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Cashew Chicken

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This cashew chicken with tender stir-fried chicken and roasted cashews in garlic sauce tastes just like take-out.

Bowl of cashew chicken over rice.

This cashew chicken, or stir-fried chicken with roasted cashews in garlic sauce, tastes just like take-out from your favorite Chinese restaurant. It’s easy to make at home. You don’t need a wok — just a large nonstick skillet — and, aside from the chicken, the only chopping involves garlic and scallions. The rest of the ingredients come out of bottles and jars. As with all stir-fries, the dish cooks quickly, so be sure to have all your ingredients prepped before you start cooking. Also, be sure not to cut the chicken pieces too small, or they will cook too quickly and overcook.

Looking for more Chinese take-out favorites to try at home? Try sweet and sour shrimp with broccoli, kung pao chicken, orange chicken, and beef and broccoli.

What You’ll Need To Make Cashew Chicken

cashew chicken ingredientsBe sure to use a high-quality hoisin sauce like Kikkoman or Lee Kum Kee; it makes a big difference.

How To Make Cashew Chicken

To begin, place the cashews on a baking sheet in a single layer.

Cashews on a lined baking sheet.

Toast in the oven until fragrant, about 5 minutes. (They will crisp up as they cool.) Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: in a small bowl, whisk together the water, cornstarch, hoisin sauce and soy sauce. Set aside.

Whisk in a bowl of sauce mixture.Next, season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil over high heat until very hot. Add half of the chicken to the skillet

Chicken in a skillet.

Stir-fry until lightly browned but not cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Cooked chicken in a skillet.

Add the remaining tablespoon vegetable oil to the skillet; then add remaining chicken, garlic and white parts of the scallions. Stir-fry until the chicken is lightly browned but not cooked through, about 3 minutes. Return the first batch of chicken to the pan. Turn the heat down to medium and add the rice vinegar; cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds.

Chicken in a skillet with seasonings.

Add the sauce mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute.

Sauce mixture and chicken in a skillet.

Remove from the heat. Stir in the scallion greens, cashews and sesame oil.

Scallion greens and cashews in a skillet with chicken.

Serve with rice.

Bowl of cashew chicken over rice.

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Cashew Chicken

This cashew chicken with tender stir-fried chicken and roasted cashews in garlic sauce tastes just like take-out.

Servings: 4
Total Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup roasted, unsalted cashews
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 4 tablespoons hoisin sauce, best quality such as Kikkoman or Lee Kum Kee
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins, cut into 1½-inch pieces
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 6 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • 8 scallions (1 bunch), white and green parts separated, each cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • ¼ teaspoon Asian sesame oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Place the cashews on a baking sheet in a single layer. Toast in the oven until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Set aside; they will crisp up as they cool.
  3. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: in a small bowl, whisk together the water, cornstarch, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce. Set aside.
  4. Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.
  5. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil over high heat until very hot. Add half of the chicken to the skillet and stir-fry until lightly browned but not cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
  6. Add the remaining tablespoon vegetable oil to the skillet; then add the remaining chicken, garlic and white parts of the scallions. Stir-fry until the chicken is lightly browned but not cooked through, about 3 minutes. Return the first batch of chicken to the pan. Turn the heat down to medium and add the rice vinegar; cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds.
  7. Add the sauce mixture to the chicken; cook, tossing, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is nicely thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Stir in the scallion greens, cashews and sesame oil. Serve immediately.

Pair with

Nutrition Information

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  • Per serving (4 servings)
  • Serving size: about 1 1/4 cups each
  • Calories: 464
  • Fat: 24 g
  • Saturated fat: 4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 19 g
  • Sugar: 7 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Protein: 45 g
  • Sodium: 855 mg
  • Cholesterol: 125 mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Gluten-Free Adaptable Note

To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.

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Comments

  • Can I freeze servings to bring to a sick friend?

    • — Joan W. Abrams on March 23, 2024
    • Reply
    • Hi Joan, To be honest, I’ve never tried freezing it but I think it’s probably best made fresh. If you’re looking for freezer-friendly options to bring your friend, I have a whole section of freezable recipes here. Hope you find an option that works!

      • — Jenn on March 24, 2024
      • Reply

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