Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
This Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry comes together in 1 pan in less than 30 minutes and tastes just like the take-out from your favorite Chinese restaurant. It’s filled with fresh veggies, chicken, and crunchy cashews! The sticky stir-fry sauce is so EASY to whip up, making this the perfect weeknight meal!
“Cashew chicken is a staple in our household and a recipe we love to make. This recipe replaces our old one in a heartbeat! The addition of the zucchini and the flavor of the seasonings are delicious. Can’t wait to make it again!” – Sarah, So Much Food reader
Table of contents
Put Down That Takeout Menu and Make Cashew Chicken at Home Instead!
Everyone needs those recipes that come together lightning fast in one pan for busy weeknights. This is that recipe! Chinese cashew chicken stir fry is a quick and easy dinner option that’s easy to customize and adapt. I promise that this stir fry tastes just as good as your favorite takeout restaurant!
To make it, chicken is sautéed with sesame oil until crispy before adding onion, red bell peppers, zucchini, green onions, and garlic. The vegetables stay crisp-tender and delicious, and the toasted cashews add the perfect crunch.
I always make a large batch of whatever we’re having for dinner so I can spread it out through the week. Cashew chicken is perfect for meal prep and only gets better the next day!
Tools Needed
Ingredient Notes
You can find the full list of ingredients, quantities, and method in the recipe card at the end of the page.
- Chicken. I like using chicken thighs here, but you can also use chicken breast.
- Raw cashews. Since we’re toasting the cashews ourselves, start with raw cashews so they don’t burn.
- Cornstarch. Coating the chicken in cornstarch before stir frying allows it to get nice and crispy. It also thickens our sauce.
- Garlic. Sliced garlic is sautéed for flavor, plus a little grated garlic goes in the sauce. You could also use a bit of garlic paste.
- Veggies. Onions, bell pepper, zucchini, and green onion are a great combo but you can always swap in some other favorites.
- Serrano. I love a bit of spice, but you can swap in jalapeño or skip it all together.
- Soy sauce. You can use regular, low-sodium, or gluten-free tamari.
- Honey. Honey helps balance the sauce so that it’s perfectly sweet and savory. You could swap in brown sugar or even maple syrup.
- Sesame oil. A bit of sesame oil flavors the stir fry and the sauce.
How to Make Cashew Chicken in 1 Pan
Jenny’s Tip: While you don’t need any fancy equipment to stir fry chicken with cashews, I highly recommend investing in a quality wok. We use ours ALL the time and it makes it so much easier to cook up stir fries and fried rice thanks to the extra surface area.
- Toss the chicken in cornstarch. Season the chicken with salt and pepper (we want every bite to be flavorful!) and then toss with cornstarch. This helps the meat crisp up in the wok.
- Fry the cashews. You’ll know the oil is hot enough when it starts to shimmer. Once you add the cashews, stir them constantly! You want them to turn golden brown, not burn. Remove them to a paper towel-lined plate while you move onto the chicken.
- Cook the chicken. This is where using a wok comes in so handy! It lets you cook the chicken in an even layer, which encourages browning and helps it crisp up. If you’re making this recipe in a regular skillet, you might have to cook the chicken in batches to prevent it from steaming.
- Sauté the veggies. You want the vegetables to soften but retain some of their bite. This cashew nut stir fry is supposed to have lots of texture!
- Add the sauce. Return the chicken and cashews to the wok, then add in the stir-fry sauce. Since the chicken is already cooked through, we’re just heating it back up and giving the sauce a minute or so to thicken.
Customizing Your Stir-Fry
This is an easy recipe to adapt to what you have on hand! I love stir fries for their versatility and the ability to use up any meats or veggies that I have on hand.
Switch up the protein. I love chicken thighs here, but you could easily swap in chicken breasts. You could also swap in beef, ground pork, diced pork tenderloin, shrimp, or even tofu! This recipe lends itself to just about any meat or protein with great results.
Swap the veggies. I love mushrooms, red bell pepper, and zucchini but some other great options would be green beans, snap or snow peas, baby corn, bok choy, cabbage, etc.
If you do give it a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your SMF creations!
More Easy Asian Recipes Using Chicken
- Thai Basil Chicken
- Weeknight Chicken Pho
- Chicken Spring Roll Bowls
- 30-Minute Sesame Ginger Meatballs
- Chicken Larb
This post for may contain affiliate links from which I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate links allow me to keep providing great recipes for free and I never recommend products that I don’t love and personally own.
Cashew Chicken Stir Fry Recipe
Ingredients
Cashew Chicken
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 serrano pepper, thinly sliced (optional)
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 6 green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
Stir Fry Sauce
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 teaspoon sriracha (or chili garlic sauce)
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Whisk the sauce ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients until the corn starch is dissolved and no clumps remain. Set aside.
- Season the chicken. In a mixing bowl, toss the chicken pieces with cornstarch, salt, and pepper until well-coated. Set aside while the oil heats.
- Fry the cashews. Heat the oil and sesame oil in a wok over medium heat and once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the cashews. Cook, stirring constantly, until the cashews are golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the oil to a paper towel lined plate and season with salt.
- Fry the chicken. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the chicken to the wok and spread it out in a single layer in the wok. Cook, without moving the chicken, until golden brown on one side, and then flip and cook on the other side. Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken from the pan and transfer to a plate.
- Saute the veggies and aromatics. Add the garlic and serrano to the remaining oil in the wok. Cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the chopped onion, bell pepper, zucchini and chopped green onions to the wok. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are soft.
- Add the chicken and cashews. Add the chicken and cashews back to the pan and add the sauce. Bring to a simmer until the sauce is thick and toss to coat well. Season to taste with any salt and pepper and serve hot with steamed rice.
Notes
Nutrition
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Rate & Review This Recipe
Cashew Chicken is a staple in our household and a recipe we love to make. This recipe replaces our old one in a heartbeat! The addition of the zucchini and the flavor of the seasonings are delicious. Can’t wait to make it again!
I’m new to cooking and tried to make this. I guess the step that I needed more instruction on was how and when to cut the chicken. I had chicken breast and just not sure how to cut it and how big.
Hi Lauren,
In the instructions it says the chicken is to be cut into 1-inch pieces, but the size is flexible–you’re really just looking for the chicken to be bite sized. If you ever see in the recipe instructions that a particular ingredient should be cut (diced onion, chopped pepper, etc), it means that you should prep and cut the item before cooking. For this recipe, you should cut up the chicken while it’s still raw before cooking. Same with all the veggies. This is also why I post process photos in the blog post so that new cooks like yourself can see what the recipe looks like at different stages. I encourage you to read through the post before starting a recipe to give you a better idea of how it should go. Hope that helps!
That was the most amazing chicken recipe that I’ve had in a very long time. Thank you so much. I will definitely be trying more of these recipes. I can hardly wait to try the next one.
Sincerely,
Sara Robertson
So happy to hear it! Thank you for your kind words, Sara!