This sweet, crispy, saucy, and Easy Cashew Chicken Recipe is a breeze to make at home and tastes just as good as your favorite takeout. Each crispy piece of chicken is coated in a savory cashew and garlic sauce with sautéed veggies.
Serve over a bed of rice and a sprinkle of sesame seeds for a super satisfying Cashew Chicken stir fry that takes just minutes to prepare. This Chinese-American favorite tastes great as-is, or with a side of veggies.
Easy Cashew Chicken Recipe
As far as easy weeknight dinners go, this cashew chicken is one of my favorites. The sweet, savory, and sticky garlic sauce covers each little bit of crispy stir fried chicken, crunchy cashew, and sautéed veggies.
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Not only is this homemade version totally delish, it takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. Try getting takeout in that amount of time! Serve over rice for a complete meal that is perfect during any time of the year.
If you are a fan of Chinese food, you may also love my Easy Ham Fried Rice, Bang Bang Chicken Kabobs, Spicy Peanut Chicken and Noodles, or Homemade Orange Chicken.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken – you can use boneless skinless chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or chicken tenderloins for this recipe. They will need to be cut into 1” bite-sized pieces.
- Cold Water Brine – while you prepare the sauce, soak the chicken in a mixture of cold water and baking soda to keep it super tender.
- Cornstarch – this helps to keep the batter crispy once cooked, even with the orange sauce coating it.
- Soy Sauce – either regular or low sodium will work.
- Egg White – you will just need one egg white for the batter. It helps to keep the batter together.
- Brown Sugar – light brown sugar works great to sweeten the sauce a touch.
- Garlic – freshly grated or minced is best.
- Ginger – freshly grated or minced ginger gives a stronger flavor here than ground ginger.
- Rice Wine Vinegar – this adds great flavor and a little sour. You can also add a bit of hoisin sauce if you want even more of a tangy flavor.
- Sesame Oil – you only need a tiny bit to add loads of flavor to the sauce.
- Cashews – you can either use raw or lightly salted roasted cashews.
How to Make Cashew Chicken
- Brine the chicken. Place diced chicken in a bowl and cover with cold water. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda, mix, and let the chicken sit while you are preparing the other ingredients.
- Make the batter mixture. Use a paper towel to pat the chicken dry, then add it back to your bowl. Sprinkle cornstarch over the chicken and mix, then add the soy sauce, egg white, and pepper. Toss again until combined and the cornstarch mixture resembles a paste.
- Cook the chicken. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the avocado oil. Add the chicken to the hot pan leaving space between each piece of chicken. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the chicken is golden brown on the pan side. Use the tongs to flip the chicken and cook again until lightly golden brown on all sides. Once crispy and golden, transfer chicken to a paper towel lined plate.
- Cook the veggies. In the same pan, add the onions and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the peppers and cook for another 2 minutes, or until the onions and peppers are slightly tender.
- Make the garlic sauce. In a small bowl add the soy sauce, brown sugar, chicken broth, grated garlic, grated ginger, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and cornstarch. Whisk together until the cornstarch is dissolved, then add to the pan. Cook over medium heat until the sauce comes to a boil.
- Serve. Add the chicken and cashews, toss in the sauce, then remove from heat. Serve immediately over prepared rice. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
For cooking Cashew Chicken, any kind of nonstick skillet will work well, as would cast iron or even a wok.
The sauce with Kung Pao chicken is made with chilis and peanuts, while the sauce for Cashew Chicken has cashews and a slightly more mild and sweet flavor.
Cashew Chicken definitely tastes best right after it was made, so I don’t recommend cooking it ahead of time. However, you could mix together the ingredients for the sauce as well as cut the chicken up the night before. This way, the next day you could just brine and cook.
Storing and Reheating Instructions
- Refrigerator: store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To reheat: you can microwave leftovers, but for the best flavor I recommend making a smaller batch of garlic sauce and reheating the chicken in that over the stovetop.
Best Cashew Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Chicken Brine
- 2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces
- 8 cups water, cold
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Crispy Chicken Batter
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 large egg white
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 tablespoons avocado oil
Garlic Sauce
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 clove garlic, grated or minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger, grated or minced
- 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspooon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 medium onion, cut into 3/4" chunks
- 2 medium bell peppers, cut into 3/4" chunks (any color)
- 1/2 cup cashews, raw or lightly salted
Instructions
- Place diced chicken in a bowl and cover with cold water. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda, mix, and let the chicken sit while you are preparing the other ingredients.
- Drain the water off the chicken chunks, use a paper towel to pat dry, then add the chicken back to your bowl. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of cornstarch over the chicken and mix using tongs, then add the soy sauce, egg white, and pepper. Toss again until combined and the cornstarch mixture resembles a paste.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the avocado oil. Add the chicken to the hot pan leaving space between each piece of chicken, cooking in two batches if necessary. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the chicken is golden brown on the pan side, then use the tongs to flip the chicken and cook again until lightly golden brown. Once crispy and golden on all sides, transfer chicken to a paper towel lined plate.
- In the same pan, add the onions and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the peppers and cook for another 2 minutes, or until the onions and peppers are slightly tender.
- In a small bowl add the soy sauce, chicken broth, brown sugar, grated garlic, grated ginger, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and cornstarch. Whisk together until the cornstarch is dissolved, then add to the pan with the veggies and cook over medium until it comes to a boil. Once it boils, add the chicken and cashews, toss in the sauce, then remove from heat.
- Serve immediately over prepared rice. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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This sweet and garlicky recipe for Cashew Chicken is a family favorite that takes just a few minutes to prepare at home. The crispy stir fried chicken is tossed in a homemade garlic sauce along with sautéed bell peppers, onions, and savory cashews.
Next time I will add celery and carrots to the sautéed veggies! We enjoyed it.
Oh yes, celery and carrots sound like a perfect addition! Great idea!