Cashew Chicken
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Cashew Chicken is a Chinese takeout classic that’s sure to satisfy those take-out craving! Chicken pieces, fresh veggies and crunch cashews are coated with an addictive sauce. It has a nice blend of textures and it’s a rich in protein.
The Sauce Makes This the Best Cashew Chicken!
This sauce in this recipe has that perfect blend of Asian flavors. It’s lightly sweet, lightly sour and it’s the perfect addition to chicken.
And I made sure there was plenty of sauce, because stir fries are always best with extra sauce!
And the blend of textures here keeps it interesting. You’ll love those crunchy cashews and tender, ever so lightly crisp veggies.
Then when you serve it over soft and fluffy rice it’s a match meant to be! Or add one more veggie and serve it over cauliflower rice instead, love that stuff!
Ingredients You’ll Need for This Recipe
- Chicken breasts
- Cornstarch
- Olive oil
- Low sodium chicken broth
- Hoisin sauce
- Soy sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Honey
- Sesame oil
- Fresh ginger
- Fresh veggies – broccoli, bell pepper, garlic, green onions
- Unsalted cashews
How to Make Cashew Chicken
- Toss chicken with 1 Tbsp cornstarch then cook half and time in skillet, transfer.
- In a bowl whisk chicken broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil and remaining 2 tsp cornstarch until well blended.
- Saute green onions, garlic, ginger, broccoli and bell pepper.
- Pour in sauce mixture and cook until thickened.
- Stir in cooked chicken, veggies and cashews. Serve over rice with green onions and sesame seeds.
No More Boring Chicken
If you cook with chicken as much as I do then hopefully you’ll appreciate this recipe as much as I do. Chicken can seem drab sometimes if you are eating it day after day after day but this really brightens things up.
The Vegetable Addition
This actually used to only take about 25 minutes to make but I’ve updated the recipe to include veggies, so now you’ve got 5 more minutes prep and a few more minutes for cooking but it’s worth it!
More color, more flavor, more nutrition and ready in 35 minutes!
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Cashew Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into 1-inch pieces
- 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp cornstarch, divided
- 2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- Salt and white or black pepper
- 6 Tbsp low-sodium chicken broth or water, then more as needed
- 3 1/2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 4 green onions, chopped, plus more for serving if desired
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp finely grated, peeled fresh ginger
- 2 cups diced broccoli florets (small pieces)
- 1 medium bell pepper, chopped
- 3/4 cup unsalted cashews, roughly chopped
- Sesame seeds, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, toss chicken with 1 Tbsp cornstarch to evenly coat. In a large skillet, heat 1/2 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat.
- Once oil is hot, add half of the chicken, and cook stirring frequently, until chicken is is golden brown and has cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer chicken to a plate and add another 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil to skillet. Cook remaining chicken until golden brown and cooked through, then transfer to plate with first batch of chicken.
- In a mixing bowl (or liquid measuring cup used to measure chicken broth), whisk together chicken broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil and remaining 2 tsp cornstarch until well blended, set aside.
- Heat remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp oil in skillet over medium heat. Add in green onions, garlic, ginger, broccoli and bell pepper and saute until veggies are tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large plate.
- Pour in hoisin sauce mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until sauce boils and thickens (don't let it reduce it will be too salty, just cook long enough to thicken). Thin with 1 - 2 more tablespoons of broth or water if desired.
- Remove from heat, add chicken, veggies and cashews to sauce and toss to evenly coat. Serve warm with white or brown rice, cauliflower "rice" or quinoa and sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds.
- Recipe has been updated to include broccoli and bell pepper. Originally shared Jan. 2014.