The delicious Glass Noodle Chicken dish (In Thai, Pad Woon Sen) veers from Thai traditions by using translucent noodles to soak up the rich balance of sweet-salty flavors in its vibrant sauce. It’s a brilliant meal to create when time is short, as you can have it on the table in around 20 minutes from start to finish.

The glass noodle chicken recipe below is brilliant for when you don’t want to have rice or heavier Asian noodles, but want to maximize the impact of a tasty from-scratch stir fry sauce and fresh ingredients. It’s the type of healthy but tasty meal you’ll return to again for the depth and quality of flavor and visual appeal – which can be just as important as the quick cooking time!

If the idea of preparing glass (cellophane) noodles seems daunting at first blush, they are truly quite easy and delicious. All you need to do when cooking a quick meal such as Pad Woon Sen is break them in half and pour boiling water over the noodles, then let them sit in a heatproof bowl for 10-15 minutes. You can go about the rest of the cooking and preparation while they are soaking. Just make sure that you drain them properly before adding the noodles to your stir fry, where they’ll soak up the delicious flavors of the sauce as they heat. I also recommend chopping the noodles in half, as they can sometimes be somewhat long and unwieldy to work with!

Thai dishes so often have a beautiful contrast in sweet and salty flavors, from fish sauce, soy and oyster sauce, to garlic and sugar. If you want to add the element of heat, it’s as simple as adding chili flakes or birdseye chilis if you really want to pack a punch.

Now that glass noodle chicken is on my quick meal shortlist, I don’t think it will ever leave! I love it for midweek meals all year round, and it’s perfect for when you have friends swing by for a catch up over dinner. Good food made with simple ingredients that are colorful, full of flavor, and quick to make are always going to be on my short list of favorites.