Put down that takeout menu! This Cashew Chicken truly stacks up to your favourite Chinese takeout and it’s incredibly quick and EASY to make!
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 and a side of Fried Rice for a homemade takeout experience!
Cashew Chicken – takeout at home!
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?? ?
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 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.
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.
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!
Chinese Cashew Chicken
Watch how to make it
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Chinese Cashew Chicken
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 tbsp cornstarch / cornflour
- 3 tbsp soy sauce , all purpose or light (Note 1)
- 3 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:
Nutrition Information:
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
- Beef & Broccoli
- Chop Suey (Chicken Stir Fry)
- Spring Rolls
- Chinese BBQ Pork (Char Siu)
- See ALL Chinese Takeout recipes
Life of Dozer
Wow, it’s true. You really can make anyone look intelligent with glasses. ?
Made this for dinner tonight with noodles. Added a little kecap manis because I like it on the sweet side. Was delicious!
Absolutely delicious! I actually froze some of mine and it defrosted pretty well. Would just recommend adding the cashews after defrosting though as they go a bit soggy.
I’m so glad you love it Katelyn! N x
Made this the other night. Husband forgot to get cashews at the store! So I used snap peas instead and used a red bell pepper instead of green since that’s what I had. (Is this even chicken cashew anymore? Lol). I must say my dish turned out amazing, flavor was on point! Will be making again and again,next time with cashews!!
Excellent recipe! My family loves it. I was wondering if you could leave the chicken marinating in the sauce over night for the next day? Would that impact the cornstarch in the mix?
Sure could Ingrid! N x
I made this tonight with thinly sliced pork belly instead and noodles – the kids loved it! They agreed it should be added to our recipe rotation. Super delish!
Yum! Sounds great Nat! N x
Delicious !
My chicken took quite a bit longer to cook but perhaps I cut the pieces too large .
I added some water chestnuts and just yum .
Hubby told me that I’d outdone myself 🤣
Told him to thank Nagi not me 😄😄
Sorry it took a little longer than expected Sue – they may have been cut slightly larger. I’m so glad it was a hit though! N x
Hello Nagi,
Is salt needed for this recipe?
Hi Shifa, not for this one – you’ll find all the seasoning is in the sauces. N x
This recipe was delicious.
Thanks so much
I’m so glad you loved it Mary!! N x
Can you recommend a sub for cornstarch?
I’m going camping and have limited space, can I mix up the sauce a few days ahead?
This was awesome! I will definitely go out and buy the wine before making it again, but the dry sherry still made it delicious. So easy and quick. My family loved it! I added a little more than a cup of cashews because I love them so much. Will definitely make this over and over again!
goin in with poblanos and Pecans because they are all over the ground here in Texas takes time to shell em but worth it gathered 3 pounds again last week will post results
Perfect Joseph!! N x
Hey Nagi, this recipe is delicious 😋 just wondering if you can freeze it? Sorry if this question has already been asked.
Hi Kelly, I talk about this in the recipe notes – N x