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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This was really delicious! Super easy, comes together quickly. My hubby and I both loved it. Another wonderful recipe. Loving your cookbook too.
Disappointing. Won’t be making it again
Can this be made the day before?
Sure!
Maybe don’t add the cashews til the day you serve. Sometimes they lose their crunch.
This was so good, my husband wants it again tonight!! Wow!! Thank you! I added some fresh grated ginger, 1/2 teaspoon of chili garlic paste, and some snow peas! Outstanding!!! I have just subscribed to your blog hoping to find more recipes! Thank you!
This was an outstanding dish! I made it last night and it was GREAT! My husband is a picky eater and he enjoyed it. The chicken was tender and the sauce was delicious. Will be making this one again…soon!
I made this for dinner tonight. Easy and delicious. Better than any restaurant Cashew Chicken I’ve ever had.
My family really enjoyed this recipe and I enjoyed that I could put a healthy, delicious meal on the table in fairly short order. The flavors are great as is. Next time I may try adding some ginger and a small amount of red pepper flakes. I served this over rice and added steamed broccoli to the bowl. Thank you, Jenn!
This is a family favorite! I add broccoli and a little more spice.
This turned out great and everyone loved it. I used a chicken thighs and although doing so added prep time to trim, it was worth it.
This dish was so easy to make, delicious and will be added to our regular rotation of dinner meals!!!
I love this dish – it’s in heavy rotation at my house. Love that it comes together quickly, perfect for an easy weeknight meal. Thanks for a delicious recipe!
Fantastic recipe! Really tasty and easy to make…my husband said it was like in a restaurant. Thank you!
This is my favorite. I make it all the time for my children and their families. I make a double batch and freeze one batch omitting the nuts. I add them when I reheat this chicken
Excellent recipe. I usually coat my chicken in corn or potato starch before stir frying. A TBS of the starch in a plastic bag, add the chicken and shake it until lightly covered, then stir fried will make the chicken softer and more succulent.
Thanks!
We have made this many many weeknights. Easy and delicious!
I made this tonight after trying several other, unsuccessful recipes. I love cashew chicken, but when I order it out it is mostly celery (yuck), green peppers (yuck) and baby corn (double yuck). And there are like 5 cashews. This was DELICIOUS!! I followed the recipe exactly and found the hoisin sauce on Amazon. Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe!
Dee-licious! I made this and froze in individual portions for my son who had a broken wrist and couldn’t cook. Froze beautifully. I toasted raw cashews and kept them separate from the frozen portions to add when served so they wouldn’t get soft. I also added a tin of sliced water chestnuts (nice crunch) and the 2nd time I made it, I also added zucchini chunks (it’s summer and I had a few zucch’s I wanted to use). One thing I liked about it was it tasted like real Chinese restaurant chicken to us. Also, I used boneless thighs and served over farro instead of rice- just my son’s preference. Super easy and this will be definitely be in the regular cycle of menus for the family.
I stumbled upon this recipe and it looks delicious! I have raw cashews on hand, but not roasted. Are they ok to use in this recipe? Should I toast them longer in the oven? Thanks!
Yes, I would toast them longer until they are fragrant and golden.
I have made this recipe a dozen times. I do make extra sauce only because my family likes a little extra to drizzle over rice. But this recipe is definitely delicious and tastes way better than any take out!
Can I use any other kind of vinegar besides rice vinegar
Hi Bret, Cider vinegar would work here also. Enjoy!
This is a straightforward and delicious recipe. Turned out great and the family really enjoyed it.
Like some of the other reviewers, I added corn starch with the water to thicken the sauce.
Absolutely love this dish! I’ve been making it every couple of weeks and the family eats it up each time. My family loves spicy food, so I’ve been adding a little cayenne pepper to the salt and pepper with the chicken and some crushed red pepper with all the liquid ingredients. I’ve also used a little corn starch and water to turn the liquid into a rich, silky sauce. I add some steamed veggies to make sure the kids are eating something healthy. Makes a great 1 pot dinner in 30 minutes.
Made last night, we loved it! I did add about 1/4 cup chopped celery and carrot each that I softened in the microwave just because I had them. I used the Kilimanjaro Housin Sauce. My husband had to pick up in St. Louis because I couldn’t find it in our rural area. It was worth it. The is our recipe from now on. I don’t believe I could eat take out cashew chicken now.
Would this work with cashews that are already salted?
That would be fine, but I’d suggest reducing the added salt to about 1/4 tsp. Hope you enjoy!
Wow! Delighted with this very tasty dish, so easy to make.
Deeeeeee-lish! Will definitely make again and don’t think I will change a thing.
This recipe is fantastic! Quick and easy. I’ll be adding this into our regular meal rotation.
Getting some of the ingredients was kinda pricey because I had none of it on hand. But not to worry because I just made this and O M G….I added a few more veggies like celery and carrot. Will definitely make again ! YUM
Made this tonight and even my toddler cleared his plate and wanted seconds. I will for sure make this again! Thank you
Thanks Jenn, for another wonderful recipe. My very picky family loved this dish and they aren’t very fond of Asian food. Keep up the great recipes!!!
how many calories in this recipe
Hi Pam, each serving of the chicken has 464 calories. I’ve added all of the nutritional information to the recipe if you want to take a peek.
Maybe I missed this, but how many servings does this make so I know how large of a serving I can eat for nutritional content purposes?
There are 4 servings and each serving should be approximately 1 1/4 cups.
What would be best to use to add some kick/heat to the Cashew Chicken? We usually order “Heat Level 3-4” from the restaurant. Thanks!
Hi Kim, you could easily serve this with some crushed red pepper flakes or add some chili paste, such as sambal oelek. Hope you enjoy!
Delicious! Reminiscent of Chinese take-out but fresher and much more flavorful. The kids loved it too. The side of steamed broccoli made it a perfect meal.
Delicious! Finally, a meal the whole family agreed on hah! I served on lettuce wraps for me and with rice for the kids and hubby.
Hi Jen, planning on making this tonight. 2 Qs – I don’t have scallions on hand, do you think shallots, pickled red onion, or regular white onion would substitute? Also instead of white rice am thinking of making your fried cauliflower rice (again, no scallions). Think the combo will work?
Hi Donna, You could get away shallots or white onion here if you saute them a bit first. And I think this would be good served with the cauliflower fried rice. Hope you enjoy!
This was so delicious! What a great recipe! I always order cashew nut chicken from my local Thai restaurant, but this is even better! yummmmmy!
Jenn, can hardly wait to make this, but my gentleman friend is not a white meat eater. I will use thighs instead…what will the cooking time? Thanks, Carol
Hi Carol, I’d double the cook time. Hope you both enjoy it!
My family and I loved this. I decided to add mushrooms and broccoli just because I wanted more veggies for my guys. I also doubled the sauce. I’m so glad I did because the flavor of the sauce is amazing!
Followed the recipe exactly. Even the kids enjoyed it!
I am so glad I happened upon this recipe. Great flavor, speed, and simplicity make this a winner. Thank you!
Just like every other recipe of Jenn’s, this was absolutely delicious. Can’t wait for the cookbook!
This was delicious! Boyfriend approved. We didn’t have white rice at the time, but had sugar snap peas with it. A healthy alternative and they went nicely with the dish!
I want to try this, but have a question…why is 1/2 of the chicken browned before adding additional ingredients, and then the second 1/2 browned with them?
Hi Danielle, The chicken is cooked in two batches so as not to crowd the pan. If you were to add it all at once, the chicken would steam instead of sear.
Thanks! It worked out great 🙂
Loved this recipe, super simple and very tasty! My go too for cashew chicken. Thanks bunches! ?
OMG! I made this tonight and it rocks. We make a lot of stir frys and this one is going on the short list. Super easy and so much better than any Cashew Chicken I’ve had at a restaurant. Fantastic combination of flavors.
You have so spoiled me again. I already can’t bear any Caesar Salad dressing but yours. Now, I have to add Cashew Chicken to my list.
I have made this several times over the past couple years and loved it. However, our family has since become vegan. I was craving the taste of this dish and had a brilliant idea – TOFU! I simply warmed cubes of super firm tofu in a skillet and added it to the sauce to simmer. Such a wonderful vegan swap for this tasty recipe!
I made this for dinner last night and it turned out wonderfully. I used chicken thighs just because that’s what I had on hand, but otherwise followed the directions exactly. Super quick, easy and delicious! Anyone who had flavor issues possibly didn’t allow the vinegar to evaporate? Or didn’t use quality products? Don’t know, but I loved it. It will definitely be in the rotation regularly for weeknight meals.
Hi Jenn, I’m excited to try this recipe tonight, and I have a simple side-related question: You suggest steamed broccoli as an accompaniment, which I love, but I’m curious about how you season it. I often add shredded cheese to steamed broccoli, but I’m a bit tired of it, and I don’t think it would be a great pairing with the cashew chicken. I would love your suggestions for making steamed broccoli more interesting. Thank you in advance!
Hi Jenn, you can keep the seasoning for the broccoli really simple– maybe tossed with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. If you wanted to stick with the Asian bent of this dish, you could use just a tiny bit of sesame oil, soy sauce and/or sesame seeds.
I love this recipe!! It is so easy and I like easy.
Made this last night for dinner. Quick and easy and good!?
Made tonight and loved! Only change was I would double the sauce – perhaps I used more chicken than recipe called for (about 6 med chicken breasts). I also added well-done sauteed onions and next time will add waterchestnuts. Really good, easy dish to make!