer for 7 minutes, it takes time for the pressure to build up and that time helps cook the chicken as well. It is also cubed, so it makes it even faster than cooking a large piece of meat.
What kind of noodles should I use?
When I was testing this recipe, I tried it with multiple different kinds of rice noodles. It came out well every time but there are a few things that I noticed. Brown rice noodles are a little more dense and they take just a little bit longer to get soft. I prefer plain white rice noodles that are thin and not too thick. My favorite brand is Annie Chun's.
Tips
- You can soak your noodles in hot water before adding them to the sauce to speed things up even more
- Stir in mung bean sprouts for more veggies
- Scramble some eggs to stir in at the end
Why don't you add any salt?
I don't add any salt to the dish because there are many components that can be quite salty on their own. I prefer to taste it at the end and add salt if needed. I never have with this dish because the Tamari, fish sauce and broth all have salt and it ends up seasoned very well for my taste. I always use low sodium Tamari and low sodium broth for this reason.
Used in This Recipe:
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Instant Pot Pad Thai
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 3 Chicken Breasts cubed
- ¼ cup Green Onion chopped
- ½ cup Tamari can also use soy sauce (low sodium) or coconut aminos
- 2 Tbls Fish Sauce Use less for lower sodium
- 2 Tbls Sesame Oil
- 2 Tbls Rice Vinegar
- ⅓ cup Brown Sugar
- 3 Tbls Peanut Butter natural, creamy
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 Tbls Fresh Ginger minced (or 1 tsp powdered ginger)
- ¼ tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 4 Carrots cut into matchsticks
- 1 cup Chicken Broth low sodium (can also use water)
- 8 oz Rice Noodles I use Annie Chuns
- ¼ cup Cilantro chopped
- ½ cup Peanuts chopped
- 2 Limes one for juice, one cut into wedges
Instructions
- Add the cubed chicken, green onions and carrots into the Instant Pot
- In a small bowl, mix the tamari, fish sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, rice vinegar, peanut butter, pepper flakes, juice of one lime, ginger and garlic until well combined and pour over the ingredients in the IP. Add the broth and stir well.
- Put the lid on and set manual or pressure button to 7 minutes. When time goes off, do a quick release and remove the lid
- Stir in the rice noodles and set the lid back on and leave it for 10 minutes. Stir together and check the doneness of the noodles. Put the lid back on if they need a little more time to soften
- Once done, serve with fresh lime wedges and top with cilantro, green onions, and chopped peanuts
Notes
-
Brown rice noodles are a little more dense and they take just a little bit longer to get soft. I prefer plain white rice noodles that are thin and not too thick. My favorite brand is Annie Chun's.
Tips
- You can soak your noodles in hot water before adding them to the sauce to speed things up even more
- Stir in mung bean sprouts for more veggies
- Scramble some eggs to stir in at the end
Have you ever substituted honey or maple syrup for the brown sugar?