Cashew Chicken

Our cashew chicken is smothered in a delicious sauce that is loaded with flavor along with a satisfying crunch from the cashews.

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Delicious, flavorful, and oh-so-satisfying, cashew chicken is a classic dish that’s a favorite among Chinese takeout lovers everywhere. This scrumptious recipe combines juicy chicken with crunchy cashews, all enveloped in a rich and flavorful sauce.

Cashew Chicken Ingredients

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There’s something about the aroma of sizzling chicken and the subtle crunchiness of cashews that makes cashew chicken such a mouth-watering dish.

The combination of tender chicken, nutty cashews, and savory sauce creates a medley of flavors that dance on your taste buds with each bite.

Whether you’re a fan of sweet or spicy dishes, cashew chicken offers a perfect balance between the two.

You’ll need:

• 4 cups (2 pounds or 3 large pieces) of boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1-inch pieces
• ⅓ cup of cornstarch
• ⅓ cup of low-sodium soy sauce
• ⅓ cup of low-sodium chicken broth
• ¼ cup of brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of dry sherry
• 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons of grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil
• ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• 1 cup of green onions (scallions), chopped and divided into ¾ cup and ¼ cup
• 2 to 4 tablespoons of peanut oil
• ¾ cup of whole cashews, low-salt or unsalted

PRO TIP:

You can find sesame oil in two places at the grocery store. It can be found in the baking aisle in the oil section. You can also find it with Asian foods as well. It is usually cheaper if you pick the oil that is in with the Asian foods.

Substitutions And Additions

SHERRY: When cooking with dry sherry or any wine, you should use a brand you would enjoy drinking. I do not recommend the cooking sherry found in your supermarket’s vinegar section. 

RICE VINEGAR: You can use seasoned rice wine vinegar as a substitute for the dry sherry in this chicken with cashew nuts recipe.

LOW SODIUM: I like to use low-sodium soy sauce, chicken broth, and cashews in this cashew chicken stir fry recipe because the hoisin sauce and soy sauce will add a lot of salt to your dish. You can certainly add the regular versions of those ingredients if you wish; however, I would stick with using unsalted cashews, or you may find that your cashew chicken is too salty.

CHICKEN: You can swap out the white meat chicken in this recipe for boneless chicken thighs (dark meat), which is a more traditional choice for this recipe. Both will taste great; it just depends on your preference. You can even use a combination of both white and dark-meat chicken.

OIL: If you do not have peanut oil, you can use grapeseed or canola oil for this chicken cashew recipe. I do not suggest using olive oil as it can not handle the high heat for browning the chicken pieces in the skillet.

How To Make This Cashew Chicken Recipe

Let’s walk through the easy steps to making this delicious and savory cashew chicken recipe.

STEP ONE: Place the pieces of boneless skinless chicken and cornstarch into a large zip-top bag. Shake the bag well to coat all the pieces of chicken with the cornstarch.

STEP TWO: In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, chicken broth, brown sugar, dry sherry, hoisin sauce, minced garlic, grated ginger, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and ¾ cup of chopped green onions. Reserve ¼ cup of the chopped green onions for a garnish. Set aside.

STEP THREE: Add 2 tablespoons of the peanut oil to a large skillet on medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add half the amount of coated chicken pieces to the hot pan. Do not overcrowd your skillet.

STEP FOUR: Cook the chicken for 5 to 7 minutes or until all sides are golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Remove the cooked chicken from the skillet and place it onto a plate. 

STEP FIVE: Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces until all the chicken is golden brown. You may need to add the additional 2 tablespoons of peanut oil before adding the second batch of chicken to the skillet.

STEP SIX: Once your second batch of chicken has been cooked, you will add back the reserved cooked chicken from the plate and the cashews to the hot skillet.

STEP SEVEN: Pour the reserved sauce mixture over the chicken and cashews. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Be sure to stir your chicken often to prevent the sauce from burning and to ensure that all your cashew chicken is coated well with the sauce.

STEP EIGHT: Garnish your cashew chicken with the reserved chopped green onions.

How To Serve

You can serve this delicious cashew chicken over a bowl of white rice or cauliflower rice, along with a side of steamed or sauteed vegetables.

You could also make a batch of our homemade fried rice. This is the perfect recipe to make on busy weeknights, as you can whip up the sauce ahead of time and toss it in the pan when you are ready for dinner.

Two more flavorful Asian-inspired dishes that we love to add to the meal rotation are our sesame chicken and orange chicken.

MORE CHICKEN RECIPES

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Storage

This chicken dish can easily be stored in the fridge or freezer for a meal later on when you are short on time. Here’s how.

IN THE FRIDGE: You can store any leftovers of this homemade cashew chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The cashews will soften as they sit in the sauce.

IN THE FREEZER: You can freeze this recipe for cashew chicken safely for up to three months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator.

With its savory sauce full of flavors like ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and sesame oil, plus the crunchy texture from the addition of cashews, this tender cashew chicken dish is a fantastic way to spice up your regular meal routine.

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Cashew Chicken

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Our cashew chicken is smothered in a delicious sauce that is loaded with flavor along with a satisfying crunch from the cashews.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

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Ingredients

  

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• 4 cups boneless skinless chicken breasts, 2 pounds or 3 large pieces, 1-inch pieces
• ⅓ cup cornstarch
• ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
• ⅓ cup low-sodium chicken broth
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup green onions, scallions, chopped and divided into ¾ cup and ¼ cup
• 2 to 4 tablespoons peanut oil
• ¾ cup whole cashews, low-salt or unsalted

Instructions

 

• Place the pieces of boneless skinless chicken and cornstarch into a large zip-top bag. Shake the bag well to coat all the pieces of chicken with the cornstarch.
• In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, chicken broth, brown sugar, dry sherry, hoisin sauce, minced garlic, grated ginger, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and ¾ cup of chopped green onions. Reserve ¼ cup of the chopped green onions for a garnish. Set aside.
• Add 2 tablespoons of the peanut oil to a large skillet on medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add half the amount of coated chicken pieces. Do not overcrowd your skillet.
• Cook the chicken for 5 to 7 minutes or until all sides are golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Remove the cooked chicken from the skillet and place it onto a plate.
• Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces until all the chicken is golden brown. You may need to add the additional 2 tablespoons of peanut oil before adding the second batch of chicken to the skillet.
• Once your second batch of chicken has been cooked, you will add back the reserved cooked chicken from the plate and the cashews to the hot skillet.
• Pour the reserved sauce mixture over the chicken and cashews. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Be sure to stir your chicken often to prevent the sauce from burning and to ensure that all your cashew chicken is coated well with the sauce.
• Garnish your cashew chicken with the reserved chopped green onions.

Notes

• You can find sesame oil in two places at the grocery store. It can be found in the baking aisle in the oil section. You can also find it with Asian foods as well. It is usually cheaper if you pick the oil that is in with the Asian foods.
• If you like it spicy, you can increase the amount of red pepper flakes to ½ teaspoon. You can even swap out the red pepper flakes for 1 to 2 teaspoons of sriracha in this sauce if you like more heat.
• This cashew nut chicken is best served immediately. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.

Nutrition

Calories: 520kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 1089mg | Potassium: 923mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 332IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 3mg

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