inYou can stir-fry this cashew chicken dish in less than 20 minutes!
This is a Chinese-American style cashew chicken recipe that gets amazing results. There is little work to be done and the chicken is amazingly tender and juicy. You are going to love the garlicky sauce that is both savoury and sweet.
That combined with the crunchy roasted cashews and bell pepper makes cashew chicken a dish that people love and order at Chinese restaurants all over the world. The great thing is, you can make this popular dish very easily at home.
About this recipe.
Like so many Asian recipes, this cashew chicken is a dish that is colourful and full of amazing flavours and textures. Every bite is delicious and different depending on what you happen to scoop up.
This is a dish that can be easily prepared to taste just like it does at the best Chinese restaurants.
How do you cook cashew chicken?
This is a quick and easy stir-fry. You start by first marinating the chicken pieces before frying them until golden brown on the exterior and white in the centre.
The chicken is then transferred to a plate. You then just have to fry up the garlic, ginger, spring onions (scallions) and bell pepper. The sauce which you add is simply stirred together
Can you work ahead?
Yes. You can prepare the ingredients a couple of days ahead of cooking. Then all you need to do is take about 10 minutes to fry it all up and you have an amazing, restaurant quality dinner.
How long can you keep the leftovers in the fridge?
Wrap any leftovers you have tightly with plastic wrap. You can store cashew chicken in the fridge for at least three days. to heat it up, just fire up your wok and heat it though.
You can also heat it up in your microwave.
Can you freeze leftovers?
You can! Just store any leftovers in containers that are convenient for you. Let it defrost completely and heat it up.
Step by step photographs
Get all your ingredients together before you start cooking. This is a quick stir-fry and you want everything to hand.
Whisk all of the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
Whisk the marinade ingredients together and add the chicken pieces. This can be done a day in advance of cooking.
When ready to cook, heat your wok over a high heat and add the oil. Fry the chicken in batches. It needs to cook in one layer. Fry each batch for about 5 minutes or until cooked through.
Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and then add the garlic, ginger and spring onions (scallions) to the wok.
Add the diced bell pepper and fry for a couple of minutes to soften some. Stir in some chilli flakes, if using.
Add the sauce ingredients and bring to a simmer. Mix the cornflour (corn starch) with water or cold chicken stock to make a slurry.
Add the sauce ingredients a little at a time to thicken the sauce. You might not need it all.
Return the cooked chicken pieces and the cashews to the wok.
Stir it all up and serve hot over white rice.
Dig in!
If you like this Chinese-American classic, you might like to try some of the following too!
I am adding new Chinese recipes to my blog regularly so be sure to check out the Chinese section often. For now, why not try some of these Chinese-American classics?
- General Tso’s Chicken
- Crispy Chicken and Broccoli
- Salt and Pepper Chicken
- Sesame Chicken
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Dan Dan Noodles
- Orange Chicken
- Hainan Chicken
- Spicy Chicken Chow Mein
- Mongolian Beef
- Chinese Crispy Beef
- Egg Drop Soup
- Spicy Won Ton Soup
- Egg Fried Rice
- Potstickers
Have you tried this cashew chicken recipe?
If yes, please give it a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I’m sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.
Cashew Chicken
Cashew chicken is a delicious stir-fry that you can prepare in minutes. This is how it's done at the best restaurants and you will achieve restaurant quality results with this recipe.
Ingredients
- 700g (1 1/2 lb) boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1cm (2/3 inch) pieces
- 1 tbsp cornflour (corn starch)
- 3 tbsp water
- FOR THE MARINADE
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tbsp cornflour (corn starch)
- FOR THE SAUCE
- 4 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 125ml (1/2 cup) chicken stock
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- Salt and ground white pepper to taste
- FOR THE STIR-FRY
- 3 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil or peanut oil
- 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 x 2.5cm (1 inch) ginger, finely chopped
- 3 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and cut into 1cm (2/3 inch) dice
- 100g (2/3 cup) roasted cashews
Instructions
- To make the marinade, whisk the Shaoxing wine, salt and 1 1/2 tbsp cornflour (corn starch) together until smooth. Put the chicken pieces in a mixing bowl and add the marinade. Rub the marinade right into the chicken so that every piece is well coated. Set aside. You can let it marinate for up to 4 hours or go straight to cooking. The longer marinating time benefits the flavour.
- Whisk 1 tbsp corn flour (cornstarch) together to make a slurry. Set aside.
- Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth and set aside.
- Pour the oil into a wok and swirl it around to coat the sides. Place the wok over a high heat and when the oil begins to glisten, add the marinated chicken pieces. You might need to do this in two batches as you want the chicken to fry in an even layer.
- Fry the chicken for about a minute to sear it and then stir it around in the wok. You want the chicken to cook through and be a nice golden brown on the exterior.
- When the chicken pieces are cooked through, transfer them to a plate and set aside. If needed, add a little more oil to your wok and stir in the garlic, ginger and spring onions (scallions). Fry, stirring regularly for about a minute and then add the diced bell pepper to fry for a further couple of minutes.
- Add the prepared sauce and bring it to a simmer. Whisk in the prepared cornflour (corn starch) slurry. You may not need it all. Just add it slowly until the sauce thickens to your liking.
- To finish, return the cooked chicken to the wok and stir to coat in the sauce. Then add the roasted cashews and give it all another good stir.
- Season with salt, if needed and a little ground white pepper to taste. Serve hot.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 508Total Fat: 36gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 27gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 3241mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 3gSugar: 12gProtein: 20g