This easy Cashew Chicken Stir Fry is loaded with vibrant vegetables and tossed in a savory-sweet sauce. Serve it with rice for a fast, flavorful dinner any night of the week.
When I need a quick, wholesome meal, stir-fries are one of my favorite, go-to choices. Once the prep is done, dinner is on the table FAST! You just gotta love that about recipes like this Cashew Chicken Stir Fry, my Korean Ground Beef Bowls, and Peanut Chicken Stir Fry
This recipe is packed with lean protein and fresh veggies, and it all comes together in about 30 minutes from start to finish. Best of all, my family loves it!
The stir-fry sauce is what really makes it shine. It has the perfect balance of savory, a touch of sweet, and a little heat, and it coats the chicken, veggies, and cashews beautifully.
Table of contents
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts work well here, but chicken thighs are a good option if you prefer dark meat.
- Soy sauce: Use less-sodium soy sauce to keep the sauce from becoming too salty.
- Hoisin sauce: A thick, sweet-savory sauce that adds depth and richness. Look for it in the Asian foods aisle.
- Rice vinegar: Adds brightness and balance to the sauce. Regular rice vinegar or seasoned rice vinegar will both work, but I recommend regular so you can better control the sweetness.
- Ginger: Freshly grated ginger root adds warmth and zing, but bottled ginger paste (found in the produce section) is a great shortcut that I use all the time.
- Cashews: Choose dry-roasted, unsalted (or lightly salted) cashews so you can control the saltiness of the dish.
- Vegetables: The veggies include red bell pepper, mushrooms, shredded carrot, celery, and green onion but you customize it with any veggies you love. Pick up a bag of frozen shelled edamame and toss them in to add a nutritional punch. Love asparagus? Throw some in there! And, broccoli and snow peas are always a classic stir fry choice.
How to Make Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then toss with cornstarch until well coated. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together all the stir-fry sauce ingredients. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high. Brown the chicken in batches and set it aside.
- Add the bell pepper and celery and cook until crisp-tender. Then, stir in the mushrooms, carrots, green onions, and garlic and cook 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Return the chicken to the pan, add the sauce and cashews, and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is bubbly.
- Remove the pan from the heat, garnish with green onions and sesame seeds, and serve over rice.
Tips for Success
Coat the chicken in cornstarch. This simple step should not be skipped. It ensures wonderful texture on the outside of the seared chicken, helps to keep it super tender, and also helps to thicken the stir fry sauce added at the end of the cooking time.
Choose the right pan. Use your widest skillet or a wok for the most surface area. Cast iron, enameled cast iron, or high-quality stainless steel work best since they hold heat well for stir-frying. I rotate between my 12-inch Hexclad frying pan and my Le Creuset enameled cast iron wok.
Prep before you cook. Chop the veggies and whisk the sauce before heating your pan. Having everything ready makes the stir-fry process quick and seamless.
Watch the heat. Cook over medium-high to high heat, but not so hot that the oil smokes. Find your sweet spot for searing without burning.
Add the veggies in order. Start with sturdier vegetables like bell pepper, then add softer ones like mushrooms later so everything cooks to the right texture.
Save time with rice. Shelf-stable or frozen microwaveable rice is a great shortcut and makes this stir fry even quicker to get on the table.
Storage and Reheating
- Cashew Chicken: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Warm it gently in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water to loosen the sauce, or reheat in the microwave just until heated through.
- Rice: If you’ve served the stir fry with rice, store the rice separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator for no more than 3 to 4 days. Reheat it thoroughly before serving, adding a splash of water if needed to restore the moisture.
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Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch bite-size pieces
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, or as needed, divided
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 ribs celery, sliced
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
- ¾ cup coarsely shredded carrot, (I use the bagged variety)
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sliced green onions, divided
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ cup dry-roasted cashew halves, unsalted
- sesame seeds, as needed
- 4 cups cooked white or brown rice, for serving
Stir-Fry Sauce
- 4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 ⅓ teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger root or ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl and season it with salt and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons cornstarch and toss until the chicken is well coated. Set aside..
- Add all the stir-fry sauce ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet or wok over MEDIUM-HIGH heat. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. When hot add half the chicken and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or until lightly golden brown. You do not need to cook it through at this point. Transfer the browned chicken to a plate. Add the remaining vegetable oil to the skillet and repeat with the remaining chicken, transferring it to the plate when browned.
- Add the bell pepper and celery to the empty skillet, adding more oil if necessary. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes or until the vegetables are just crisp-tender. Add the mushrooms, carrots, ½ cup green onions, and garlic, and sauté for an additional minute or two, just to soften the carrots and mushrooms slightly. Return the chicken to the skillet and add the stir fry sauce and cashews. Cook and stir until the chicken is cooked through and sauce is thickened and bubbly, about another 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with remaining green onions and sesame seeds.
- Spoon individual servings over cooked white or brown rice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
This post was originally published on January 6, 2019. It has been retested and updated with new text and images.
More Asian-Inspired Meals
WOW WOW WOW, Outstanding & extremely delicious!!! I did not have rice vinegar so I used apple cider vinegar. Plus I had one lonely zucchini which I added with the 2nd batch of veggies cut into strips. The chicken was slighty crisp & velvety soft. I’ve recently been getting into Asian inspried dishes and I decided to make a Chinese home staple, egg fried rice vs plain to go with. What a treat Valerie. Healthy & satisfying! Please keep adding more of the same.
Love zucchini in this! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating. It’s much appreciated!
I made this Cashew Chicken for dinner last, Outstanding!! Great flavor, easy to make, a winner. I added some sliced water chestnuts to the stir fry and a couple splashes of Mirin. Served over Jasmine rice. Next time I’ll make more sauce!!