This recipe for Cashew Chicken is so easy and inexpensive, it’s a regular meal in my monthly meal planning rotation. Bonus, it takes 30 minutes or less to make!
I’ve tried several different recipes for Cashew Chicken, but nothing comes close to how easy and tasty this one is.
Let’s make Cashew Chicken!
Ingredients
Don’t panic at the amount of ingredients here. All these can be found in a regular grocery store, like Kroger or Walmart. I promise, the amount of ingredients doesn’t make this a hard recipe to put together in less than 30 minutes.
- Boneless chicken thighs (you can sub chicken breasts if you’d prefer)
- Onions
- Garlic (jarred or fresh)
- Ginger (fresh or powdered)
- Chicken broth
- Rice wine vinegar
- Brown Sugar
- Light soy sauce
- Oil (such as vegetable oil)
- Sesame oil
- Corn starch
- Water
- Cashews
- Sweet chili sauce (optional)
- Rice
Directions to make an easy Cashew Chicken
- Start your rice cooking in your Instant Pot
- Cut your chicken into bite size pieces
- Start sautéing chicken in a deep sauté pan
- Chop your onion and add to chicken once it’s about halfway done cooking
- Prepare sauce ingredients and stir together, set aside
- Add fresh garlic and ginger to chicken and onions, let cook 1 minute
- Add sauce to pan and simmer until hot
- Add cornstarch/water mixture and let thicken
- Remove from heat and add cashews and sweet chili sauce (if using)
- Serve over rice with broccoli
Easy Cashew Chicken
A delicious alternative to takeout! Serve with broccoli and rice for a complete meal.
- August 28, 2023
- 4-6
- 30 min
- Print this
Ingredients
- 5-6 boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1/2 cup soy sauce (light)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp cooking oil (vegetable, olive)
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup cashews (more to taste)
- 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce (optional)
Directions
- Step 1
- Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Cook in a large, deep pan on medium.
- Step 2
- While chicken cooks, chop your onion. Add onion to pan once chicken is about half way cooked. (add earlier for softer onions)
- Step 3
- While chicken and onion cook, add sauce ingredients to a bowl (soy sauce, broth, vinegar, sugar, both oils) and whisk until sugar is dissolved and oils are mixed thoroughly.
- Step 4
- Once chicken and onions are cooked through, add garlic and ginger to pan and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Step 5
- Add sauce to the pan and heat through.
- Step 6
- While sauce is heating, mix together water and cornstarch in the same bowl you used for sauce (less dishes).
- Step 7
- Add cornstarch water mixture to pan while stiring.
- Step 8
- Heat until sauce thickens.
- Step 9
- Take off heat and add cashews and sweet chili sauce (if using).
