WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS We wanted to create a version of pad see ew—the traditional Thai dish of chewy, lightly charred rice noodles with chicken, crisp broccoli, and moist egg, bound with a sweet-and-salty soy-based sauce—that would work in the American home kitchen. Finding the ingredients wasn’t a problem; the real challenge was simulating the high heat of a restaurant wok burner on a home stovetop. Since we were already using maximum heat, we increased the surface area by using a skillet instead of a wok, and we cooked in batches, combining all of the components just before serving. Most important, we found that eliminating much of the stirring in our stir-fry helped achieve the all-important char that characterizes this dish. The flat pad thai–style rice noodles used in this recipe can be found in the Asian section of most supermarkets. You can substitute an equal amount of conventional broccoli, but be sure to trim and peel the stalks before cutting. You will need a 12-inch nonstick skillet with a tight-fitting lid for this recipe.

Serves 4

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

• FOR CHILE VINEGAR:
• ⅓ cup distilled white vinegar
• 1 serrano chile, stemmed and sliced into thin rings

• STIR FRY:
• 8 ounces (¼-inch-wide) rice noodles
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and sliced crosswise ¼ inch thick
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon molasses
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
• 3 large eggs
• 10 ounces broccolini, trimmed, florets cut into 1-inch pieces, stalks cut ½ inch thick on bias

INSTRUCTIONS

• CHILE VINEGAR:

1. Combine vinegar and serrano in a bowl. Let sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.

• STIR FRY:

1.  Bring 6 cups water to a boil. Place noodles in a large bowl. Pour boiling water over noodles. Stir, then soak until noodles are almost tender, about 8 minutes, stirring once halfway through soaking. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain well, then toss with 2 teaspoons oil in now-empty bowl; set aside.
2. Combine chicken with 2 tablespoons water and baking soda in a bowl. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Rinse chicken in cold water and drain well.
3. Whisk oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, molasses, and fish sauce together in a bowl.
4. Heat 2 teaspoons oil and garlic in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic is deep golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add chicken and 2 tablespoons sauce mixture, toss to coat, and spread chicken into even layer. Cook, without stirring, until chicken begins to brown, 1 to 1½ minutes. Flip chicken and cook, without stirring, until second side begins to brown, 1 to 1½ minutes. Push chicken to one side of skillet. Add 2 teaspoons oil to cleared side of skillet. Add eggs to cleared side. Using rubber spatula, stir eggs gently and cook until set but still wet. Stir eggs into chicken and continue to cook, breaking up large pieces of egg, until eggs are fully cooked, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer chicken mixture to bowl.
5. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in now-empty skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add broccolini and 2 tablespoons sauce and toss to coat. Cover and cook for 2 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking. Uncover and continue to cook until broccolini is crisp and very brown in spots, 2 to 3 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking. Transfer to bowl with chicken mixture.
6. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in again-empty skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add half of noodles and 2 tablespoons sauce and toss to coat. Cook until noodles are starting to brown in spots, about 2 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking. Transfer to bowl with chicken mixture. Repeat with remaining 2 teaspoons oil, noodles, and sauce. When the second batch of noodles is cooked, add contents of bowl back to skillet and toss to combine. Cook, without stirring, until everything is heated through, 1 to 1½ minutes. Serve immediately, passing chile vinegar separately.