A Cashew Chicken Recipe that is so easy to make! Learn how to make chicken with cashew nuts for a quick, healthy dinner in under an hour!
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Cashews, chicken, and veggies come together fast in this healthy Cashew Chicken Stir Fry for an easy weeknight meal.
Our recipe has all of the rich, sweet, and salty flavors you crave, but is made a little bit lighter!
If you love healthier takeout dishes like we do, try our Ginger Garlic Chicken or Healthy Fried Rice.
What is Cashew Chicken?
Cashew Chicken is a popular Chinese-American takeout dish that consists of stir-fried chicken, cashews, and vegies, typically served with rice.
Why we love this recipe for Cashew Chicken:
There is a lot to love about this recipe. It’s one of our favorite dinners because:
- Lots of flavors – The combination of coconut aminos and rice vinegar is so rich and flavorful! You won’t be able to get enough.
- Super fast to make – This means dinner will be ready super quickly!
- Packed with veggies – This recipe is packed with colorful and delicious veggies!
Healthy Cashew Chicken ingredients
Ingredients you will need for the chicken
- chicken breast
- salt & pepper
- cornstarch
- coconut oil
- cashews
- broccoli
- red pepper
- snow peas
- green onions
- ginger
- garlic
Ingredients you will need for the sauce:
You can find substitutions for all of these ingredients below in the green shaded box.
We used this wok for this recipe, but you can use a large nonstick pan as well!
How to make Cashew Chicken
- Season chicken in a bowl with salt and pepper and coat with cornstarch, discard excess cornstarch. In a small bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients.
- Heat a large wok or cast iron skillet over medium heat, and add 1 tbsp of coconut oil and the cashews. Stir constantly, cooking until golden brown. Remove to a small bowl.
- Increase heat to medium-high, and add 1 tbsp of coconut oil and the chicken. Cook, flipping occasionally for about 4 minutes. Remove to a small bowl.
- Add another tbsp of coconut oil, broccoli, and bell pepper. Cook for about 4 minutes. Add the snow peas, the white part of the green onions, ginger, and garlic, and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the cashews, chicken, and sauce to the wok. Heat through until thickened. Serve over rice, garnished with the tops of the green onions.
Pro Tip:
This dish comes together very fast, be sure all of your ingredients are prepped before starting.
Cashew Chicken Stir Fry substitutions and additions
Chicken Breasts: You can substitute with boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenders.
Cornstarch: I haven’t tried substituting the cornstarch. This helps the chicken have a crispy exterior without frying it.
Coconut Oil: We like the flavor that the coconut oil gives to this recipe but you could use olive oil or avocado oil.
Cashews: We used raw cashews to develop this recipe. Frying them briefly gives them a lovely nutty flavor. Roasted cashews can also be used, just add them in with the snow peas. Roasted cashews will not need to be cooked before eating.
Vegetables: Snap peas, carrots, bok choy, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, mushrooms, or zucchini would all work well in this dish.
Fresh Ginger: Fresh ginger really makes a difference in dishes. We recommend grabbing it from the store! If you don’t have it on hand you can use 1/4 teaspoon of dried ginger.
Cashew Chicken Sauce Substitutions
Coconut Aminos: Coconut aminos are salty, but not as salty as soy sauce. It contains a fraction of the sodium of traditional soy sauce, while still adding a rich, savory flavor to dishes. You can use soy sauce in place of coconut aminos. We recommend using 1 tablespoon less or opting for low sodium soy sauce.
Seasoned Rice Vinegar: Seasoned rice vinegar is a little bit sweeter than regular rice vinegar, but it can be used interchangeably.
Honey: We don’t recommend substituting the honey here but you probably could use 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.
Sesame Oil: Sesame oil is sold at most grocery stores and really adds a rich depth to recipes – we highly recommend it!
Make it spicy: For extra heat, add ½ teaspoon of sriracha to the sauce.
How To Make it Lower Carb: Use lower-carb veggies.
To Make it Lower Calorie: Cut the number of cashews in half.
To Make it Plant-Based: You can double the veggies and make this a vegetarian recipe!
How to serve this Chicken Cashew Recipe
This recipe is served best over cooked white, brown, or cauliflower rice (you could even try with Fried Rice). We love to top with green onions.
Important Note: This is not an authentic cashew chicken recipe.
My goal is always to share recipes that are a bit healthier and made with affordable, accessible ingredients so everyone can enjoy them regardless of their food allergies or dietary restrictions.
Here’s a link to an Authentic Cashew Chicken Recipe.
Chicken with Cashew Nuts FAQs
Yes! Our cashew chicken recipe is healthy while still being packed with flavor!
Kung pao chicken is cooked with chilies and roasted peanuts while cashew chicken is served with cashew nuts.
Some people soak cashews before eating to help make them easier to digest. They get cooked in this recipe, however, so soaking is unnecessary.
How to store Cashew Nut Chicken
Storing: This will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container
Freezing: We haven’t tried freezing this recipe. I don’t think it would taste as good after being frozen. The chicken/veggies might lose their crispness.
Reheating: You can reheat this recipe in the microwave or on the stove. We recommend the stove.
Other healthy dinner recipes:
Looking for other easy meals? Check out these 40+ Healthy Dinner Recipes. Click here to grab our free healthy 30 minute dinners cookbook.
Cashew Chicken
Ingredients
Ingredients for the chicken
- 1 ½ lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into bite size cubes
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil melted
- ¾ cup raw cashews *see notes for substitution
- 2 cups broccoli cut into small florets
- 1 cup red bell pepper chopped
- 1 cup snow peas
- 3 green onions thinly sliced, separate whites from green
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 3 cloves garlic minced
For the Sauce
- ¼ cup coconut aminos
- 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Have all ingredients and tools prepped and ready to go.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper, add to a medium bowl or disposable plastic bag and coat with cornstarch, discard excess cornstarch. In a small bowl, whisk together sauce ingredients.
- Heat a large wok or cast iron skillet over medium heat, add 1 TBSP coconut oil and the cashews. Stir constantly, cooking until golden brown, about 3 minutes, being careful not to burn them. Remove to a small bowl.
- Increase heat to medium high, add 1 TBSP coconut oil and the chicken. Cook, flipping occasionally, until chicken is just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove to a small bowl.
- Add in another TBSP of coconut oil, the broccoli and bell pepper. Cook until veggies are crisp tender, about 4 minutes. Add the snow peas, white part of the green onions, ginger, and garlic, cook 1 minute.
- Add the cashews, chicken, and the sauce to the hot wok with the veggies. Heat through until thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve over rice, garnished with the tops of the green onions.
Notes
- This dish comes together very fast, be sure all of your ingredients are prepped before starting.
- Chicken breast or tenderloin will work for this recipe.
- Snap peas, carrots, bok choy, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, mushrooms, or zucchini would all work well in this dish.
- Coconut aminos are salty, but not as salty as soy sauce. It contains a fraction of the sodium of traditional soy sauce, while still adding a rich, savory flavor to dishes.
- We used raw cashews to develop this recipe. Frying them briefly gives them a lovely nutty flavor. Roasted cashews can also be used, just add them in with the snow peas. Roasted cashews will not need to be cooked before eating.
- For extra heat, add ½ teaspoon of sriracha to the sauce.
- Store leftover stir fry in the fridge for up to three days.
- Reheat leftovers in a skillet over medium heat, or microwave.
Ashley Roseberry says
I made this tonight and not only was it delicious, but it came together in 20 minutes! I had cut all the veggies ahead of time because I knew I would be short for time in the evening and it made it a breeze. Served it over some 90 second microwave rice and BOOM! Done!
Alyson says
I have never rated a recipe before… until now. This was SO GOOD! I followed everything to a T and it came out amazing. We will definitely be using this one again and again! Thank you!!