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My easy Cashew Chicken recipe skips the breading and frying, but you still get that crispy tender chicken! It all comes together in my flavorful sauce!
A Reader’s Review
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! It has become a family favorite!!! Easy and flavorful….my go to after a long day when I just want to cook something fast AND delicious!
Game-Changing Cashew Chicken
- No Breading or Frying! With my recipe, you get all the flavor without the mess, making it a healthier choice and a breeze to clean up!
- Flavor Town! The chicken is tender, the cashews bring the perfect crunch, and the sauce is an irresistible blend of sweet and savory goodness!
- Simple Ingredients! You probably already have everything you need in your pantry! No need to go to a specialty store.
Ingredients Needed
- Can I Use Chicken Thighs Instead of Breasts? Yes, chicken thighs work great in this recipe!
- Can I Add Veggies? Yes, I would stir-fry bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, broccoli, or any veggies you have on hand after cooking the chicken. Then add the chicken back once the veggies are tender.
- Garnish: I love tossing in some chopped green onions at the end for a burst of flavor and a pop of color!
How to Make Cashew Chicken
This is the easiest cashew chicken recipe, and it comes together quickly! So make sure you have everything ready to go. The extra time to prep everything before you start cooking will make all the difference. Try my skillet chicken & broccoli for another quick and simple meal.
- Cut Chicken: Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch equal pieces for even cooking. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper to taste.
- Coat Chicken Pieces: Add the chicken to a ziplock bag along with the cornstarch. Seal and shake the bag to coat the chicken pieces in the cornstarch.
- Cook Chicken: Add the olive oil to a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and cook until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Don’t cook all the way, it will finish cooking in the sauce.
- Make and Cook With The Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk soy sauce, chicken broth, minced garlic, brown sugar, Hoisin sauce, and sesame oil. Add the sauce to the pan, along with whole unsalted cashews. Toss until the sauce has thickened. Serve cashew chicken over rice with veggies if desired.
Roast Cashews
Roast Cashews For Flavor! If you bought raw cashews, roast them to bring out extra flavor! Place them on a sheet pan in the oven at 350°F for about 5 minutes. They’ll crisp up as they cool!
Storing Leftovers
While Chinese cashew chicken is amazing, the leftovers can be a little soggy. But, it’s worth saving because the flavors intensify as they meld together overnight.
- To Reheat: To reheat, use the microwave or a pan and flash fry on medium-high until heated through. This will help crisp up the chicken and cashews a bit.
- In the Refrigerator: Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
What to Serve With Cashew Chicken
We love eating our cashew chicken with my easy fried rice and some stir-fried vegetables for a complete meal. You can also try some of the ideas below.
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Better Than Takeout Cashew Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ¼ cup soy sauce or low-sodium
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 cup whole unsalted cashews
Instructions
- Cut 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the chicken to a ziplock bag along with ¼ cup cornstarch. Seal and shake the bag to coat the chicken pieces in the cornstarch.
- In a small bowl, whisk ¼ cup soy sauce, ½ cup chicken broth, 3 cloves minced garlic, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce, and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Add the sauce to the pan, along with 1 cup whole unsalted cashews. Toss until the sauce has thickened. Serve over rice and with veggies if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Absolutely easy and delicious! Only I addition that I do, is I add a half TB of Asian Chili Garlic Sauce when making this. Big hit with family too. Thank you!
Absolutely delicious, very simple…and can be very healthy too!
I used coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, and used “Swerve” brown sugar substitute. I then added diced red bell pepper and broccoli! My family was very impressed!
My only question is, why did my chicken stick to the pan even though I had all of that oil? I even switched pans and it did the same. I assumed it was because of the cornstarch. How can I avoid this next time? We can’t wait to make it again!
Thank you!
how many times can I say yum yum yum. So good so easy roasted garlic and peppers added celery all over rice. forgot the chick broth but was so good didn’t need it guesstimated everything
Doubled the sauce recipe and found it quite sweet.
I added carrot, celery, white onion and green pepper.
I even added some red chili flake but next time would only use a tsp of brown sugar.
Over all very tasty over basmati rice.
Excellent recipe!
I love cashew chicken and this was easy and tasted great. I was pretty shocked at how similar it was to my local establishments cashew chicken. Just a hell of a lot less salty than takeout that’s for sure. We served ours with jasmine rice. Not to mention my crazy picky four year old loved it too so that was a win! Saving this recipe for sure!
I have yet to try this….doing it now. I don’t see where or when to add broccoli?
You can add in the 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.
Hi! It says to toss the chicken with the “cornstarch mixture”. What is the cornstarch mixed with? I feel like I am missing something. Thanks!
Just the cornstarch! Thanks for the heads up on the confusion, I fixed that!
Absolutely delicious! We make this all the time and the whole family lives it. I use regular soy sauce because we bought a ginormous container of it. I think this recipe is packed with flavor, and the sauce has always thickened up nicely for me.
This recipe is good, but it’s sauce isn’t quiet right too me for a cashew chicke . If I wasn’t craving cashew chicken it’d be great for a stir fry. The soy sauce is a bit too overpowering, the umami isn’t strong enough, and their is some acidity missing. And it’s not quiet thick enough.
Try using half soy gauche halo ponzu and add a splash of fish sauce!
This recipe is fantastic!! I doubled the sauce part because we like a lot of sauce and I served it with rice and veggies. This also comes together really quick!!
easy to make and delicious! I posted on Facebook- the pic came out so good!
This was so delicious. Used 2 1/2 # of chx. and 8 garlic cloves. Sautéed mush, carrots, broccoli,. Took 3 hours to cook. Tonight added great Northern beans, rice, cheddar cheese and topped it w/scallions. WOW!!
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.