My version uses chicken, but, of course, incorporates all the other ingredients. I’ve made it skinnier by using only one tablespoon of sesame oil, egg whites and boneless, skinless, chicken breasts. For a bit of spice, I’ve added red pepper flakes. Each serving has 360 calories, 5 grams of fat and 9 Weight Watchers SmartPoints. A typical restaurant serving has about 630 calories and 26 grams of fat.
Don’t be surprised if it becomes one of the most requested noodle dishes in your household. My husband loves it so much we recently had it three days in a row!
Prep Tip: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Ingredients for Pad Thai:
8 ounces rice noodles, see shopping tip
¼ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoon fresh lime juice, about 2 limes
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar or rice vinegar, see shopping tips
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Cooking spray, I used olive oil spray
1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken breast or tenders, cut into bite-size strips
6 cloves garlic, (about 2 tablespoons) minced
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon sesame oil or any vegetable oil, see shopping tips
1½ cup bean sprouts
¼ cup green onions, sliced
Ingredients for Topping:
¼ cup peanuts, chopped, optional
¼ cup green onions, sliced
Red pepper flakes
Instructions
1. Fill a large pot half way with water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in noodles. Let stand for 8 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the chicken broth, lime juice, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
3. Coat a large nonstick pan with cooking spray. Add chicken and cook over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Stir often. Add garlic and continue to cook and stir for about 2-3 minutes until chicken is no longer pink. Transfer to a plate or bowl and set aside.
4. Coat the pan again with cooking spray. Add the egg whites and scramble until cooked. Remove from pan and set aside.
5. In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add drained noodles and sprouts. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth mixture, cooked chicken and egg whites. Continue to cook and stir for 1-2 minutes until hot.
6. Divide Pad Thai among 5 bowls or plates. Top each with a little peanuts (optional) and green onions. Add a very little amount of red pepper flakes to each or let everybody add their own, if desired.
Makes 5 servings (each serving about 1½ cups)
Food Fact
Many restaurants let diners choose how hot their food is by asking how many stars they’d like it to be (one star being on the milder side). In a Thai restaurant, those who like fiery food can add more heat by adding some Sriracha. I’m using the red pepper flakes to give the same kick.
Shopping Tips
I bought a box of Thai Kitchen’s Stir-Fry Rice Noodles. Be sure to buy rice noodles, as they work best with this recipe.
I like toasted sesame oil, but any sesame oil will work. You should have no difficulty finding a small bottle of sesame oil, but if you do you can use or vegetable oil, or canola. Trader Joe’s also carries toasted sesame oil.
Seasoned rice vinegar can also be found in the same section or where vinegars are sold.
Prep Tip
This dish is much easier to cook if you gather all the ingredients and do the prep work first. Once ready to stir fry, it will come together very quickly!
Weight Watchers SmartPoints 9 (without peanut topping)
Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS 10 (without peanut topping)
Weight Watchers (old points) 7
SKINNY FACTS: for 1 serving (about 1½ cups)
360 calories, 5g fat, 1g sat. fat, 27g protein, 54g carbs, 1g fiber, 421mg sodium, 14g sugar
FACTS: for SmartPoints
338 calories, 1g sat. fat, 12g sugar, 26g protein
Nancy can be found sharing her incredible recipes over at SkinnyKitchen.com. Please stop by and see what she has been cooking these days. And let her know Midlife Boulevard sent you!
Nancy Fox
Nancy Fox is no stranger to the food industry. She founded Mrs. Beasley's, a gift-basket company featuring baskets full of decadent baked goods. It became the "hot" gift to give among the Hollywood community. Nancy later opened 2 low fat restaurants called Nancy’s Healthy Kitchen. Her line of reduced-fat cookies were featured on "Oprah's Favorites" gift show. Continuing her passion for cooking and baking Nancy created a recipe website called Skinny Kitchen. Each week she shares skinny recipes, cooking and kitchen tips, food finds and the healthy benefits of many recipes. There’s also nutritional facts and Weight Watchers POINTS on each recipe.
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