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I like ordering takeout as much as the next person, but I really love recreating my restaurant favorites at home. That way, I can have them whenever I want and still feel good about making my family dinner! This Cashew Chicken is the perfect example. It was my go-to order for years until I thought about trying to DIY it. The good news is that this cashew chicken stir-fry is very easy, delicious, and coated in a sweet-savory sauce.
Table of Contents
I love making stir-fry. Everything happens in one skillet (or wok if you have one!) and comes together fast. This cashew chicken starts by making a simple sauce that I honestly could just dip dumplings or tofu in that’s made from soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sriracha. It’s sweet, salty, nutty, and a little spicy. Basically, this cashew chicken sauce is ah-mazing!
I like to coat the chicken in cornstarch so it browns really well and crisps up quickly! This chicken stir-fry recipe is, of course, packed with toasted cashews, which slightly soften and soak up the sauce. I recommend serving the cashew chicken over rice—it honestly doesn’t need anything else!
Recipe At a Glance
Cuisine Inspiration: Asian
Primary Cooking Method: Stovetop
Dietary Info: Dairy-free
Key Flavor: Chicken and cashews
Skill Level: Easy
Why This Is So Good
- Loaded with veggies: With red pepper, celery, and scallions, this is truly a one-skillet dinner!
- Cheaper than takeout: The prices at restaurants have been just going insane lately, and really aren’t worth the value half the time; making most dishes is cheaper at home, and you get 4 servings for the price of 1!
- Quick: This cashew chicken recipe takes about 30 minutes to make. I recommend you have all of your ingredients prepped and measured out beforehand! Once the chicken is cooked, the rest of the dish happens very quickly.
Ingredients to Make Cashew Chicken
- Honey, soy sauce, sesame seed oil, rice vinegar, and sriracha: These are the sauce ingredients! You can use another hot sauce instead of the sriracha.
- Chicken breast: Make sure to use boneless, skinless chicken breast so you don’t have to remove the skin or cut around the bone.
- Avocado oil: I like avocado oil because it’s what’s called a high-heat oil (meaning you can use it over high heat without it burning or smoking!).
- Green onions: These are like very mild onions! You’ll use the white and green parts (read about how to chop them here!).
- Garlic and ginger: These are your aromatics. They will add so much flavor.
- Red pepper: I like red bell pepper, but you could use a green or yellow pepper instead.
- Celery: Cooked celery softens and absorbs sauce so well.
- Cashews: Use roasted, unsalted cashews for the best flavor without added sodium!
Popular Substitutions & Additions
- Make it gluten-free. Swap in tamari for the soy sauce.
- Substitute the cashews. Roasted peanuts would also work and be delicious!
- Use chicken thighs. You can use the same amount of chicken thighs instead of breasts. These are just dark meat!
- Make it spicy. For a spicier stir-fry, you can double the amount of sriracha in the sauce or add a chopped chile along with the garlic and ginger.
How to Make Cashew Chicken
I can’t believe it took me this long to come up with my own cashew chicken recipe! It’s simple and I love the combination of crispy chicken, warm cashews, and a sweet-and-savory sauce.
Tips for Making the Best Ginger Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
- Cut the chicken into evenly sized pieces. This will ensure they cook at the same speed!
- Don’t skip the cornstarch. It’s pretty flavorless and helps the chicken brown and crisp with just a little oil.
- Have all of your ingredients ready. With this stir-fry, you’ll add the ingredients one after the other pretty quickly. I like to have all of my ingredients measured and set out before I start cooking!
- Don’t use a traditional nonstick skillet. This stir-fry calls for cooking the cashew chicken on medium-high heat for quite some time. Traditional nonstick isn’t meant to be used over high heat like this! I’d recommend sticking with stainless steel, a wok, or even a ceramic nonstick skillet.
What to Serve With Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
Frequently Asked Questions
Any leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat it, you can do so in a skillet over low heat or in the microwave for a few minutes, adding time as necessary.
Becuase the chicken in this recipe is cut into small pieces and cooks over higher heat, there’s not a huge worry about it being cooked through. If you’re concerned, you can always use a meat thermometer to check a larger peice. When the thermometer reads 165°F the chicken is done.
If the sauce seems too liquidy, just cook it for a little longer: It will thicken as it reduces.
With super tender, moist chicken, soft veggies, a sweet-savory sauce, and crunchy cashews, I really can’t get enough of this Cashew Chicken. I love how delicious it is over rice, too: The grains soak up the sauce, making every bite delicious.
More Asian-Inspired Chicken Recipes:
- Green Thai Curry
- Chicken Lettuce Cups
- Easy Chicken Lo Mein
- Chicken Teriyaki Bowl
- Thai Peanut Chicken Stir Fry
- Chopped Asian Chicken Salad
If you try this feel good Cashew Chicken recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
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Cashew Chicken
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons warm water
- 2 teaspoons sesame seed oil
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sriracha sauce
For the Chicken Stir Fry
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast cut into ½-inch pieces
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 4 green onions green and white parts chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 red pepper chopped
- 4 celery stalks chopped
- 1 cup roasted unsalted cashews
- Rice for serving (optional)
Instructions
- To make the sauce, place all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Place chicken, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and stir to coat. Add the cornstarch on top and stir again to combine with the chicken.
- Heat the oil In a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and stir fry for 6 to 8 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
- To the same skillet, add the green onions, garlic and ginger and cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the red pepper and celery and cook until crisp-tender, about 3 more minutes.
- Return the chicken to the skillet along with the cashews and sauce. Stir fry for about 2 minutes, or until everything is well-coated with the sauce.
- Serve with rice and more green onions, if desired.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
I tried the recipe last night, the steps were easy to follow and it was so delicious! I will be trying more of your recipes! Thanks.
Thanks, Fulya!! I’m so happy you found the recipe easy to follow and liked how it turned out. If you’re looking for another Asian-inspired chicken dish, I think you might like my Thai Peanut Chicken Stir Fry!!
Yumna, thank you for such a delicious, easy recipe. I made it tonight and it was a hit. My husband and I are looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow!
You’re welcome, Judy! I’m so happy you and your husband enjoyed it!!