Cashew Chicken

This easy and quick weeknight cashew chicken recipe is packed full of flavor. Stir fried in a wok or a skillet, this homemade cashew chicken is a great, healthier alternative to a takeout. Packed full of Asian flavors, this dish is the perfect addition to your weekly meal rotation.

Easy Cashew Chicken

It’s so easy to grab the phone and order a takeaway after a long day, homemade cashew chicken is a great dish that will convince you to ditch the take out!

Stir-fried dishes are a great option when you are short on time, it’s on the table in less than twenty minutes, yet packed full of all of those Asian flavors that we all crave.

How to make Homemade Cashew Chicken – step by step

For the Marinade and Sauce:

• Whisk together ¼ cup mirin, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1½ teaspoons, sesame oil, ginger paste and 2 tablespoons cornstarch in a medium size bowl.
• Add the chicken and stir well to coat.
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

For the Sauce:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining ¼ cup mirin, remaining 4 tablespoons soy sauce, remaining 1½ teaspoons sesame oil, chicken broth, Worcestershire Sauce, hoisin, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, brown sugar and remaining 1-tablespoon corn starch; set aside.

For the Stir-fry:

• Drain chicken and pat dry with paper towels.
• Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat just until smoking. In two batches (using 2 teaspoons oil per batch), brown the chicken, stirring often, until no pink remains, about 4
  minutes for each batch.
• Transfer the chicken to a plate; set aside.
• Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and heat to shimmering.
• Add water chestnuts, 1 cup chopped cashews and frozen peas and cook, stirring continuously, 1 minute.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
• Add reserved sauce and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce has thickened, 2-3 minutes.
• Add the cooked chicken, along with any accumulated juices, to the skillet and cook another 2 minutes.
• Serve with cooked white rice, and top with whole toasted cashews and sliced scallions.

Where was Cashew Chicken invented?

Cashew Chicken is a Chinese-American dish. The traditional Chinese dish consists of pieces of chicken that are stir-fried in a wok, and combined with cashews – very similar to this recipe.

Another variation hails from Springfield, Missouri, and in this adaptation, the pieces of chicken are deep fried.

What does cashew chicken taste like?

This dish is full of flavors and ingredients associated with Chinese food.  It is not greasy and the sauce is light and fragrant.  The key ingredients that give this dish it’s delicious flavor are;

• mirin
• soy sauce
• sesame oil
• ginger
• hoisin

The combination of these ingredients mean that this dish easily rivals a take order!

What to serve with homemade cashew chicken

I chose to serve this chicken dish with cooked white rice and a healthy side of broccoli. This dish can also be served with egg noodles, and if you are cutting carbs, cauliflower rice would be a great substitute.

I love serving dishes like this with a couple of veggie sides – pak choi would be a great choice!

Check out these other delicious Chinese chicken recipes!

• Chicken Fried Rice
• Pineapple Chicken
• Asian Chicken Meatballs
• Oriental Chicken Salad Copycat
• Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken
• Kung Pao Chicken
• Crispy Orange Chicken

Although ordering Chinese food is ALWAYS a yes for me, it’s also fun to make it at home. You can put your spin on your favorite recipes, and get the family involved.

Homemade Cashew Chicken is one of our favorite things to make at home (when we aren’t ordering from our favorite local restaurant). I love to make a huge batch and use the leftovers throughout the week. I hope you enjoy!

If you’ve made this recipe, please be sure to let us know by leaving a star rating or a comment below. Enjoy!

4.77 from 17 votes

Homemade Cashew Chicken Recipe

This easy and quick weeknight cashew chicken recipe is packed full of flavor. Stir fried in a wok or a skillet, this homemade cashew chicken is a great, healthier alternative to a takeout. Packed full of Asian flavors, this dish is the perfect addition to your weekly meal rotation.

Prep: 5 minutes minutes

Cook: 12 minutes minutes

Total Time : 47 minutes minutes

Marinading time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

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Ingredients

For the Marinade and Sauce:

• ▢ ½ cup mirin divided
• ▢ 6 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce divided
• ▢ 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil divided
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• ▢ 3 tablespoons cornstarch divided
• ▢ 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 3/4-inch pieces

Extra Ingredients for the Sauce:

• ▢ 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• ▢ 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon rice or white wine vinegar
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ▢ 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

For the Stir-Fry:

• ▢ 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
• ▢ 6 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ 2 cups frozen baby peas
• ▢ 8 ounces water chestnuts drained and chopped
• ▢ 2 cups toasted cashews half roughly chopped, half left whole
• ▢ 3 scallions thinly sliced diagonally

Instructions

For the Marinade and Sauce:

• Whisk together ¼ cup mirin, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1½ teaspoons sesame oil, ginger paste and 2 tablespoons cornstarch in a medium size bowl. Add the chicken and stir well to coat.
  ½ cup mirin, 6 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 1 teaspoon ginger paste, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

For the Sauce:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining ¼ cup mirin, remaining 4 tablespoons soy sauce, remaining 1½ teaspoons sesame oil, chicken broth, Worcestershire Sauce, hoisin, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, brown sugar and remaining 1-tablespoon corn starch; set aside.
  ½ cup mirin, 6 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth, 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce, 1 tablespoon rice or white wine vinegar, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar, 3 tablespoons cornstarch

For the Stir-fry:

• Drain chicken and pat dry with paper towels.
• Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat just until smoking. In two batches (using 2 teaspoons oil per batch), brown the chicken, stirring often, until no pink remains, about 4 minutes for each batch. Transfer the chicken to a plate; set aside.
  2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
• Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and heat to shimmering.
• Add water chestnuts, 1 cup chopped cashews and frozen peas and cook, stirring continuously, 1 minute.
  6 garlic cloves, 8 ounces water chestnuts, 2 cups toasted cashews, 2 cups frozen baby peas
• Reduce heat to medium-low and add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
• Add reserved sauce and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce has thickened, 2-3 minutes.
• Add the cooked chicken, along with any accumulated juices, to the skillet and cook another 2 minutes.
• Serve with cooked white rice, and top with whole toasted cashews and sliced scallions.
  3 scallions
• Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Homemade Cashew Chicken Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 759 Calories from Fat 387

% Daily Value*

Fat 43g66%

Saturated Fat 7g44%

Cholesterol 72mg24%

Sodium 811mg35%

Potassium 1326mg38%

Carbohydrates 67g22%

Fiber 8g33%

Sugar 22g24%

Protein 43g86%

Vitamin A 715IU14%

Vitamin C 36.1mg44%

Calcium 80mg8%

Iron 7.8mg43%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Author: Becky Hardin

Course:Main Course

Cuisine:American, Chinese

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