Easy Cashew Chicken Recipe (2024)

Updated on |By Kate|6 Comments

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Easy Cashew Chicken recipe is a quick, takeout-at-home Chinese chicken dinner that’s so faster and better-for-you than getting takeout!

Easy Cashew Chicken Recipe (1)

I’m not sure how it happened, but lately Chinese food has become the most popular food in my house.

It’s kind of magical. When we can’t decide on dinner, I know that Chinese food is always a welcome choice.It can also be an incredibly easy and tasty way to go when time is short.

This Easy Cashew Chicken recipe really is quick and easy to make. I can get this dinner on the table in less time than it would take me to go pick up Chinese food, which is pretty fantastic.

How to make easy cashew chicken

Easy Cashew Chicken Recipe (2)

Stir together the sauce ingredients until well-combined. Set sauce aside.

Dice the celery and red bell pepper. Set aside.

Easy Cashew Chicken Recipe (3)

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces (about 1/2-1 inch pieces). Add oil to the hot skillet, and quickly cook the ginger and garlic for about 30 seconds.

Add the chicken, and cook chicken until mostly cooked through (chicken should reach 165F by the time it has finished cooking).

Easy Cashew Chicken Recipe (4)

Add celery and bell pepper. Continue cooking until tender-crisp, about 3-5 minutes.

Stir in sauce, and toss to coat.

Easy Cashew Chicken Recipe (5)Tips

  • Soy sauce:I like to use the reduced-sodium soy sauce (lite soy sauce) in this recipe. Feel free to use regular if you prefer.
  • Vegetables: You can add an additional bell pepper or sliced onion if you’d like to add more veggies to the recipe.

Serving: This cashew chicken is delicious served over plain white or brown rice.Easy Cashew Chicken Recipe (6)Storing

This chicken will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge. It reheats well in the microwave.

I recommend waiting to top the chicken with cashews and sliced green onion until it has been reheated and is ready to serve.

Easy Cashew Chicken Recipe (7)

More easy chicken recipes!

  • Easy Chicken Tikka Masala
  • Easy Orange Chicken
  • Bruschetta Chicken

If you’ve tried this easy cashew chicken recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below. I love to hear from people who’ve made my recipes!

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Easy Cashew Chicken Recipe (8)

Easy Cashew Chicken Recipe (9)

5 from 2 votes

Easy Cashew Chicken Recipe


Author Kate @ I Heart Eating

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Easy Cashew Chicken recipe is a quick, takeout-at-home Chinese chicken dinner that's so faster and better-for-you than getting takeout!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
  • 1/2 cup lite soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 4 stalks celery
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon grated and peeled fresh ginger
  • cashews
  • green onions optional

Instructions

  • Stir together vinegar, hoisin, soy sauce, water, cornstarch, and sugar. Set aside.

  • Heat large, deep skillet or wok over medium-high heat.

  • Meanwhile, dice celery and bell pepper. Set aside.

  • Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

  • Add vegetable oil to hot skillet and swirl to coat.

  • Place garlic and ginger in skillet, and cook, stirring continuously, for 30 seconds.

  • Place chicken in skillet and cook until chicken is mostly cooked through.

  • Add celery and bell pepper, and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes.

  • Stir in sauce, and toss to coat chicken and veggies.

  • Serve over rice topped with cashews and sliced green onions, if desired.

Notes

  • Soy sauce:I like to use the reduced-sodium soy sauce (lite soy sauce) in this recipe. Feel free to use regular if you prefer.
  • Vegetables: You can add an additional bell pepper or sliced onion if you'd like to add more veggies to the recipe.
  • Nutrition values are estimates.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 251kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 1279mg | Potassium: 766mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 605IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1.2mg

Did You Make This Recipe?

Share it with me on Instagram @i_heart_eating and follow on Youtube @katedean and Pinterest @katedean for more!

Originally published 11/28/16. Updated with new photos and tips 8/17/20.

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Created by Kate

Kate got her first cookbook when she was five years old, and she hasn't stopped cooking since then! Her delicious recipes have been featured on Food Network, MSN, Better Homes & Gardens, Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post, and more. When she's not cooking or baking, she can be found on her mini farm with her husband and her five kids.

Reader Interactions

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    Comments & Reviews

  1. Bessie B. says

    Easy Cashew Chicken Recipe (10)
    I have made this recipe several times, my husband loves it and my grandkids also like it. I add water chestnuts and very small diced carrots.

    Reply

    • Kate says

      Thanks! I’m glad you like it!

      Reply

  2. Judith Wilkes says

    Easy Cashew Chicken Recipe (11)
    Most beautiful recipes

    Reply

    • Kate says

      That’s so nice! Thank you so much!!

      Reply

  3. Karly says

    Wow. This makes me want to scrap my dinner plans for the rest of the week and eat this on repeat! Need to try this ASAP!

    Reply

    • Kate says

      Thanks so much!!

      Reply

Easy Cashew Chicken Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is cashew chicken sauce made of? ›

In a small bowl, mix together your sauce by combining light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, white pepper, msg, chicken stock, and cornstarch.

How to roast cashews in the oven? ›

Directions for Oven

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread cashews onto prepared baking sheet, leaving plenty of room between them. Bake for 10-12 minutes, stirring every 3-4 minutes. Cashews are done when they are lightly browned and smell nutty and fragrant.

Why add cashews to butter chicken? ›

In many recipes for butter chicken, copious amounts of butter and heavy cream supply richness, but we do as we were taught in India and use cashews pureed with a small amount of water until smooth. The nut puree adds creaminess without making the dish heavy.

What does cashew chicken taste like? ›

Cashew chicken is simply a stir fry of chicken and cashews with a sauce that's got a salty-sweet flavour profile. Many people might think of cashew chicken as a Chinese dish, and indeed China is where this dish originated. You can tell by the presence of sesame oil, which we don't use very much of in Thai cooking.

What is cashew sauce made of? ›

Cashew Sauce! Just four easy ingredients: cashews, garlic, salt, and water! Perfect base sauce recipe for pasta, dips, or cheesy sauce alternatives. Vegan.

What to use instead of hoisin sauce? ›

Ready-made hoisin sauce alternatives
  • soy sauce.
  • tamari, which is suitable for gluten-free diets.
  • oyster sauce.
  • chili sauce.
  • barbecue sauce.
  • sweet and sour sauce.
  • teriyaki sauce.
Feb 2, 2022

Can I use peanut butter instead of cashew paste? ›

Peanut Butter The distinctive nutty and creamy flavor of peanut butter makes it a useful substitute for cashew paste. However, keep in mind that peanut butter has a light savory flavor, so adjust the quantities appropriately.

Do you need to soak cashews before cooking? ›

Soaking cashews is an essential step in making creamy dairy-free recipes. Most recipes will have their own soaking process, but it may not always work for your schedule. I've compiled the 3 easiest ways to soak cashews, quick, slow, or in-between, you choose the method that works best for you!

Which is better for you peanut butter cashew butter or almond butter? ›

Cashew butter contains about half the sugar of peanut butter and it frequently contains less additives. Although almond butter comes out the clear winner in this competition, peanut butter and cashew butter tie for a close second place. Any nut butter is a health-food warrior compared to real butter or oil.

What ethnicity is cashew chicken? ›

Cashew chicken (Chinese: 腰果雞丁) is a Chinese-American dish that combines chicken (usually stir-fried but occasionally deep-fried, depending on the variation), with cashew nuts and either a light brown garlic sauce or a thick sauce made from chicken stock, soy sauce and oyster sauce.

Why do my cashews taste weird? ›

Identifying Rancid Cashews

Rancid simply means that the smell and/or taste of something is no longer pleasant. However, that still means you should dispose of your cashews as they will no longer be enjoyable or as nutritious as fresh cashews. The first sign of cashews that are no longer good is mold growth.

What's the difference between almond chicken and cashew chicken? ›

More popularly, “almond chicken” in America's wide swath of Chinese-American restaurants would mean a version of cashew chicken, a dish of diced poultry, stir-fried with vegetables and cashews and then topped with toasted almonds; elsewhere, the chicken would be appropriately breaded, fried, and almond-topped, but ...

What does cashew cream taste like? ›

What Does Cashew Cream Taste Like? Cashew cream tastes surprisingly unlike cashews. The base recipe tastes like a mix of 10% nuttiness, 30% buttery, and 60% smooth creamy vanilla-y flavor, all while still being neutral enough to work in anything.

What does cashew spread taste like? ›

Although cashew butter isn't as popular as peanut or almond butter, we still think it deserves the spotlight once in a while. After all, it basically tastes like frosting! If you're already a cashew butter fan, prepare to elevate your fan-hood to even greater heights.

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