Healthy Pad See Ew Recipe (Is It Healthy?)

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Pad See Ew is a Thai stir-fry noodle dish with delicious chewy noodles with a sweet soy-based sauce. It's super delicious and easy to put together, making it the ultimate comfort lunch dish.

Healthy pad see ew served with chili flakes.

While pad see ew is definitely delicious, is pad see ew healthy?

Pad see ew is a very healthy dish given that it is a very well-rounded macro dish that predominantly consists of proteins from the meat and egg and carbs from the noodles. An average serving of Pad See Ew can be up to 430 calories with 32 grams of protein, 15 grams of fat, and 52 grams of carbs.

The key to making this dish low-calorie and macro-friendly is to pick and portion the right proteins and portion the noodles mindfully.

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✅ Why This Recipe Works
💡 What Is Pad See Ew?
🍎 Calories and Nutrition – Make It Healthy
📋 Ingredient Notes
📖 Substitutions and Variations
🔪 Step by Step Instructions
💡 Expert Tips
💭 Recipe FAQs
🍽 Related Recipes
🍳 Recipe

✅ Why This Recipe Works

Quick to Put Together – This is one of my go-to meals for a reason. It takes very little prep and only about 15 minutes to put together.

Savory and Flavorful – The mixture of delicious sweet and savory condiments makes this a mouthwatering umami dish, bringing the best flavors of Thailand to the comfort of your own home!

Healthy and Protein-Packed – This healthy Thai recipe was developed by yours truly to be low-calorie and packed with protein so that you can satisfy your Thai food cravings while staying on track with your fitness goals.

💡 What Is Pad See Ew?

Pad See Ew is a popular Thai dish made with wide rice noodles stir-fried in soy sauce. It often includes Chinese broccoli or other greens, meat or seafood, and is seasoned with garlic and other sauces for a savory and slightly sweet flavor.

Other similar noodle stir fry dishes include Pad Thai and Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Noodles).

🍎 Calories and Nutrition – Make It Healthy

In this recipe, I use a heavier ratio of protein to make this a more macro-friendly and calorie-conscious dish. Here are some key tweaks I made:

Used 1 serving of rice noodles (about 50 grams) at 180 calories
Portioned 4oz boneless, skinless chicken thigh for a lean protein source
Added an egg for additional protein and deliciousness
Carefully portion the pad see ew sauce ingredients using the measurements below
Used cooking spray instead of oil, resulting in significantly fewer calories from fat. One tablespoon of oil is up to 120 calories.

For a detailed breakdown of each ingredient, their portioning, and how they make up the nutrition profile of this low-calorie pad see ew recipe, you may refer to the table below:

Ingredient	Quantity	Calories	Protein (g)	Fat (g)	Carbs (g)
Pad See Ew
Chicken Thigh	4 oz	130	22	10	0
Garlic	1 clove	4.5	0.2	0	1
Dark Soy Sauce	0.3 tbsp	8.3	0	0	1.7
Soy sauce	0.3 tbsp	2.5	0.3	0.3	0
White vinegar	0.25 tbsp	0	0	0	0
Sugar	1 tsp	16	0	0	4.2
Egg	1 egg	70	6	5	0
Yellow Onion	0.3	10.3	0.3	0.1	2.4
Oyster Sauce	0.3 tbsp	6.6	0	0	1.7
Rice Stick Noodle	50 g	181.8	2.7	0	41.8
Total		429.9	31.5	15.3	52.7

📋 Ingredient Notes

Ingredients for the recipe laid out on the table.

Some of the typical ingredients of pad see ew include the following.

Dark Soy Sauce – Essential for the sweet and savory flavor of pad see ew. It's similar to light soy sauce, but has a sweeter and richer taste. You can get this at most Asian grocery stores or online.
Oyster Sauce – Another important ingredient for this dish. You can find it at most major grocery stores. You can also substitute it for more dark soy sauce in a pinch.
Rice Noodles – This dish is often cooked with wider rice noodles. You can buy rice noodles at your local Asian grocery store, online, or even at some major grocery stores like Safeway and Whole Foods.
Chicken Thigh – I prefer to use skinless boneless chicken thigh since it’s much juicier and still a great source of lean protein. You can also use chicken breast for another healthy option.
Garnishes – Cucumber, bean sprouts, and chili powder are great to garnish the dish with.

See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.

📖 Substitutions and Variations

Shrimp pad see ew – Shrimp is a great lean protein to cook this dish with.

Tofu pad see ew – Great option for vegetarians.

Use chicken breast – For another lean chicken option

Use Chinese broccoli (gai lan) or bok choy – These are also popular vegetables to stir fry the dish with.

Use fresh rice noodles – You can find them at your local Asian grocery store

🔪 Step by Step Instructions

Cook the noodles – Begin by cooking the rice noodles according to the instructions on the package and set them aside.

Make the sauce – Gather all the ingredients for the pad see ew sauce and stir together in a small bowl.

Prep the veggies – Prepare the vegetables by mincing the garlic and onion and washing the spinach.

Prep the chicken – Cut the chicken thigh into small, bite-sized pieces, removing any excess fat in the process. Weigh it to ensure you have 4 ounces (or your preferred amount) of chicken after removing the excess fat. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook the chicken and veggies – Spray a skillet with cooking spray and turn to medium-high heat to sauté the vegetables. Begin to add in the chicken pieces in a single layer. Cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side while stirring the vegetables around constantly to avoid overcooking and burning anything.

Mix together – Once the chicken looks about done and the vegetables have softened, add in the cooked rice noodles and the pad see ew stir fry sauce. Mix everything together thoroughly.

Add an egg – Move the mixture to one side and crack in an egg on the other side. Wait for the egg to begin to solidify, then break the egg and mix it in with the noodles thoroughly.

Add the egg into the pan and mix thoroughly.

Garnish and serve – Remove from the pan, top with chili powder and any other preferred garnishes, and enjoy your delicious healthy chicken pad see ew.

💡 Expert Tips

Use fresh noodles – While dried rice noodles are easier to find and store, fresh rice noodles, which can be found at most Asian grocery stores, can elevate your Pad See Ew to restaurant–quality levels.

Pre-make the sauce – Pre–make the stir-fry sauce and store in the fridge so you can expedite the cooking process if you plan to make this throughout the week.

💭 Recipe FAQs

Pad Thai vs Pad See Ew – What's the difference and which is healthier?

The main difference is in the stir fry sauce and the garnishes. Pad see ew's sauce is heavier than the soy sauce and has an overall sweeter flavor. Pad Thai has more of a slightly sour savory taste with its usage of fish sauce and tamarind. Pad see ew noodles tend to be wide flat rice noodles while pad thai uses thinner ones.
Pad Thai can be slightly higher in calories due to the usage of high-calorie peanuts as a garnish, but you can easily omit them.
Otherwise, from a macros and calories point of view, Pad See Ew and Pad Thai are actually pretty similar, so it's a matter of your personal preference of whether you prefer something milder (Pad Thai) vs. something with a more sweet and salty taste (Pad See Ew).
To learn more about the nutrition content of Pad Thai, check out my healthy Pad Thai recipe.

Are rice noodles healthy? Where can I buy them?

Rice noodles are not unhealthy - 1 serving of them runs at about 180 calories so as long as they are portioned right, they can be a great carbohydrate to incorporate into your diet. You can buy rice noodles at your local Asian grocery store, although I've even begun to see them at most major grocery chains.

How do I store this recipe?

Pad see ew can last in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. To reheat, microwave for about 1 minute or reheat on the stove.

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