Cashew Chicken

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

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cashew Chicken Recipe

Servings:

Calories: 520kcal

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

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.

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.