Cashew Chicken (Better-Than-Take-Out)
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
10 mins
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Cook Time
25 mins
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Total Time
35 mins
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Servings
4 servings
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Calories
563 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Asian
Cashew Chicken (Better-Than-Take-Out)
Description
The dish begins by marinating chicken thigh pieces with salt, pepper, and cornstarch to create a slightly crisp exterior when stir-fried. Cashews are dry roasted to bring out their nutty aroma without browning. Chicken is cooked in batches over medium-high heat to ensure searing rather than steaming. The sauce is a combination of hoisin, light soy, rice vinegar, sugar, chili sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch, creating a glossy and flavorful coating.
After cooking the chicken, the sauce and aromatics like minced ginger, garlic, and white parts of spring onions are quickly stir-fried to meld flavors. The roasted cashews are added last to retain crunch. The dish is garnished with green onions and sesame seeds for color and mild pungency. It is suitable served with rice or noodles.
Allowing the chicken to sit in marinade helps the cornstarch create a light crust. Avoid overcrowding the pan to maintain high heat and texture. The sauce can be adjusted for spiciness by modifying chili sauce quantities. Using raw whole cashews and roasting them at home ensures freshness and control over crispness.
Ingredients
For Sauce:
- 1 ½ tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoon light soy sauce low sodium
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- ¾ tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon Asian chili sauce or sriracha sauce
- ½ tablespoon corn starch
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
For Chicken:
- 1 lb chicken thigh cut into 1 inch pieces, or breasts
- 1 cup cashew (whole)
- ½ tablespoon corn starch
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil like sunflower oil or canola oil
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ cup spring onions chopped, white part
- 1 teaspoon ginger minced
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
For Garnish:
- green onions
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- First make the stir fry sauce. Simply whisk together hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, chili sauce, corn starch, sesame oil in a bowl. Keep it aside until use.
- Dry roast whole cashew nuts in oven. Pre heat oven at 300 degree F. Dry roast cashews for 3 to minutes giving it a stir in between. Do not let cashews brown. You want to roast not brown it. Remove roasted cashews from oven and let it cool down.
- Prepping Chicken – Cut chicken breasts into 1 inch pieces. Add all chicken into a zip lock bag or a wide bowl.
- Season it with pepper, salt and corn flour. Shake well to coat all chicken pieces evenly. Let chicken sit in the marinade for 7 to 10 minutes.
- Heat vegetable oil (divide oil so you can add oil for every batch) in a skillet or wok. Add few marinated chicken pieces on to the skillet, without overcrowding it. Immediately stir fry it for about a minute on medium high heat, flip and cook it on other side. Don’t cook chicken completely. We only want to sear it or fry it lightly in oil. Remove cooked chicken into a bowl and repeat the same process with remaining chicken. Once done remove all chicken to a bowl.
- Pour remaining oil to the skillet.Note – don’t worry about the brown bits, you scrap it off the pan as you stir fry chicken and cashews. Those brown bits are all flavors. I do like to have them in my stir fry.
- If you aren’t comfortable, use another clean skillet before you start stir frying chicken.
- Add white part of spring onions along with minced ginger and garlic in. Stir for about a minute on medium high heat.
- Add back partially cooked chicken pieces give it a stir.
- Pour in the sauce into the pan. It may look like a lot of sauce and the dish can look too saucy with liquids, but it’ll evaporate as you cook for few minutes.Note – If you find the sauce to be too thick and the chicken is turning thick and dry, add chicken stock or water to the pan as required to help cook chicken.
- Stir in everything and cook for about a minute or two tossing it frequently.
- It’s time for cashews. Add in dry roasted cashews and stir again.
- Turn off heat after a minute.
- Garnish with green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
- Serve this saucy stir fry chicken with cashew nuts over rice.
Notes
- Use boneless chicken thighs for tender meat and better texture compared to breasts.
- Marinate chicken pieces with salt, pepper, and cornstarch to promote a light coating during cooking.
- Cook chicken in batches to avoid overcrowding and ensure proper searing without steaming.
- Dry roast raw whole cashews at 300°F for 2-3 minutes until golden, avoid browning.
- Adjust chili sauce and sugar amounts in the sauce to control spiciness and sweetness.
- Use low sodium light soy sauce to prevent bitterness; dark soy sauce is not recommended.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 563 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 563kcal | 28% |
| Carbohydrates | 19g | 6% |
| Protein | 31g | 62% |
| Fat | 41g | 63% |
| Saturated Fat | 14g | 70% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 73mg | 24% |
| Sodium | 953mg | 40% |
| Potassium | 711mg | 15% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 7g | 14% |
| Vitamin A | 186IU | 4% |
| Vitamin C | 5mg | 6% |
| Calcium | 34mg | 3% |
| Iron | 3mg | 17% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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