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Home Quick and Easy

Cashew Chicken

By:Nagi
Published:30 Jan '19Updated:11 Oct '22
609 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

A saucy chicken stir fry with cashews, this is a terrific combination of flavours. You’ll love how saucy this is, and how you can adapt this to your taste by using vegetables of choice. Try this with Hot and Sour Soup or Chinese Corn Soup with a side of Fried Rice for a homemade takeout experience!

This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!

Chinese Cashew Chicken with sauce on a white plate, ready to be served

Cashew Chicken

This is takeout made at home that truly stacks up to your favourite Chinese restaurant. No false promises here! Just read some of the glowing reviews from the many people who have tried this. 😇

You’ll have it on the table faster than ordering home delivery, it’s healthier (way less greasy!) and it’s versatile so you can add or switch the vegetables as you please. So much easier to just adapt this yourself rather than trying to explain what you want over the phone to your Chinese takeout place…… right?? 😉

Close up of saucy Chinese Cashew Chicken on a white plate, ready to be served

The secret ingredient is Chinese Cooking Wine

Chinese Cooking Wine, also known as Shaoxing wine or Shaosing wine, is the secret ingredient that makes homemade Chinese food truly taste as good as take out.

It’s an alcoholic wine used for Chinese and other Asian cooking. Totally unpleasant to drink, salty, cheap as chips from Asian stores (~ $1.50 for a big bottle), lasts forever and you can read more about it here (if you’re so inclined).

While you’d never drink it straight, when used cooking, it completely transforms. It seasons the sauce, gives it depth of flavour and complexity, that “something something” to make it just like Chinese restaurants.

Substitutions for Shaoxing Wine

The best substitute is Mirin, or dry sherry – these produce virtually the same result. If you can’t consume alcohol, the best alternative is to substitute low sodium chicken broth for the water in the sauce.

Ingredients in Chinese Cashew Chicken sauce

Ingredients in Cashew Chicken

I promised quick and easy, and I exaggerate not! There’s not that many ingredients in the sauce (see photo above) nor in the stir fry itself (see below).

I like to use chicken thigh for stir fries because it’s juicier than breast and tenderloin. If I make this with chicken breast, I always tenderise it using a Chinese restaurant technique using baking soda (bi-carb). It’s super simple, see directions here: How to Velvet Chicken.

I make Cashew Chicken with green capsicum (bell peppers) and onion because they are the most common vegetables I’ve seen in Cashew Chicken. But feel free to add other vegetables into this. I’ve also seen it with red capsicum, celery, Asian Greens, broccoli, carrots and scallions/shallots.

Ingredients in Chinese Cashew Chicken stir fry

Making Cashew Chicken

Cashew Chicken is very straight forward to make and also very forgiving (especially if you use chicken thigh).

Mix the Sauce, use a bit to marinate the chicken just for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the vegetables, have a glass of wine, browse through the Asian Takeout recipe collection and think about all the other things you want to try one of these days…😊

When you’re ready to cook, have everything ready to go because it takes less than 5 minutes! Sauté garlic and onion (1 min), cook chicken and capsicum (3 min), add sauce, simmer 1 minute until thickens, serve over rice.

How to make Chinese Cashew Chicken
Chinese Cashew Chicken served on rice in a white bowl with chopsticks, ready to be eaten

As with all my stir fries, this Cashew Chicken comes with plenty of sauce. There’s nothing sadder than when you’re left with a bowl of plain white rice  with no sauce to eat it with. Right??!

Hope you enjoy! – Nagi x

PS For a healthy low carb option try Cauliflower Rice – 77% fewer calories and 87% less carbs than rice!


Watch how to make it

This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!

Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Close up of takeout style Cashew Chicken

Chinese Cashew Chicken

Author: Nagi
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 6 mins
Total: 21 mins
Mains
Chinese
4.98 from 213 votes
Servings4
Tap or hover to scale
Print
  • 994
Recipe video above. The soft, creamy crunch of cashews is a perfect addition to this saucy chicken stir fry! Truly stacks up to your favourite take out – read the glowing reviews! If using breast, consider tenderising it the Chinese way (“Velveting Chicken”)

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 1 tbsp cornstarch / cornflour
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce , all purpose or light (Note 1)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine or Mirin (Note 2)
  • 3 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • Dash of white pepper (sub black)

Stir Fry

  • 500g / 1 lb chicken thigh , skinless boneless, cut into 2.5cm/1″ pieces (Note 3)
  • 2 tbsp peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • 1/2 onion , chopped into 1.75 cm / 3/4″ pieces(yellow, brown or white)
  • 1 green capsicum / bell pepper , chopped into 2 cm / 0.8″ pieces
  • 6 tbsp water
  • 3/4 cup roasted cashews , unsalted

Instructions

  • Sauce: Mix cornflour and soy sauce until there’s no lumps. Then add remaining Sauce ingredients and mix.
  • Marinate: Transfer 2 tbsp Sauce to chicken, mix to coat. Set aside for 10 minutes+.
  • Cook: Heat oil over high heat in a wok or heavy based skillet. Add the garlic and onion, cook for 1 minute.
  • Add chicken and cook for 2 minutes. Add capsicum and cook for 1 minute.
  • Add Sauce and water. Bring to simmer and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until Sauce thickens.
  • Stir through cashews, remove from stove. Serve immediately with rice – or for a low carb, low cal option, try Cauliflower Rice!

Recipe Notes:

1. Soy Sauce – ordinary all purpose or light soy sauce. Do not use dark soy sauce – flavour is too strong and sauce will be very dark.
2. Chinese Cooking Wine (Shaoxing Wine) – sub with Mirin or dry sherry (near perfect subs). If you can’t consume alcohol, use low sodium chicken broth in place of the cooking wine in the Sauce AND in place of the water.
3. Chicken – I prefer making this with thigh because it’s juicier, but it can be made with breast or tenderloin. If using breast, option to tenderise using the Chinese method so it’s super tender and juicy like you get at Chinese restaurants – see How to tenderise chicken the Chinese way (Velveting)
4. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. I don’t recommend freezing – sauces thickened with cornflour/cornstarch tend to become watery if frozen. But other than sauce thickness, flavour holds up just fine!
5. Nutrition per serving excluding rice. It can easily serve 5 or more with other sides, as is typically served at Chinese restaurants.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 559cal (28%)Carbohydrates: 21g (7%)Protein: 26g (52%)Fat: 41g (63%)Saturated Fat: 9g (56%)Cholesterol: 122mg (41%)Sodium: 1324mg (58%)Potassium: 512mg (15%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 6g (7%)Vitamin A: 1030IU (21%)Vitamin C: 39.4mg (48%)Calcium: 34mg (3%)Iron: 2.8mg (16%)
Keywords: Cashew Chicken
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

Originally published October 2015. Updated post with new photos, better video and most importantly, Life of Dozer section added! No change to recipe.

More Chinese takeout favourites

  • Chow Mein
  • General Tso’s Chicken
  • Sweet and Sour Pork
  • Crispy Honey Chicken
  • Beef & Broccoli
  • Chop Suey (Chicken Stir Fry)
  • Spring Rolls
  • Prawn (Shrimp) Stir Fry
  • Chinese BBQ Pork (Char Siu)
  • See ALL Chinese Takeout recipes

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609 Comments

  1. Gail says

    March 20, 2023 at 4:28 pm

    I found this way too salty.
    I’ll use low salt soy sauce next time.

    Reply
  2. Amy says

    February 28, 2023 at 12:42 pm

    5 stars
    It’s on our family rotation for dinner. We ALL love it.
    Thank you for ALL you share with us Nagi!

    Reply
  3. Conny says

    January 31, 2023 at 11:52 am

    5 stars
    Oh. My. Goodness!!!! Made this for the first time today and it was a huge winner! My husband said it was WAY better than the local Chinese restaurant. Thanks Nagi, your recipes rock!

    Reply
  4. Shana Baert says

    January 25, 2023 at 11:27 am

    5 stars
    Yum! I made this without chicken & added a lot more veggies, but it was delicious & the sauce is awesome! Another winner of a recipe, Nagi!

    Reply
  5. Valerie says

    January 15, 2023 at 10:51 am

    5 stars
    Add this tonight and, as usual, a fabulous recipe. Quick, easy, and delicious!

    Reply
  6. Ali says

    January 9, 2023 at 10:28 pm

    This was AMAZING, but of course is there anything other than that from you Nagi. Another all time winner. Delicious and easy

    Reply
    • Ali says

      January 9, 2023 at 10:32 pm

      5 stars
      just replying as I forgot to rate the recipe and it definitely deserves a 5 Star

      Reply
  7. Liora says

    December 10, 2022 at 5:06 pm

    5 stars
    Quick, easy & Yummy.
    I added carrot, broccoli & shallots as well as capsicum as I like more veg with mine.
    It was great

    Reply
  8. Jenna says

    November 17, 2022 at 9:44 pm

    5 stars
    Yum! Loved this – so quick and easy. I used carrot instead of capsicum and added some tinned pineapple pieces to offset some of the saltiness. So good!

    Reply
  9. Katie says

    November 2, 2022 at 9:26 pm

    5 stars
    I am sooooo happy I found this recipe!! Thank you Nagi, it’s another easy and quick after work dinner (especially if you have frozen cooked rice in the freezer!) and it’s absolutely delish.

    Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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