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.
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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
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & 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.
- 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!
Recipe Tips and Notes
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!
Homemade Cashew Chicken Recipe
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!
Billy says
Love cashew chicken, so simple to make and so delicious and this looks amazing.
Becky Hardin says
Thanks Billy! Hope you enjoy.
lauren kelly says
This is one of my all time favorite recipes! Homemade is so much better than takeout!
Becky Hardin says
Thanks Lauren!
Sarah Skaggs says
K. Wow. This is delicious! We’l be making it again.
Becky Hardin says
So happy to hear that
Aimee Shugarman says
Was hoping for some leftovers, but everyone in my family ate every single bite, LOL. Guess I’ll be making it again soon.
Becky Hardin says
That’s the best kind of problem to have!
Alli says
Cashews and chicken go so well together! This was such a delicious recipe! Thank you so much!
Becky Hardin says
YES! You’re welcome 🙂
Carol says
This was really good! I didn’t have hoisin sauce so I substituted oyster sauce. I skipped the part with the peas and water chestnuts and stir fried a bag of vegetables, added the sauce, toasted cashews and chicken. It was really saucy and delicious over rice.
Becky Hardin says
That sounds delicious!! Nice job!