Better-Than-Takeout Cashew Chicken — 🙌🏻😋🌶️🥦 Juicy chicken, crisp-tender vegetables, and crunchy cashews coated with the best garlicky soy sauce!! Skip takeout and make your own restaurant-quality meal that’s easy, ready in 20 minutes, and healthier than the restaurant version!
Table of Contents
I’ve shared many peanut chicken recipes, but never one for copycat takeout chicken with cashew nuts. I don’t know what I was waiting for! This easy cashew chicken really does taste better than a restaurant. Not that I’m partial or anything.
Consider this dish like a cashew chicken stir fry. The chicken is sautéed with sesame oil for depth of flavor before adding broccoli, red bell peppers, edamame, and garlic.
The vegetables stay crisp-tender, which is exactly the way I like them. If you prefer green bell peppers or other vegetables, mix and match as you see fit.
The dish is finished with cashews, of course, and that wonderful cashew chicken sauce that’s made with soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, ginger, and Asian chili garlic sauce. Asian chili garlic sauce is kept in the Asian section of my regular grocery store.
The heat from this sauce really makes the chicken come to life without being overly hot and spicy, but if you’re sensitive to heat and spices, scale back as you see fit.
The sauce helps keep the chicken moist and tender and clings to the veggies beautifully.
I loved how fast and easy dinner came together. Now, this cashew chicken recipe is going into our regular rotation. No need for takeout when homemade tastes so good.
Cashew Chicken Ingredients
To make the actual Chinese cashew chicken, you’ll need:
- Cornstarch
- Chicken breasts
- Sesame oil
- Olive oil
- Broccoli florets
- Bell pepper
- Shelled frozen edamame
- Garlic
- Roasted unsalted cashews
And for the cashew chicken sauce, you’ll need:
- Low-sodium soy sauce
- Honey
- Rice wine vinegar
- Asian chili garlic sauce
- Ground ginger
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Cashew Chicken
This is a super simple recipe — the hardest part is chopping up some veggies! Here’s an overview of how to make copycat takeout chicken with cashew nuts:
- Add the cornstarch, diced chicken, salt, and pepper to a large zip-top bag and squish the chicken around to coat it.
- Add the chicken to an oiled skillet and cook until the chicken is about 90% done (it will finish cooking in the sauce).
- Add the broccoli, bell pepper, edamame, and garlic to the skillet and cook just for a few minutes. You want the veggies to remain crisp-tender.
- Add the sauce and roasted cashews to the skillet. Simmer for a minute or two, just to give the sauce time to heat up and thicken slightly.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, feel free to mix and match the veggies to use up whatever’s in your produce drawer. Just note that different veggies will have different cook times.
I’m sure you could use chicken thighs to make this easy cashew chicken recipe. Just make sure they’re boneless, and that you dice them into 1-inch chunks.
You’ll want to use roasted and unsalted cashews to make this recipe. I do not recommend using salted cashews otherwise your Cashew nut chicken will be far too salty.
No! Make sure to buy rice wine vinegar and not rice wine (also called mirin). They’re two different things!
Do not omit the cornstarch in this recipe. It coats the chicken and helps it crisp up in the skillet without having to deep fry it. The cornstarch also thickens the cashew chicken sauce.
Yes, you can make the entire recipe as written and eat leftovers throughout the week or you can prep the ingredients in advance of making the entire recipe. For example, the veggies can be diced ahead of time, the sauce can be whisked together, and the chicken can be diced and stored in an airtight container until ready to use.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. If you also made rice or rice noodles, store that separately from the chicken and green beans.
Freezer: I don’t recommend freezing this recipe because the green beans will soften once frozen.
To Reheat: Warm individual portions in the microwave for 30-second intervals or in a skillet over medium heat but I prefer the micro for quickness and ease.
What to Serve with Cashew Chicken
Recipe Video Tutorial
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Better-Than-Takeout Cashew Chicken
Ingredients
Stir-Fry:
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- about 1.25 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 heaping cups broccoli florets
- 1 cup red bell peppers, diced small
- 1 cup shelled frozen edamame
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
- 1 cup unsalted dry-roasted whole cashews
- ¾ to 1 cup green onions, sliced into thin rounds (from about 3 or 4 green onions)
Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Asian chili garlic sauce
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
- To a gallon-sized ziptop bag, add the cornstarch, salt, pepper, chicken, seal, and shake to coat chicken evenly.
- To a large skillet, add the oils, chicken, and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes over medium-high heat, flipping and stirring so all sides cook evenly. Chicken should be about 80-90% cooked through.
- Add the broccoli, bell peppers, edamame (I add it straight from the freezer), garlic, and stir to combine. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender and chicken is cooked through; stir intermittently. While vegetables cook, make the sauce.
- To a medium bowl add the soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, chili-garlic sauce, ginger, and whisk to combine; set aside.
- Add the cashews to the skillet and stir to combine.
- Add the sauce and stir to combine. Allow sauce to simmer over medium-low heat for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the green onions, stir to combine, and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Asian Chicken Recipes:
Favorite CHICKEN RECIPES and all of my ASIAN-INSPIRED RECIPES.
Easy Better-Than-Takeout Chicken Fried Rice – One-skillet, ready in 20 minutes, and you’ll never want takeout again after tasting how good homemade is! Way more flavor, not greasy, and loads of juicy chicken!
Chicken Pad Thai — EASY, ready in 20 minutes, and BETTER than takeout!! Tender rice noodles, juicy chicken, with crisp-tender carrots, cabbage, and more for an IRRESISTIBLE and AUTHENTIC chicken pad Thai!!
Better-Than-Takeout Sticky Chicken — Stop calling for takeout or going to the mall food court and make this AMAZING sticky chicken at home in 15 minutes!! So EASY with the perfect balance of sweet and spicy with plenty of sticky sauce!!
15-Minute Skillet Sesame Chicken with Broccoli – Healthier sesame chicken that isn’t breaded or fried! You won’t miss the fat or calories in this fast and easy version that’s loaded with Asian-inspired flavors! You can happily skip takeout now!
Healthier Orange Chicken — Stop calling for takeout or going to the mall food court and make this HEALTHIER orange chicken at home in less than 10 minutes!! EASY, authentic, and so INCREDIBLE that you’ll never miss the fat and calories!!
15-Minute Chicken, Vegetable, and Ramen Noodle Stir Fry – Don’t call for takeout when you can make this EASY Asian stir fry in minutes!! HEALTHIER and faster than takeout and great for busy weeknights!
Kung Pao Chicken — An easy, BETTER-THAN-TAKEOUT recipe with juicy chicken and such a flavorful sauce!!
Slow Cooker Orange Chicken – The easiest orange chicken ever because your slow cooker does all the work! Super juicy, tender, and coated with a sweet-yet-tangy orange glaze that’s irresistible!
Originally posted April 23, 2018. Reposted January 11, 2019 and June 11, 2021 with updated text.
What great flavour! I made this today using pre-cooked chicken breasts, so reduced the cooking time of the breasts by half. I didn’t have edamame, replacing it with baby bok choy, instead. My wife and I enjoyed it so much there are no leftovers for tomorrow!
Thanks for giving the recipe a try and adapting it a bit based on what you had on hand and that you and your wife enjoyed it! (no leftovers!)
Very delicious quite easy to make and looks amazing
Next time I will omit the 1/2 teas of salt as enough in the sauce
Will make again 😃👌🏽
Glad you enjoyed it! Yes, always add salt, to your own taste preferences. Glad you’ll make it again!
We had company for dinner and all thought it was amazing. It is definitely a “go to” for our family now. We were dealing with food allergies so used coco aminos for the soy sauce and carrots instead of peppers and they worked well.
Thanks for sharing that this was a hit with everyone, Marnie!
If using fresh ginger would it be the same amount?
Thanks
I would use a bit more, but it also depends on how potent your ginger is and how much you like ginger – or not. Just add to taste.
Outstanding wholesome recipe and a great way to get your veggies! I omitted edamame and diced a zucchini . The sauce is delicious and ease of making it is a bonus.
Thanks for the 5 star review, Julia, and it’s great to hear this was outstanding and you changed up the veggies a bit!
Excellent recipe. Very light and tasty!
Thanks so much Tammy and I am glad it turned out excellent for you!
Will have to double this in the future. We were missing one tonight or we wouldn’t have had enough for all of us. It was devoured. So good!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Stephanie, and I’m glad you’re going to make this again and double it!
Fantastic..!
Thanks so much!
I’ve previously used traditional Chinese preparation for the chicken and always had it sticking to the wok. Your way is better. The recipe as a whole was delicious.
Thanks for the 5 star review, David, and I am so glad you prefer my method and recipe to what you had previously been using!
Made this tonight and it was delicious! Cooked it exactly like the recipe except I added onions! Will definitely make again!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Amanda, and I’m glad this was delish!
I was worried because I didn’t have the chili garlic sauce and needed to get dinner on the table. While I’m sure it would be amazing with it- I added a little extra garlic and it was so so yummy! I can’t wait to make this again!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Amanda, and I’m glad this worked out great for you just using a little extra garlic! Great job on making due with what you had on hand :)
Wow! I made this tonight for dinner and my partner was blown away and demanded that I put this on our regular meal rotation. His exact words were “I have always liked the idea of cashew chicken dishes, but any time I order it, I’m left with a disappointed feeling.” After he tried this dish I made mostly following your recipe, he cannot stop talking about it! The only change I made was adding additional veggies like snow peas, cauliflower, red onion, and zuchinni, so increased the cookingn time by a couple of minutes, but kept the everything else the same and it turned out truly better than takeout! Thank you so much for this recipe. Huge hit in our house and will continue to be!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Nicole, and I am glad that this blew you away and that this is on your regular meal rotation going forward!
This recipe is 10/10, even my 3 young picky kids ate every single bit. Going on my regular rotation forsure, and SO easy!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Mar, and I am glad this was a 10/10 even with 3 picky kiddos and that it’s going into your regular rotation!