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This homemade Cashew Chicken is way better than takeout! Tender chicken is stir-fried and tossed with a luscious garlic sauce and cashews.
Better than take out in the comfort of your own home is the best! Combine this dish with Egg Rolls, Fried Rice and some Wontons for a complete dinner.
Homemade Cashew Chicken
Chinese take out is one of America’s favorites with good reason. It is a comfort food that is jam packed with flavor and diversity. The chicken is tender, the cashews are crunchy and the sauce is the perfect combination of sweet and zing. You have to try this tried and true recipe!
Coating the chicken in the cornstarch creates a nice crisp crust and will also thicken the sauce. The sauce has the perfect balance of sweetness with saltiness and bit of zing from the garlic. If you want more kick you can add red pepper flakes to the sauce. The different combinations of textures will more than satisfy. The chicken is tender with a light crust. The cashews add a bit of crunch and the sauce is creamy smooth. We like to serve it with rice and vegetables.
Ingredients in Easy Chicken Cashew
Simple ingredients come together to make this tangy, with a hint of spicy cashew chicken. Everything is easy to find in your local grocery store. No need to go to a specialty store.
- Chicken: Skinless boneless chicken breasts.
- Salt and Pepper: To taste
- Cornstarch: This acts as a coating and thickener for the sauce.
- Olive Oil: To stir fry the chicken in.
- Soy Sauce: You can either use low sodium or regular.
- Chicken Broth: For the sauce.
- Garlic Cloves: Adds a bit of a kick and a ton of flavor.
- Brown Sugar: Provides a bit of sweetness to the sauce.
- Hoisin Sauce: Classic sauce used in many asian dishes.
- Sesame Oil: Helps with the flavor and cooking.
- Whole Cashews: Unsalted are best, you can use pieces if those are easier to find.
Making Better than Takeout Cashew Chicken
This better than take out is actually quite easy to make. All it takes is a bit of time and you’ve got cashew chicken that will taste amazing.
- Cut: Dice your chicken breast into one inch pieces. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix: Toss the chicken with the cornstarch in a ziplock bag.
- Stir Fry: Add olive oil to wok or large skillet over medium high heat. Once the oil gets to the smoking point then add the chicken in a single layer in batches. Cook each side until golden brown.
- Sauce: In a small bowl whisk the soy sauce, chicken broth, garlic, brown sugar, hoisin and sesame oil.
- Combine: Add to the pan with the cashews.Toss until the sauce has thickened.
- Serve: Serve over rice with vegetables if desired.
Tips for The Best Cashew Chicken
This will come together fast so make sure you have everything ready to go. The extra time to prep everything before you start cooking will make all the difference.
- Wok: If you don’t have a wok, no worries. You can use a large fry pan with the same success.
- Chicken: Cut the chicken into the same sized pieces so they cook evenly. It is important that you do not overcook the chicken. It will turn rubbery instead of juicy and tender. Just brown each side and then begin adding the other ingredients. It will finish cooking in the sauce. You can also use chicken thighs cut up, use boneless skinless for easy preparation.
- Roast the Cashews: If you bought your cashews raw, you will want to roast them to bring out their flavor. Place them on a sheet pan and put in the oven at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes or until fragrant. They will crisp up as they cool.
- Garnish: I like to cut up some green onions and add at the very end for a bit of flavor and color.
- Serve: We love this over rice and some stir fried vegetables for a complete meal that is so scrumptious. You can also try cauliflower rice, quinoa or noodles to serve this cashew chicken over.
- Vegetables: You can also stir fry bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini and broccoli right in the wok after the chicken is done. Remove the chicken, stir fry the vegetables. When tender add the chicken back in and the sauce.
Storing Chinese Cashew Chicken
While cashew chicken is amazing the leftovers can be a little soggy. Especially the cashews! The flavor, however, intensifies as it melds together overnight.
- Store: Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days in a well sealed container.
- Reheat: To reheat you can use the microwave or add back to a pan and flash fry in the pan on medium high till heated through. This will help crisp up the chicken and nuts a bit.
More Better Than Takeout Favorites to Try
It is always a culinary success when I can make my favorite takeout meals at home. More often than not, they also taste better than the restaurants too. Save money and know exactly what is going into your favorite dishes by making them at home. When you are looking for a favorite, you have to try these first. They are all so good! You may never go out again!
- Slow Cooker General Tso Chicken
- Sticky Asian Glazed Chicken
- 20 Minute Garlic Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein
- Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef
- Crispy Sweet and Sour Baked Chicken
Cashew Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup Soy Sauce low sodium if preferred
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 3 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Hoisen Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
- 1 cup whole unsalted cashews
Instructions
- Cut your chicken breast into one inch pieces. Salt and pepper.
- Toss the chicken with the cornstarch in a ziplock bag.
- Add olive oil to a wok or large skillet over medium high heat. Once the oil gets to the smoking point then add the chicken in a single layer in batches. Cook each side until golden brown.
- In a small bowl whisk the soy sauce, chicken broth, garlic, brown sugar, hoisin and sesame oil. Add to the pan with the cashews. Toss until the sauce has thickened. Serve over rice and with veggies if desired.
Nutrition
Serves: 4
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
I made this tonight and it turned out fantastic! Only addition I made was put a little bit of minced ginger in the sauce, but everything was spot on! I loved how coating the chicken skipped having to make a cornstarch slurry while simultaneously giving the chicken a little more texture. Amazing recipe, will definitely make again!
Made this tonight for dinner – outstanding! The sauce is very similar to PF Chang’s vegetarian lettuce wraps, which I was make along with the leftovers (tomorrow). The **ONLY** change I made was to add a pinch of powdered ginger
Best dish I’ve had in a long time
Super yummy! Go low sodiun soy sauce and broth—- and roast plain cashews so that the recipe doesn’t turn out too salty. Fresh steamed vegetables are best as with brown rice.
Hi there,
is there a substitute for the hoisin sauce or can I take it out? I dont really like hoisin sauce.
Renee
Maybe this isn’t helpful because I modified so many things, but at base, this was a good recipe! I subbed thighs for breast and frozen green beans for broccoli, added a sliced seeded jalapeno with the green beans. I followed the sauce recipe almost to a T until I subbed water for broth and added a splash of rice vinegar. Anyhow, I was grateful for the recipe. The sauce was well balanced and we all really enjoyed this meal, kids included.
Thank you! I’ll bet it’s great the way it’s written as well, since the method is solid and the sauce is excellent.
I grabbed this recipe off the internet, wanted to make cashew chicken and read through it in the grocery store! It turned out delicious, my husband The Critic really loved it. I added broccoli, celery, and red peppers, had to scoop out a few cashews I burned and add more, and I didn’t measure ingredients exactly since I was making it for two, not four. It’s pretty forgiving though. Who knows how much better it would be if I followed the directions?
Delicious!!! I made this in a skillet and it was very messy, but worth it. I also sautéed zucchini and carrots diced small. I will make this again.
That sounds delicious!
Delicious!!! I made this in a skillet and it was very messy, but worth it. I also sautéed zucchini and carrots diced small. I will make this again.
Served to my husband, brother-in-laws and wives and they loved it!
Was fast, easy, and a hit!
I started chopping at 3:30 with the veg I like to add then pounded out my chicken breast which I buy thin cut anyways and sliced and tossed it in the cornstarch. Then I made the sauce Started frying the chicken about 5:40. Don’t know why people say this is quick?! But I will say that it was a tasty recipe. I did add crushed red pepper and a bit of sweet chili to the sauce as we like spicy chicken cashew. Will make again but is easy a 2&1/2 to 3 hour recipie. Oh I also added a tablespoon of freshly grated ginger and sliced green onions and baby corn 😉
It always takes me a long time to prep all the ingredients and cook the chicken in batches too! Every once in a while it’s worth all that effort to splurge on something this good!
Ignore my comment. I just found the amount in the ingredients. I guess I had a moment of blindness,lol.
I tried this tonight and it was quick and delicious. I used chicken thighs instead of breasts because I think they don’t dry out too quickly when sauteed. I bought the thighs already skinned and de-boned—–HUGE time saver. Including making rice and a side of steamed broccoli, I had dinner on the table in less than an hour. I always make double the sauce listed on almost every recipe because we like things saucy!! Lol Thanks for sharing. I will be putting this in my meal rotation.
Hi! I made this with frozen chicken- thawed for 30 min in hot water. Cooking took 15-20 from start to finish! I’m not sure how this could possibly take 2.5-3 hours unless just by choice!
You didn’t list the amount of each ingredient?
The exact ingredient measurements are listed at the bottom of the post on the recipe card! 🙂
My husband loved how this turned out, and he’s an American-born Chinese guy. He said it tastes like something you could get at the Chinese restaurant we used to like in college. He even said I should make it for his mom next time she visits us. That’s the ultimate compliment I think! Thanks for the delicious recipe.
That IS the ultimate compliment! I’m so glad he loved them!
So simple, but so tasty. Easy to make veg, too. Subbed tofu for chicken, and it tasted delicious. I do recommend using reduced-sodium soy sauce and broth.
This was Fabulous!!! It’s the most authentic and delicious Cashew chicken ever. I did veggies on the side… then mixed them in at the end. Red, orange, green sliced bell peppers, baby corn, red and white onion.
I sprinkled sesame seeds on the final product with a few cilantro leaves. Served on brown rice. I used chicken tenderloins.
I honestly will never get take out again! It was actually better than our local Chinese restaurant that we have great be to for over 25 years. I did add a half a cup of finally diced onion and celery and sautéed it just for a minute so it was still crunchy because the hubby likes it that way. It was amazing!!
This was wonderful! The only thing I did differently was to add fresh broccoli when I added the sauce, covered it a s steamed the broccoli, then added the cashews. I will be making this again since it was so easy and delicious!
Quick and easy, very tasty! For my taste, I’ll have to double the sauce recipe.
Be careful doubling the sauce. I did that and it got very salty
a great dish, thank you, I wouldn’t have otherwise known where to start knowing how to make it, only order it