Sometimes we really miss going to a Thai restaurant and being able to sit down and enjoy the food. But, being keto we try to find ways around that and still be able to make food that plays to the cravings we have. Last night, Pad Thai was on the menu – and let me tell you – it was AMAZING!

We inhaled the dish within minutes and felt so satisfied after – just like you would when eating a regular meal with normal pasta. Two things that really can’t go wrong in a dish: delicious AND healthy. The bean sprouts and crushed peanuts are a perfect complement to the dish, adding a lot of flavor and texture that goes extremely well with the creaminess of the sauce and noodles.

Lime juice is typically just squeezed over the top, but we add it to the sauce to give acidity (instead of using more vinegar) and a ton of flavor that plays alongside the rest of the dish. Of course, using a small squeeze at the end elevates it to a new level – so I wouldn’t skip that! Tamarind is also very commonly used in pad thai and to recreate that on keto I combined lemon juice, reduced sugar ketchup, and worcestershire sauce. This gives the sweet, slightly sour taste that we need when cooking.

Note: I know some people really hate cilantro and just won’t eat something if they see a small spec of it. Feel free to leave it out (or use another herb like parsley instead), but I will say that it definitely adds to the flavor of the dish.

Yields 4 servings of Keto Chicken Pad Thai

The Preparation

Pad Thai Sauce:

1 tablespoon lime juice
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons low-carb ketchup
1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons chili paste, such as sambal oelek
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar
7 drops liquid stevia

Noodles and Toppings:

75 grams shirataki noodles
24 ounces bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, deskinned and deboned
4 tablespoons coconut oil
45 grams green onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 large egg, whisked
4 ounces mung bean sprouts
2 tablespoons peanuts, chopped

The Execution

1. Mix together all of the ingredients for the sauce using a fork or whisk. Set aside.

2. Drain shirataki noodles and rinse well with hot water. Do this about 5 or 6 times, then dry as much as you can using a cloth.

3. To get out extra moisture from the noodles, wring them out using a kitchen towel. Wring them out as much as possible to get rid of the excess moisture.

4. Debone chicken thighs. Start by cutting a line in the chicken where the bone is using kitchen shears. Cut all of the meat away from the bone, then remove by the bone by cutting around each end.

5. Once the chicken thighs are deboned, remove the skin (this can be done with your hand), and cut into cubed pieces.

6. Heat 2 tbsp. Coconut Oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken to create a sear. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan (I did this in 2 batches).

7. Flip the chicken pieces over to create a sear on the other side. Remove chicken from the pan (including the oil), and repeat using more coconut oil. Set chicken aside in a bowl.

8. Chop green onion and cilantro so that you’re ready to use it.

9. In the same pan you used to cook the chicken, add the shirataki noodles and dry fry them for 5-8 minutes or until noodles become firmer to the touch.

10. Reduce heat of the pan, and add 2 eggs that have been whisked into the noodles. Mix together so that the eggs become scrambled and broken apart.

11. Finally, add the sauce, chicken (including all of the oil), cilantro, and green onion to the noodles. Let this cook down for about 5-10 minutes depending on thickness you want.

12. Serve with mung bean sprouts, and chopped peanuts over the top. Garnish with extra cilantro, green onion, and red pepper flakes.

This makes a total of 4 servings of Keto Chicken Pad Thai. Each serving comes out to be 659 calories, 58.3g fats, 5g net carbs, and 28.5g protein.

NUTRITION	CALORIES	FAT	CARBS	FIBER	NET CARBS	PROTEIN
1 tablespoon lime juice	4	0	1.3	0.1	1.2	0.1
2 teaspoon lemon juice	2	0	0.6	0.1	0.5	0.1
1 1/2 tablespoon low-carb ketchup	14	0	1.4	0	1.4	0
1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce	2	0	0.6	0	0.6	0
3 tablespoon fish sauce	19	0	2	0	2	2.7
1 1/2 tablespoon chili paste	5	0.1	0.8	0.2	0.7	0.2
1 1/2 teaspoon fresh garlic	6	0	1.4	0.1	1.3	0.3
1 tablespoon peanut butter	95	8.1	3.2	1	2.3	4
1 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar	1	0	0	0	0	0
7 drop liquid stevia	0	0	0	0	0	0
75 gram shirataki noodles	5	0	2.3	2.2	0.1	0.2
24 ounce bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs	1701	151.9	0	0	0	85.1
4 tablespoon coconut oil	486	54	0	0	0	0
45 gram green onion	14	0.1	3.3	1.2	2.1	0.8
1/4 cup fresh cilantro	1	0	0.2	0.1	0	0.1
2 large egg	157	10.5	0.8	0	0.8	13.8
4 ounce mung bean sprouts	34	0.2	6.7	2	4.7	3.5
2 tablespoon peanuts	107	9.1	3.9	1.5	2.4	4.4
Totals	2652	234	28.4	8.4	20	115.1
Per Serving (/4)	663	58.5	7.1	2.1	5	28.8