Cashew Chicken Recipe
Easy Cashew Chicken Recipe made with juicy tender chicken, sweet bell pepper, buttery cashews, all coated in a sweet and savory garlic sauce. Better than take-out, learn how to make this delicious 20-minute cashew chicken recipe at home and enjoy with rice or noodles.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts diced into small 1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne powder optional
- 3 tablespoon olive oil for frying
FOR THE SAUCE
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup water plus more as needed
- 3 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoon oyster sauce
For the Stir-Fry
- 1 cup unsalted raw cashews
- 2 red bell peppers seeded and diced
- 1 cup chopped green onions plus more to garnish
- Sesame seeds for serving
Instructions
- Coat the chicken - Add the chicken, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, salt, pepper and cayenne powder (if desired) to a large ziplock bag. Toss to coat and set aside.
- Prepare the sauce - In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the water and cornstarch until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Add the remaining ingredients for the sauce (soy sauce, water, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, and oyster sauce) mixing well to combine. Set aside.
- Dry roast the cashews - Heat a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the cashews and sauté, mixing often, until golden and fragrant (do not burn!). Remove cashews from the skillet and set aside.
- Cook the chicken - In the same skillet heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook for approximately 4-5 minutes or until chicken just starts to brown on the outside (unless you are using a non-stick skillet, your chicken may stick to the bottom of the skillet- that's OK, just scrape the bits off the bottom after the chicken is fully cooked). Once the chicken is brown and cooked, remove to a clean plate. Set aside.
- Stir-fry the green onions and bell peppers - Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped bell pepper and green onion and saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove to a clean plate. Set aside.
- Cook the sauce - Return skillet to medium heat. Pour sauce mixture into the skillet and cook, whisking continuously, until sauce just reaches a boil and thickens. Reduce heat as needed and add additional water to thin sauce if it gets too thick.
- Return chicken and vegetables - Return the cooked chicken and vegetables back to the skillet with the sauce. Toss to coat. Continue to cook for an additional minute before removing from heat.
- Serve - Serve immediately with rice, cauliflower rice, and garnished with additional green onion and sesame seeds.
Notes
Originally published March 10, 2017
Nutrition
Calories: 422kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 774mg | Potassium: 861mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1516IU | Vitamin C: 56mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 3mg
