Cashew Chicken Stir Fry is a super delicious, saucy, sticky, crispy, sweet, salty dish that tastes like your favorite takeout! It’s as simple as pulling together your own dish at home to make it just like the real thing.
To make this easy chicken and roasted cashews in garlic sauce, start with a simple stir-fry of boneless chicken breast chunks and roasted cashews.
It will take you no longer to cook than it would call for take-out, and the only chopping is some garlic and scallions. The rest comes from simple ingredients you already have in your pantry.
What You Need To Make Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
- Cornstarch
- Water
- Hoisin sauce
- Soy sauce
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Salt & Pepper
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Rice vinegar
- Toasted sesame oil
How to make Cashew Chicken in the skillet.
Prepare the sauce: in a small bowl, whisk together the water, cornstarch, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce. Set aside.
Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat olive oil until hot. Add the chicken to the skillet and stir-fry until lightly browned and cooked all the way through.
Turn the heat down to medium and add the rice vinegar; cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds.
Add the sauce mixture to the chicken; cook, tossing until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is nicely thickened about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Stir in the scallion greens, cashews, and sesame oil. Serve immediately.
Recipe Tips!!
Have a little more time? Toast your cashews. That will add some incredible flavor to your dish.
- Start by spreading the cashews out on a baking sheet in one layer.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Toast the cashews in the oven until fragrant, about 5 minutes. (As they cool, they will crisp up.)
How to store cashew chicken. Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days in a well-sealed container.
Best way to reheat cashew chicken. Reheat the chicken by either using the microwave or adding it back to a pan and flash frying on medium-high heat until it is heated through. This will help crisp up the chicken and nuts slightly.
Love take-out recipes you can make at home? Check out these other recipes we just love.
Air Fryer Orange Chicken
Chicken Fried Rice
Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken
Don’t forget to pin this recipe for Cashew Chicken Stir Fry to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Cashew Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup Hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins, cut into 1½ inch pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Garnishes
- 8 scallions
- 1 red pepper finely diced
- 3/4 cup toasted, unsalted cashews
Instructions
- Prepare the sauce: in a small bowl, whisk together the water, cornstarch, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce. Set aside.
- Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.
- In a large nonstick skillet, heat olive oil until hot. Add the chicken to the skillet and stir-fry until lightly browned and cooked all the way through.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the rice vinegar; cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds.
- Add the sauce mixture to the chicken; cook, tossing until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is nicely thickened about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Stir in the scallion greens, cashews, and sesame oil. Serve immediately.
Oh my gosh, that looks so good! I love that sauce, and the cashews area great flavor boost.
Delicious stir fry! I especially love the sauce!
That looks irresistibly delicious! Can’t wait to give this a try!
This chicken looks amazing! I am sure that my family will love it!
Oh my, this looks incredibly delicious! I love the flavors, YUM!
I can’t wait to try this! it looks amazing!! The perfect weeknight meal!
Okay, so much better than takeout. Really liked this!