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.
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
Be 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.
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.
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
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 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 and cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute.
Remove from the heat. Stir in the scallion greens, cashews and sesame oil.
Serve with 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.
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
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- 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
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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
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Made this for my partner and a friend we had over for dinner. Used tofu instead of chicken, and slightly less vinegar than called for. This was so good, we all loved it and will make this again!
This was hands down the best Cashew Chicken I have ever eaten…..period. It was easy to make and turned out perfect. I’ve tried making several Asian dishes over the past few years and this was definitely a winner. The whole family loved it! Thanks for the great recipe.
It was just ok. Ive had better take out. The best part was how easy it was.
Don’t know what could’ve gone wrong as I followed all of the directions, but this was just awful. It made my house smell pretty bad and it tastes nothing like local take out! Maybe living in an urban area gives me high expectations for takeout…
Rose, I’m so sorry it didn’t turn out as you expected!
Given how many 5’s this recipe gets I can’t imagine why this didn’t turn out for Rose. I just made this for extended family and they raved about it. I guess everyone has different taste buds. 🙂
Did you use rice vinegar and dark sesame oil? Those two ingredients can not be changed and will completely ruin your dish of if not used.
Love this recipe! Can you tell me which ingredients you double for more sauce? I doubled the vinegar, along with the other sauce ingredients but I think that changed the taste. I am wondering if I should have skipped the extra vinegar. Thanks.
Anne, while I may have done the same thing if doubling the recipe, if you found it to too vinegary in flavor, I wouldn’t double that ingredient– maybe use 3 Tbsp. of the vinegar instead of 4.
Another excellent dish! Better than take out – we love this and will be made again. Jenn, keeping to the Chinese theme, do you have a recipe for black bean sauce? Thanks again and again for these amazing and easy recipes.
Glad you liked it Janet. I don’t currently have a black bean sauce recipe. If I don’t have a particular recipe, I will often suggest one from another site but, in this case, I didn’t see one that I loved– sorry!
Tried this and there was not enough sauce. I notice others sugest doubling the sauce, so I agree with that. I wonder if you could use other meat? Or maybe even ground meat?
I think you could get away with using sliced beef like flank steak. Not certain about ground beef, but if you try it, let me know how it turns out!
This was delicious! Even a picky eater said so, for once the whole family truly enjoyed a meal. I will definitely make this again! I made it with a fried rice recipe from another blog (gimme some oven) it was a great dinner! I love every recipe I have tried on this site which is saying alot! Thanks for the wonderful recipes Jenn.
This is one of my favorite dinners. Is there a way to adapt the recipe for a slow cooker?
Hi Wendy, I haven’t prepared it in a slow cooker (and I’m not terribly experienced with one 🙂 so I hesitate t say. This looks like a good resource for tips on adapting recipes for slow cookers: http://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/articles/six-tips-for-adapting-a-recipe-for-a-slow-cooker.html
I made this dish tonight and it was very good. I will definitely make it again but personally I think it needs some more scallions. I will add more for next time. Other than that, it was easy and very tasty.
Hi Jen! Can I use low sodium soy? I always get nervous about using full-sodium because you can’t undo the salt level. Just bought everything for this and plan to make this week! Thank you! Ps please keep adding recipes– I’m close to trying almost every single dinner recipe on your site!
Hi Erin, Yes, low sodium will work just fine; you can always add more or a pinch of salt if necessary. And promise to keep adding recipes 🙂
This is our favorite recipe! I have three finicky children, and each one asks for this by name! Thanks for the recipe….and reason NOT to go to the Chinese food place!
Yum! I came across this recipe about 6 months ago and have been making it regularly since. My partner is always requesting this meal!
Another out of this world recipe! I love Chinese food – but hate how dry I feel after eating it at our local restaurant. This is delicious! And, you are right – you feel great after eating it. My family loves it and it is now in my regular rotation. This is an easy weeknight dinner for my busy family. I have made it with chicken thighs and breasts – both turned out well. Like some of the other reviewers, I double the sauce to have enough to cover a hearty bowl of rice. Thank you!
Growing up ‘Cashew Chicken’ at the local Mandarin restaurant was at least a monthly occasion. Also my favorite one. I have made this twice and both times it was better than any restaurant. As a matter of fact I’m making it tonight to show off for some friends. Thank you for a great, easy recipe that takes me back to a wonderful time in my life.
This recipe is fantastic!! I did add zucchini, mushrooms, water chestnuts and red pepper flakes for a kick. Also doubled sauce. Would highly recommend.
Such an easy dinner to prepare and is full of flavor. I had a zucchini, so I diced it up and added with the second round of chicken. Best part of this dish was I had leftovers and when I reheated it at work, I had several people comment on how good it smelled and wondered where I got this meal.
Wow! I never leave reviews; your cashew chicken recipe has ‘forced’ me to comment. :O) This was so delicious! Recently, for the first time in years, I ate some cashew chicken at a local chinese restaurant. This recipe just blew the restaurant offering out of the water. Thank you so much for sharing, Jennifer.
What a great looking recipe! For those who need to eat wheat- or gluten-free, it could be made with Wok Mei hoisin sauce and gluten-free soy or tamari.
Thanks for the info on Wok Mei hoisin sauce. I use Tamari regularly, but didnt have a gluten free alternative for hoisin!
Looking forward to trying this recipe!
YUM! did recipe as is… only added more veggies. YUM!
I forgot to rate this recipe… Plus a few more stars!
This recipe is AWESOME! I have made it twice this week! I am redeemed in the eyes of my sons! Will continue to follow you!
So easy and delicious! I added water chestnuts and broccoli, and served it with brown rice. Thanks for the great recipe!
Super excited about this recipe! Can I substitute coconut aminos for soy sauce?
Hi Janette, I’ve never tried that product but it should work.
Best Cashew Chicken recipe!!!! I would make a little more sauce next time, especially since I added water chestnuts. So yummy!! Thanks for the great recipe!
I made this dish a couple of weeks ago. I followed the directions exactly. I used sliced cashews instead of whole ones. My husband and I absolutely loved this dish. I served it with white rice and homemade crab rangoons. Delicious!!!
Great recipe; thanks so much for sharing this. Two thumbs up from my husband, not only because he LOVED the dish but also because there was only 1 pan to wash!
This dish is beautiful! I don’t even like cashews but I loved this dish!! Amazing!!
This is the second recipe I have tried from this website and it was another hit with my family. Everyone loved it, even my 4-year-old. I paired it with Rachel Ray’s lo mein.
Spicy. Nothing like what I thought it would be. Nothing like anywhere I have had this
How was it spicy? Doesn’t make any sense since there’s no spicy ingredient in it…
Love this recipe!! Easy and fast to make and it’s delicious. Please add more homemade Chinese food recipes. Love your website, all the recipes I’ ve tried work perfectly. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Greetings from Calgary
Made this dish last night and it was AMAZING!! I don’t usually like Cashew chicken but I tried it because I read the reviews and Im so glad I did… will be making this again!
Such a simple set of ingredients for such a great tasting dish. So much better that I’ve ever had at any chinese restaurant!
New Year’s Eve is always Chinese food and this recipe sounded great. By far it was the best cashew chicken I have ever eaten. It is 10 times better than a restaurant. Thank you for making our celebration a success.
Excellent!! I’ve been hunting the Internet for Chinese and Thai recipes for 6 mos and I have been severely disappointed. This recipe I’m keeping!!! It’s scrumptious!!! Thank you – send more!
Wonderful! The only change I made was to add water chestnuts. Jenn, your recipe is fantastic! I only wish there was a little bit more sauce. If I want to make more sauce, should I just double the rice vinegar and let it evaporate and then double the hoisin, soy sauce, water and sesame oil?
Thank you!
Yes, that should do it, Michele. Please let me know how it turns out.
I have made this several times for my family. I have 2 young kids and they love it!! I have given to several friends and they have said it was a success in their home too!
Made this dish last night for dinner. Wonderful flavor and so easy! This is a keeper.
I made this with tofu instead of chicken and added a few more veggies. It was very delicious-definitely restaurant quality!!
Thank you for sharing!
I have tried numerous Cashew Chicken recipes but this one is by far the best! Thank you for sharing it.
SO GOOD! And so fast and easy. Great recipe! Thanks!
Love this quick dish. Usually when I stir fry it’s just playing it by ear. . .throw it all in, stir and serve.
This recipe shows me that order matters. (ie, working the chicken in batches, letting the vinegar cook off before the hoisen/soy sauce, etc).
I’ve added this recipe to muscle memory so I can pull it together quickly. In addition to the salt and pepper for seasoning the chicken, I sprinkled some corn starch in to coat it as well. I like how it gives it more texture, and browning. I serve it in a bowl, over rice, with edamame squeezed out of the pods on top. Dash of sriracha for a lil spice, and it’s become a favorite –into the rotation!
PS. This is the first main dish I’ve tried from the site, but I also have enjoyed the chai-spiced banana bread, the black bean and corn salad with chipotle/honey vinaigrette, an the strawberry and orange salad with citrus syrup and mint!
I love this recipe! I added vegetables (broccoli, sliced carrots, peppers, mushrooms and onions) to it so it was a “complete” meal (nutritionally speaking). Will add this recipe to rotation!
This is a handy recipe to have when there’s not much in the fridge to whip up a meal: it’s quick and easy to make, and there’s so few ingredients required to make it. My toddler kids and husband really like this dish, and also makes for a great leftover lunch as well.
I find the sauce is a little on the thin side, so I add some potato starch dissolved in water to thicken the sauce a little, and also decrease the amount of water that’s called for in the recipe.
Something is definitely not right with the sauce on this Cashew Chicken recipe. I eat Thai food all the time and was expecting something similar to Thai Cashew Chicken but the sauce was way too sweet and cloying.
Please tell me where and how to locate your other recipes. If all are great as this Chinese stir fry one then your other recipes are a must for me. I am 80 yrs old and still enjoy finding new recipes.
Thank you for your help.
Regards, Dorthy
This is on my menu for this week!!! Could you make extra and freeze it?
Hi Mandy, I hope you enjoy the chicken. To be honest, I’ve never tried freezing it but I think it’s probably best made fresh.
Maybe it was the hoisin sauce that I used (Dynasty — I couldn’t find the recommended ones), but something was off with the sauce.
Hi Adora, I think you’re correct…hoisin sauce has a very powerful flavor and it’s important to use a good one. I have not had great results with the Dynasty brand.
I have a brand of Hoisin sauce called K.A.M.E from an organic foods store. I hope this works because I cannot buy the brand suggested. I dont know its quality, all I know is its expensive.
This recipe was amazing! So tasty! My husband and I are fighting over who gets the leftovers for lunch. I will be making this again!
I just made it…Delicious & so easy to prepare!