Cashew Chicken – Skip the take out and make this super easy cashew chicken recipe at home. Comes together in minutes using ingredients you probably already have!
My family loves Chinese food. Chicken Lo Mein is one of our favorites, but 9 times out of 10 it is the homemade version instead of take out. I like making our favorites at home, so I can control the ingredients. Plus most of the time they are just so darn easy!
Chow Mein Noodles takes literally 15 minutes to make. It is hard to order take out, go there, pick it up, and then drive home in that amount of time. So making it at home works really well! Plus you can add veggies or anything else you want when you are at home.
When I was growing up we almost never has Asian food of any kind. Quick Chicken Curry would have never been on the menu. It wasn’t until I was older and could cook for myself that I discovered some of our favorite recipes. Like Chicken Tikka Masala! Oh my so many comforting spices, we all love it.
The one and only thing we did have was cashew chicken. It was about the only thing my dad would go for. And the thought he was being adventurous! So this cashew chicken recipe is based on our favorite take out, but a super easy homemade version!
The cashew chicken sauce is just a few staple ingredients you can always have on hand. It is really just hoisin sauce, a little water, and vinegar. You can find hoisin sauce at pretty much any grocery store in the Asian section. So there are no trips to a special market to make this!
I like to add water chestnuts to our cashew chicken, so there is just a little crunch. That is also the way the take out place I grew up with served it. Often times it is served with broccoli, so feel free to add in whatever veggies you enjoy!
This cashew chicken recipe has been a staple in our house for years. It can not get any easier to make, and the whole family loves it! Really you just brown the chicken, mix in the sauce and you are pretty much done. 20 minutes and dinner is on the table!
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Cashew Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 to 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, (or breasts), cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 Tbls cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 Tbls canola oil
- 4 cloves garlic, , grated or minced
- 1/2 cup onion, , finely chopped
- 1 (8 oz) can sliced water chestnuts, chopped
- 2 Tbls rice wine vinegar
- 5 Tbls Hoisin sauce
- 1/3 cup water
- 3/4 cup roasted cashews
- Green onions, , optional garnish
Instructions
- In a bowl combine chicken, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
- In a skillet heat oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and onions. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in garlic and water chestnuts. Saute for 3-5 minutes until garlic is fragrant.
- Mix vinegar into the chicken mixture. Cook for 1 minutes.
- Add hoisin sauce and water. Cook for a few minutes until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Remove from heat, stir in cashews and garnish with green onions.
- Serve over rice.
Notes
Slightly Adapted from Belly Full
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per ServingCalories 416 Saturated Fat 4g Cholesterol 108mg Sodium 696mg Carbohydrates 22g Fiber 1g Sugar 7g Protein 26g
theresa krier says
my son and his wife have calphalon & love it, thanks, what a very nice giveaway. happy holidays
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
I love cashew chicken, can’t wait to try this!
Emily @ Life on Food says
This looks like an amazing dinner. I have so much to do before Christmas and the snow storm knocked me out for the day. Ahh!!
Amy @Very Culinary says
Yay! So happy you loved it! And I’m totally diggin’ the addition of water chestnuts for some crunch. I once included sweet peas, but my 5YO seems to have an aversion to anything green. Sigh….
Thinh says
It gives me SO MUCH satisfaction to successfully make a meal. Thank for sharing
Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. says
Cashew chicken is one of my faves!
Suzanne says
Yum, I would love this for lunch right now or dinner tonight.
Lisa {AuthenticSuburbanGourmet} says
Great chicken dish – just wish I had it here right now and my hubby would be very happy! I still have several calphalon pans that I use from my wedding from 15 years ago!
Patty says
I love cashew chicken too but never make it at home-need to change that!!!
Jean says
I love this chicken dish. Cashews are one of my favorite nuts. 🙂
Kathie says
I can’t wait to try the Cashew Chicken Recipe. It is one of my favorites to order when I go out. I have two Calphalon fry pans that need to be replaces, so winning this would be very nice.
Vivie Bussey says
I would love to win.
Liz says
Love cashew chicken. Thank you Jeanette.
ar PaulinaLal says
Outstanding is right, I did double the sauce and used 1tbl cornstarch/water to thicken it. Also used thigh meat for my guys who prefer it to white meat. Wonderful cooking aroma, you can barely wait to eat!
Jane Farrar says
Looks like a wonderful set of cookware. I have odds and ends of cookware from 47 years of marriage and would love a complete set! I am making a market list for this recipe!
Rachael Yerkes says
Cashew Chicken is one of my favorites when we get take-out. Can’t wait to just make it at home!
Emily Hill says
I need to make this for my mom. She loves cashew chicken!
Julie says
Thanks for another easy {and delicious} recipe!
Sabrina says
I’m so hungry now looking at all of your photos! Looks amazing!
Kim - Today's Creative Life says
I need new pots and pans! And this recipe looks right up my alley!
Melanie Bauer says
Wow this looks absolutely incredible! I’ve got to try that for sure, it’s amazing!
Abeer says
One of my all time favorite dinners! I need to try your recipe!
Catalina says
This is so delicious! Pass me the bowl!
Katerina @ diethood .com says
This looks SO delicious!! I can’t wait to try this recipe!!
Jamielyn says
Cashew chicken is one of our favorites! So yummy!
Chrissie Baker says
Great idea for dinner. Great recipe. I like all the ingredients in it. This is perfect for me. thank you.
Cathy says
I’m in love with cashews! I can TOTALLY see this becoming a favorite!