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by Dana Sandonato//November 3, 2020 (updated November 15, 2023)
Taking less than 30 minutes to make, this easy adaptation to a healthy cashew chicken recipe is exactly what your weeknight rotation needs.
Table Of Contents
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- About My Cashew Chicken
- What is Cashew Chicken?
- What to Serve With Cashew Chicken
- Ingredients
- How to Make Cashew Chicken
- Useful Kitchen Tools
- Have You Made This Recipe?
- More East Asian-Inspired Weeknight Faves
Table of Contents
About My Cashew Chicken
To crave Chinese takeout and be able to whip up a rivaling dish at home is just damn awesome. And that’s exactly what this dish does!
Aside from the 30-minute marinade, this crunchy, salty, and savory cashew chicken takes just 15 minutes to bring together.
What is Cashew Chicken?
If you’re in North America, you’ve likely seen Cashew Chicken on the menu at your local Chinese restaurant.
Cashew chicken includes stir-fried pieces of chicken tossed with cashews and veggies in a light brown garlic sauce. Sometimes it’s served in a thicker sauce made up of stock, soy sauce, and oyster sauce.
What to Serve With Cashew Chicken
- I typically serve this cashew chicken with my coconut ginger rice, but you could also use plain jasmine rice or even Ramen noodles!
- As far as veggie sides go, seared baby bok choy is amazing.
- This crisp smashed cucumber salad is also fantastic, especially on those hot summer days!
Ingredients
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Low-sodium soy sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Raw honey
- Kosher salt
- Avocado oil
- Fresh ginger
- Garlic
- Shiitake mushrooms
- Red bell pepper
- Scallions
- Lightly salted cashews
How to Make Cashew Chicken
- Whisk the soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, and salt in a large bowl.
- Pop the cubed chicken into the bowl, stir, and set it aside for 20 minutes.
- Heat your oil in a wok or large skillet, then add the ginger and let it simmer. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Let it cook for about 3-4 minutes or until all sides of the chicken are lightly browned.
- Remove the chicken from the wok before it’s cooked through.
- Add the rest of the oil, then add the garlic and let it simmer. Add the mushrooms, bell peppers, and scallions, then a bit of water. Cook until the water has evaporated.
- Pop the cooked chicken back into the wok and add the rest of the soy sauce, and the cashews. Stir fry until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165º F.
- Spoon it over some rice or noodles and enjoy!
- Skillet or Wok
- Whisk
- Mixing Bowls
- Sharp knife
- Cutting Board
- Wooden spoon
- Microplane, flawless way to grate your ginger!
Have You Made This Recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a STAR rating & commenting below with feedback!
You can also show off your creations on Instagram by tagging @killing__thyme
More East Asian-Inspired Weeknight Faves
- Easy Soy and Sesame Beef Stir Fry with Noodles
- Healthy Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Sesame Shrimp Stir-Fry with Ramen Noodles
- Easy Homemade Ramen
Easy Healthy Cashew Chicken Recipe
Taking less than 30 minutes to make, this easy adaptation to a healthy cashew chicken recipe is exactly what your weeknight rotation needs.
5 from 18 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Marinating time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 313kcal
Author: Dana Sandonato
Equipment
Wok or skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless and skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized cubes
- 3 TBSP low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 tsp honey
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms You can also use cremini mushrooms
- 2 TBSP avocado oil (or olive oil)
- 1 TBSP freshly grated ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed, peeled, and thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded, cleaned, and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup lightly salted cashews, roasted *See notes
Instructions
Whisk 2 TBSP of the soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, and salt in a large bowl.
Place the cubed chicken into the bowl, stir to coat, and set aside for 20 minutes. If you're doing this step in advance and marinating the chicken for longer, cover and place the bowl in the fridge.
Heat 1 TBSP of oil in a wok or large skillet. Add the ginger and simmer until fragrant. Add the chicken, toss to coat, and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until all sides are lightly browned. Be sure to remove the chicken from the wok before it's cooked through.
Add the remaining oil, then add the garlic and simmer until fragrant. Then add the mushrooms, bell peppers, and scallions.
Add 2 TBSP of water to the wok, and cook for 2 mins or until the water has evaporated.Transfer the chicken back to wok, and add the remaining soy sauce and the cashews. Stir fry for 2 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Serve over rice or noodles.
Notes
To roast the cashews, heat a dry pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the cashews and bring the heat to medium. Let the cashews toast, shaking the pan every so often to prevent burning, for about 3-5 minutes or until the cashews are lightly golden in color and fragrant.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 313kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 821mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g
posted in: Breezy Weeknight Dinners, Chicken, Food // 22 comments
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Shelby —Reply
Love this recipe as an easy and healthy meal on busy weeknights. It’s so delicious and my whole family enjoys it!Kelley —Reply
This was so good! Even my picky kids ate this! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!!Shadi Hasanzadenemati —Reply
This was amazing and such a treat! Thank you! Everyone in my family loved it.Ned —Reply
This dish is outstanding! Absolutely delicious! The combination of cashew and chicken is a perfect match, and I thoroughly enjoyed every bite. Thank you immensely!Elisa —Reply
Love this Cashew Chicken recipe, it’s delicious and easy, will definitely make it for dinner again soon. Thanks for sharing :)Pingback: 45 Cubed Chicken Recipes For An Easy Dinner - The Bella Vita
Marilyn —Reply
I can’t believe how easy this is! Definitely going to make it again and going to try your sweet and sour chicken too. Thanks!Tayler Ross —Reply
We had this cashew chicken for dinner last night and it was incredible! It will definitely be one of our go tos!veenaazmanov —Reply
Looks like a perfect side dish for Dinner. Your recipe sounds delicious and flavorful. Combination yummy.Carrie Robinson —Reply
Love that I can get this on the dinner table quicker than takeout could be delivered to my house! This looks so good too. :)Priya Srinivasan —Reply
Amazing flavors and I love it takes just 30 minutes to make!Suja MD —Reply
We really like this recipe. Never knew it was this easy to make. Will be making again without further delay!Andy —Reply
This was fantastic. Made it with jasmine rice and it was perfect. Going to try it with your coconut rice once we get an instant pot. Thanks for the recipe!Killing Thyme —Reply
Awesome, Andy! Keep me posted on the coconut rice and enjoy your IP when you do purchase one! They’re a game changer.
Carrie Robinson —Reply
This is one of my favorite things to order when we get takeout! I will have to try this recipe at home soon. :)Killing Thyme —Reply
Awesome! Let me know what you think :)
Holley —Reply
This is one of my new go-to weeknight meals! So easy, delicious and healthy too!Casey —Reply
So easy and DELISH! My family loved it!Amanda Wren-Grimwood —Reply
My idea of heaven. Love chicken with cashews and this is defintely a great weeknight dinner that my family will love.Katherine —Reply
The flavors and textures in this chicken dish are out of this world good!Benjamin T. —Reply
Made this for my wife and I last night. We haven’t been able to find good Chinese takeout since moving to a new town and this right here was such a treat. And homemade! Looking forward to making it again and trying more of your recipes.Killing Thyme —Reply
Hey Benjamin, funny. We have the same issue. We have yet to find any good Chinese takeout since moving to our current small town. It’s such a bummer. But I’m so glad this recipe worked for you and helped sate your craving!
