Cashew Chicken
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All the flavor of your favorite takeout, none of the fuss—this cashew chicken is quick, easy, and barely requires any prep. A weeknight dinner winner!
Craving that savory-sweet cashew chicken from your favorite Chinese restaurant? This version is quick enough for a weeknight and so much better than takeout. No wok needed—just a large nonstick skillet. Aside from the chicken, the only chopping you’ll do is some garlic and scallions. The rest comes straight from the pantry.
Just a heads-up: stir-fries cook fast, so have everything measured and ready to go before you start. And when prepping the chicken, keep the pieces on the larger side so they cook evenly and stay juicy.
“Quick and easy. My teenage son and his friends all raved how good it was. Thanks!rn”
What You’ll Need To Make Cashew Chicken
- Cashews: Roasted, unsalted cashews add crunch and a toasty, nutty bite that pairs perfectly with the savory sauce. If you’re toasting them yourself, keep a close eye—they can go from golden to burnt in seconds. You’ll know they’re ready when they smell fragrant and turn just a shade darker.
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins both work well here. Tenderloins are especially easy and stay tender in a quick stir-fry.
- Garlic & Scallions: Garlic brings bold, savory flavor, while scallions add both sharpness and fresh, bright color. Use the white and light green parts for stir-frying; save the dark green tops for garnish.
- Soy Sauce, Hoisin, Rice Vinegar & Water: This combo gives you that classic takeout-style sweet-salty-tangy balance. Hoisin brings sweetness and depth—go with a good brand like Lee Kum Kee or Kikkoman. Soy sauce adds umami, rice vinegar adds a little acidity, and water loosens the sauce just enough to coat everything evenly.
- Cornstarch: Helps the sauce cling to every bite and gives it that glossy, restaurant-style finish.
- Vegetable Oil & Toasted Sesame Oil: Use neutral vegetable oil for stir-frying, and finish with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil for its rich, nutty aroma. Be sure to use toasted sesame oil—the dark, fragrant kind—not the light, untoasted variety.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Toast the cashews. Preheat the oven to 350°F and toast the cashews on a baking sheet until fragrant, about 5 minutes—they’ll crisp up as they cool.
Step 2: Make the sauce. While the cashews toast, whisk together the water, cornstarch, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
Step 3: Brown the first batch of chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over high heat and stir-fry half the chicken until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. (Browning the chicken in batches helps it sear instead of steam.) Transfer it to a plate.
Step 4: Cook the remaining chicken with aromatics. Add the remaining oil, chicken, garlic, and the white parts of the scallions to the pan. Cook until lightly browned, then return the first batch of chicken to the skillet. Lower the heat, add the rice vinegar, and cook for about 30 seconds, until it evaporates.
Step 5: Add the sauce and finish cooking. Pour in the sauce mixture and stir everything together. Let it cook for about a minute, or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens up.
Step 6: Finish with cashews and scallions. Off the heat, stir in the scallion greens, toasted cashews, and sesame oil. Adding the sesame oil at the end preserves its nutty aroma—and since a little goes a long way, you don’t need much. Serve with rice and enjoy!
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Cashew Chicken
Ingredients
- ¾ cup roasted, unsalted cashews
- ¼ cup water
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup 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-in (4-cm) pieces
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 6 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 8 scallions, white and green parts separated, sliced into 1-in (2.5-cm) pieces
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- 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.
- Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: in a small bowl, whisk together the water, cornstarch, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce. Set aside.
- Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
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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This is the third recipe I have made and all three were great. Spaghetti pie,Segal burgers now cashew chicken.
I have tried at least ten of Jenn’s recipes and have been blown away every single time. Her recipes seriously rock. Restaurant quality taste and easy to follow, thorough instructions. We just didn’t enjoy the taste of hoisin with this one. To be fair, I used Dynasty rather than the two brands she suggested so that was probably part of it, but it seemed like four tablespoons was excessive. I would suggest to anyone interested in this recipe to consider using half the amount of hoisin and to smell it before you add it. If you don’t like the way it smells, you probably won’t like the way it tastes.
Loved this recipe. It was easy to make and so delicious! After making it per the recipe, I played around a bit and added our personal likes to it. A little crushed red pepper, a bit of ginger and some veggies.
This has become one of our favorites. Thanks for sharing.
This was delicious! Thank you! I am not a good cook and this came out amazing, followed all of the steps and did not change anything. One thing I would recommend to basic skill level people like myself is to measure out and have all ingredients handy, because it’s all happening fast on high heat. That was some intense cooking compared to the boring stuff I usually make, but it came out so amazing. Will be checking out your other recipes.
Really nice recipe. I basically followed the script, but I like things spicy, so I added a tbsp of Schiracha, a pinch of cayenne powder, and some red pepper flakes. This did amp up the flavors very nicely for those who like it spicy. Also, I added a tbsp of Oyster sauce just because I really like the taste of Oyster sauce and always add a tbsp of that LOL I like that this recipe is so simple that it’s easy to improvise on the theme without it becoming a major project. This one’s in my rotation now. PS – like another reviewer, I always add a tbsp of corn starch to the chicken and shake it up in a bag, just to make the meat a little more tender.
Family favorite, make this when the family is craving Chinese takeout, much healthier! I mix in broccoli.
Just made this for the first time, and it was really delicious! I added 1/2 of a large onion and a whole red pepper, which added a nice color to the dish. Since I was out of Jasmine rice, I used organic brown rice Pad Thai noodles instead, and liked it with them much more than I thought I would. The noodles soaked up the flavor of the sauce and was really yummy! I also made 1/2 more sauce, since I was adding more vegetables. Thank you so much for an outstanding recipe that I’m sure will become a regular meal at our home!
Another terrific recipe enjoyed by all – even our daughter who doesn’t love chicken dishes. Another keeper.
My husband is typically a picky eater (but we both love Chinese). Was hungry for something home cooked and simple and this was delicious!! His plate was clean in no time. Will be making again!!
I really wanted to love this recipe but there was just way too much garlic. It over powered the whole dish and I couldn’t taste anything else.