Cashew Chicken

This delectable Cashew Chicken recipe brings crispy pan-fried chicken bites, sweet red bell pepper, crisp-tender broccoli, and roasted cashews together in a spicy, salty, and sweet mouth-watering sauce.

Course main meal chicken

Cuisine Asian

Keyword cashew chicken recipe, chicken with cashew nuts, how to make cashew chicken, what is cashew chicken

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 581kcal

Author Beth Pierce

Ingredients

1 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces
⅓ cup cornstarch
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons grated ginger
2 tablespoons ground fresh chili paste Sambal Oelek
1 red bell pepper diced
2 cups chopped broccoli crowns
¾ cup roasted unsalted cashews

Instructions

Combine the chicken and cornstarch in a large zipper bag and shake to coat. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces in a single layer, cooking until browned on both sides. Work in batches plating the cooked chicken as you go. Add more vegetable oil as needed.
While the chicken is cooking, whisk together the Hoisin Sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, brown sugar, grated ginger, and chili paste in a small bowl.
In the same skillet over medium-high heat, cook red bell peppers and broccoli until crisp-tender.
Add the cooked chicken, cashews, and sauce to the skillet stirring gently to combine. Simmer for 3-4 minutes to heat everything through and thicken the sauce.

Notes

Cut your chicken into thin bite-size pieces so that it cooks all the way through.
Cook the bell pepper and broccoli just until crisp-tender, as they will be simmering for a couple of minutes at the end in the sauce.
Hoisin sauce and ground fresh chili paste (Sambal Oelek) can be found in the Asian food section of most grocery stores.
In a pinch, either ketchup or Hoisin Sauce can be substituted for the other. I like the combination of both, but you could use 4 tablespoons of ketchup or 4 tablespoons of Hoisin Sauce.
Use salted or unsalted roasted cashews. I usually don't chop them unless they are extremely large.
This dish is best served promptly while the chicken is just slightly crunchy, the veggies are still crisp-tender, and the sauce is the right consistency.
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat at reduced power in the microwave.

Nutrition