Cashew Chicken
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
20 mins
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Cook Time
15 mins
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Total Time
35 mins
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Servings
4
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Chinese
Cashew Chicken
Description
This Cashew Chicken recipe starts by coating diced chicken breast lightly with cornstarch, which helps achieve a golden exterior while maintaining juiciness. The chicken is cooked in batches to ensure even browning. The sauce mixture combines chicken broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, and sesame oil, blended with cornstarch to provide thickness once heated.
Vegetables like broccoli and bell pepper along with minced garlic, grated ginger, and chopped green onions are sautéed until tender-crisp, preserving texture and flavor. The sauce is added back to the pan and brought to a boil, thickening as it simmers. Combining the chicken and vegetables with the sauce delivers a rich yet balanced dish enhanced by the crunchy cashews and optional sesame seeds.
This dish suits a main course served with rice or noodles. The fresh vegetables and nutty cashews offer textural contrast, while the sauce provides a slightly sweet, tangy, and savory glaze. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt or pepper.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast diced into 1-inch pieces, boneless, skinless
- 1 Tbsp corn starch divided, 2 tsp
- 2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil divided
- salt or black pepper
- white pepper or black pepper
- 6 Tbsp chicken broth then more as needed, low-sodium or water
- 3 1/2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 4 green onion chopped, plus more for serving if desired
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp finely grated, peeled fresh ginger
- 2 cups broccoli small pieces, diced florets
- 1 bell pepper chopped, medium
- 3/4 cup cashews roughly chopped, unsalted
- sesame seeds for serving (optional
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, toss chicken with 1 Tbsp cornstarch to evenly coat. In a large skillet, heat 1/2 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat.
- Once oil is hot, add half of the chicken, and cook stirring frequently, until chicken is is golden brown and has cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer chicken to a plate and add another 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil to skillet. Cook remaining chicken until golden brown and cooked through, then transfer to plate with first batch of chicken.
- In a mixing bowl (or liquid measuring cup used to measure chicken broth), whisk together chicken broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil and remaining 2 tsp cornstarch until well blended, set aside.
- Heat remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp oil in skillet over medium heat. Add in green onions, garlic, ginger, broccoli and bell pepper and saute until veggies are tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large plate.
- Pour in hoisin sauce mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until sauce boils and thickens (don't let it reduce it will be too salty, just cook long enough to thicken). Thin with 1 - 2 more tablespoons of broth or water if desired.
- Remove from heat, add chicken, veggies and cashews to sauce and toss to evenly coat. Serve warm with white or brown rice, cauliflower "rice" or quinoa and sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds.
- Recipe has been updated to include broccoli and bell pepper. Originally shared Jan. 2014.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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