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”!
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?? 😉
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!
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!
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Chinese Cashew 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:
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
- 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
Life of Dozer
Wow, it’s true. You really can make anyone look intelligent with glasses. 🤓
Omgoodness:) Quick and easy and super tasty. Perfect midweek meal. The cashews just make it. As she says, crunchy and creamy. Better than my local Chinese (and they are pretty darn great!)
What a fabulous recipe. Quick, easy and so tasty. Will definitely be making this again.
Quick and so easy. I usually make it with chicken breast which I velvet, but have also made it with chicken breast. Both versions lovely. Better than my favourite take away shop.
Time and time again, I return to this gem of a recipe. It’s quick, tasty and leaves you feeling like it’s come straight from the local takeout/takeaway shop. It’s a fortnightly dish at our place.
Delicious. Would make it more often if only the kids liked capsicum
I make this with capsicum usually but have substituted snow peas when cooking for someone who doesn’t like capsicum.
My husband loves cashew chicken and this one was a massive hit. He looks forward to everytime I try a new nagi recipe. Even my kids look forward to meal times!!!
I love cashew chicken but never tried making it myself until I found your website and this recipe. Nagi is also responsible for me adding ingredients to my pantry/fridge I never used to have or use — Mirin, oyster sauce and sesame oil! Thanks Nagi — I’m still finding recipes to make here 🙂
This tastes just like the good restaurant versions! So happy to find this recipe. I’ve also never velveted my chicken before and was skeptical it would make a difference. It totally did! This is my new go to chicken and cashew recipe for sure.
A family favourite! One picks out the chicken, another picks out the cashews, but everyone eats it! I cheat a little, 😬 and add whatever veggies I have, but it always tastes excellent! This sauce is the bomb!
We nearly died with happiness eating this dish. Absolutely amazing! Thank you!
This was a hit with my picky family!! We added in baby corn and also firm tofu to buff up the protein and veggies. We also used red and yellow capsicums instead of green as my family prefer these but it turned out amazing! My mum thinks my cooking has improved so much, thanks Nagi!!
My husband literally licks his plate when I make this. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Nagi, my son in law made this tonight for us. Just lovely.
Wow this is so delicious and quick to make!!
We absolutely love love love this recipe, thanks heaps Nagi and Dozer, you two are incredible!
OMG Thank you Nagi for another quick, easy, delicious recipe
Another favourite 😍
I made this recipe tonight. I substituted chicken broth for water, otherwise followed recipe as written. I liked the flavor of sauce. My only complaint was the sauce came out too thick. Any suggestions how to make it a little more runny.
More water?
I enjoyed your short-cut recommendation to Velvet chicken breast prior to stir frying. Before that I used corn starch and egg whites and then stopped doing it because it was painful. Thanks again.
Really nice.
Luckily I read the dark soy note in time. Needs to be in large, bold letters.
I’m trying the Thai chicken stir fry next.
I love this recipe. I’ve made it so many times and am surprised I’m yet to shout praise in the comments! Such an easy, quick and satisfying meal. I always add extra veg, which means extra leftovers. Thanks heaps Nagi!
Everyone loved this recipe. Velveting the chicken is a total game-changer! I’ll definitely make this again!