Chicken Pad Thai (AIP)

Pad Thai without rice noodles, eggs, soy sauce, or peanuts sounds like it should not work, and you will probably not believe that until the first bite proves it. Sweet potato starch noodles need real attention, 10 to 15 minutes soaking until pliable, no more, and the sauce comes together fast enough that you have to have everything measured before the pan gets hot. That kind of prep discipline is its own small practice.

Chicken here is doing real work: protein is what the body draws on to repair tissue and build the immune cells this elimination phase asks it to keep producing, not just fill a plate. Beta-carotene is the payoff from the carrots, and it becomes the vitamin A your gut lining and respiratory lining both depend on to stay intact. It is worth a moment's acknowledgment that the bird on your cutting board lived so this meal could feed you; buy from a source you trust and use what you have well.

Coconut aminos give you the salt and the sweetness of soy without the soy, one more example of AIP cooking building its own toolkit out of ingredients most kitchens never touch.

Ingredients

• 7 oz sweet potato starch glass noodles (look for 100% sweet potato starch noodles; check the label, not rice noodles)
• 1 tbsp avocado oil (for stir-frying)
• 7 oz chicken strips or thinly sliced chicken breast
• 1 cup matchstick carrots
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 lime, cut into wedges for serving

Sauce:

• 1/4 cup coconut aminos
• 1 tbsp fish sauce (sugar-free)
• 1 tbsp avocado oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Method

Place the sweet potato noodles in a large bowl and cover with hot water. Soak for 10 to 15 minutes, or according to your package instructions, until they are pliable but not fully cooked through. Drain and set aside. If they are very long, cut them with scissors into roughly 6-inch lengths for easier stir-frying.

While the noodles soak, stir together all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup: coconut aminos, fish sauce, avocado oil, garlic, and apple cider vinegar. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken strips in a single layer. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, until the chicken is cooked through and beginning to color at the edges. Push the chicken to one side of the pan.

Add the matchstick carrots and white parts of the green onions to the empty side of the pan. Stir-fry for 2 minutes until slightly softened.

Add the drained noodles to the pan and pour the sauce over everything. Toss everything together with tongs or two large spoons for 2 to 3 minutes, until the noodles have absorbed most of the sauce and are heated through.

Remove from heat. Scatter the cilantro and green tops of the green onions over the top. Serve with lime wedges on the side and squeeze liberally.

*Adapted from Lichen Paleo Loving AIP*