Cashew Chicken. Juicy tender chicken stir fried with crisp-tender vegetables with crunchy cashews in a delicious, sweet sauce. Ready in 30 minutes!
If you love chicken and cashews, then this dish is for you! It's a delicious main dish with great flavor, thanks the sweet garlicky sauce! Also, my cashew chicken stir fry works well for busy weeknights when you have less time to cook.
This chicken stir-fry dish pairs well with white rice, brown rice, or cauliflower rice creating a complete meal! In fact, one of my favorite restaurants serves this dish and I was inspired to re-create it.
What is Cashew Chicken?
Cashew Chicken is a popular Chinese food served at many Chinese restaurants or at your favorite Chinese take-out place! Chef David Leong, a Chinese American chef, created this dish in the 1960s in Springfield, Missouri. The Chinese Chef never thought of himself to be a pioneer in Chinese stir fries.
This dish consists of juicy chicken stir fried with fresh vegetables, like broccoli or red bell pepper (in my version), toasted cashews in a sweet brown sauce with ginger and garlic.
The addictive sauce is made of hoisin, brown sugar, soy sauce, chicken stock, cornstarch, and sesame oil. Together these ingredients will create the best chicken cashew stir-fry you've ever had!
Fun fact
There is also a Thai Cashew Chicken. The Thai version has a tangy sauce and sometimes contains Thai chili paste. Many Thai restaurants serve it. However, the one I'm sharing today is Chinese inspired.
Easy Cashew Chicken Recipe
Cashew chicken is one of those easy dinner recipes when you don't have extra time during the week! It easily comes together in 30 minutes or less! The cooking process takes less than 8 minutes. Most of the time goes towards preparing the ingredients.
Ingredients
You’ll need the below ingredients for cashew chicken. Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
Note: Most Asian grocers will carry these ingredients. You may find some at your select grocery store or online, like on Amazon.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts: or substitute with boneless chicken thighs. If you're worried about your chicken breast being dry, don't worry, I share a great tenderizing marinade for ultra-tender chicken. However, if you enjoy boneless skinless chicken thighs more, go for that!
- Cashew nuts: ideally unsalted roasted cashews but if you don't have these feel free to use the salted kind. You may also use raw cashews if you like.
- Broccoli: or substitute with any fresh veggies like snap peas, snow peas, celery, carrots.
- Red bell peppers: or substitute with yellow bell pepper, green bell pepper, or orange bell pepper
- Garlic: for that delicious garlicky flavor!
- Fresh ginger: this is the best way to add a wonderful flavor in any Chinese stir-fry. It also helps to remove any gamey flavor from most meats.
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil. Avoid olive oil, coconut oil or any heavy scented oils.
- Water: to help cook our crisp-tender vegetables
Chicken Marinade:
- Regular soy sauce: aka all-purpose soy sauce. The label will simply say "soy sauce". This is different from dark soy sauce, which is darker in color and thicker in viscosity. You may also substitute with light soy sauce or low sodium soy sauce. Or substitute with coconut aminos, tamari sauce or gluten-free soy sauce.
- Cornstarch: or substitute with potato starch or tapioca starch. This in combination with the baking soda and oil velvet the chicken breast making it very tender.
- Shaoxing wine: This is a Chinese rice wine popularly used in Chinese cooking. You may also substitute with Dry Sherry or rice vinegar (aka rice wine vinegar). As a last resort, you may use apple cider vinegar.
- White pepper: or substitute with black pepper
- Baking soda: a key ingredient in any Chinese meat marinade especially for that juicy chicken. Do not skip!
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil. Avoid olive oil, coconut oil or any heavy scented oils.
Stir Fry Sauce:
- Regular soy sauce: aka all-purpose soy sauce. The label will simply say "soy sauce". This is different from dark soy sauce, which is darker in color and thicker in viscosity. You may also substitute with light soy sauce or low sodium soy sauce. Or substitute with coconut aminos, tamari sauce or gluten-free soy sauce.
- Hoisin sauce: this is different from oyster sauce even though they look remarkably similar. Hoisin is sweet in taste. Oyster sauce is salty with a seafood-like flavor.
- Brown sugar: or substitute with white sugar, honey, or any sweetener of your choice
- Corn starch: or substitute with potato starch or tapioca starch. A key ingredient to create a thicker sauce.
- Sesame oil: to add a nutty flavor to our savory cashew chicken.
- Chicken broth or chicken stock: or substitute with beef broth or vegetable broth.
How to Make Cashew Chicken
Slice chicken breast against the grain into ¼-inch-thick pieces. Transfer chicken pieces to a large bowl. Mix in Marinade ingredients and allow this to marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine Sauce ingredients. Set aside.
In a large wok or large skillet on medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil or any neutral oil. Once the oil is hot, toast cashews until they turn slightly brown, about 30-45 seconds. Remove and set aside.
Back into the hot pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Once oil is hot, fry marinated chicken in a single layer until cooked and slightly golden brown on the edges, about 4-5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Reduce to medium heat, add remaining oil along with garlic, ginger, broccoli, red bell pepper and lastly water. Cook vegetables until vibrant, about 45-60 seconds.
Pour in Sauce mixture. Simmer to thicken slightly, about 45-60 seconds.
Once sauce has thickened, toss back in cooked chicken and crunchy cashews. Remove the finished dish off heat and serve. Enjoy!
Storage
This dish will last up to 4 days in an airtight container. To reheat, microwave for 2-3 minutes or on the stovetop on medium heat.
FAQ
Can I substitute the cashews for another nut or omit completely?
Yes, feel free to omit or substitute with any nut of your choice.
Is there a substitute for hoisin sauce?
No, unfortunately there is no substitute for this ingredient for the cashew chicken sauce. However, if you perform a search online you will find homemade recipes for it. Many Asian grocers or online retailers, like Amazon, will also carry this ingredient as well.
Can I make the sauce spicy?
Yes, feel free to add 1-2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, red chili flakes, chili paste or chili oil to the sauce mixture.
Can I substitute the garlic?
Yes, feel free to substitute with green onions, yellow or white onion.
May I substitute the soy sauce to make it gluten free?
Yes, feel free to substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos, fish sauce or gluten-free soy sauce. But keep in mind, the hoisin sauce is not gluten-free unless you're able to find a version that is.
May I substitute any of the vegetables?
Yes, feel free to substitute with any of the following vegetables:
- carrots
- snow peas
- snap peas
- celery
- mushrooms
- cauliflower
- any bell pepper of your choice
- zucchini
- water chestnuts
Other Stir Fry recipes you may enjoy!
If you enjoyed this cashew chicken recipe, you may like these other stir fry recipes:
- Chicken and Broccoli
- Beef and Broccoli
- Beef with Black Bean Sauce
- Black Pepper Chicken
- Black Pepper Beef
- Panda Express Mushroom Chicken
Easy Cashew Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts skinless boneless
- ⅓ cup cashews unsalted (roasted or raw kind both work)
- 7 oz broccoli broken into florets with stalks removed
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 inch ginger peeled and thinly sliced
- 2.5 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- ¼ cup water to help cook veggies
Chicken marinade:
- 2 teaspoon regular soy sauce
- 1.5 tablespoon Cornstarch
- 2 teaspoon Shaoxing wine or sub with rice vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper or sub with black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar or sub with honey, white sugar, or cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil toasted
- ½ cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Slice chicken breast against the grain into ¼-inch-thick pieces. Transfer chicken pieces to a large bowl. Mix in Marinade ingredients and allow this to marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine Sauce ingredients. Set aside.
- In a large wok or large skillet on medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil or any neutral oil. Once the oil is hot, toast cashews until they turn slightly brown, about 30-45 seconds. Remove and set aside.
- Back into the hot pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Once oil is hot, fry marinated chicken in a single layer until cooked and slightly golden brown on the edges, about 4-5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Reduce to medium heat, add remaining oil along with garlic, ginger, broccoli, red bell pepper and lastly water. Cook vegetables until vibrant, about 45-60 seconds.
- Pour in Sauce mixture. Simmer to thicken slightly, about 45-60 seconds.
- Once sauce has thickened, toss back in cooked chicken and crunchy cashews. Remove the finished dish off heat and serve. Enjoy!
Alex
Another delicious recipe, Christie!
I made this for my mum and I for dinner last night and we devoured it.
So tasty and the chicken was so incredibly tender and melt in the mouth. Thank you!
Sigurd
Great recipe, once you have the many ingredients :- )
I would double the amount of vegetables, cashews and sauce.
But I suppose that's a matter of taste.
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe, Sigurd!