Cashew Chicken
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Cashew chicken is a Cantonese-style stir-fry of velveted chicken and toasted cashews in a glossy, savory-sweet sauce, usually with onion and bell pepper for crunch. Unlike kung pao chicken, it's mild — no chilies or Sichuan peppercorn — so the flavor is all about the buttery cashews against a balanced oyster-and-soy sauce. The keys are velveting the chicken (a quick cornstarch-and-soy marinade keeps it tender), toasting the cashews until golden so they stay crunchy, and adding them at the very end so they don't go soft. It comes together in about 25 minutes, and you can make it as a fast weeknight dinner with ingredients from a regular grocery store. Use unsalted, roasted cashews and you control the seasoning.
Why you'll love this cashew chicken
- Buttery toasted cashews against tender chicken in a glossy, balanced sauce — a crowd-pleaser, and mild enough for kids.
- Faster than delivery: about 25 minutes start to finish.
- The velveting trick keeps the chicken silky, and toasting the cashews keeps them crunchy.
- A flexible stir-fry — swap in any quick-cooking vegetables you have on hand.
Ingredients
Chicken & velvet
- 1 lb boneless chicken thigh or breast, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 tbsp light soy saucesubstitutes →
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing winesubstitutes →
Stir-fry
- ¾ cup roasted unsalted cashews
- 1 red or green bell pepper, cut into chunks
- ½ onion, cut into chunks
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
Sauce
- 2 tbsp oyster saucesubstitutes →
- 1 tbsp hoisin saucesubstitutes →
- 1 tbsp light soy saucesubstitutes →
- 1 tsp sugar
- ⅓ cup chicken stock or water
- 1 tbsp cornstarch, mixed with 2 tbsp cold water
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oilsubstitutes →
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Equipment
- Wok or large skillet — Room to toss keeps everything searing, not steaming.(shop →)
Instructions
Velvet the chicken: toss the pieces with the soy sauce, cornstarch and Shaoxing wine. Let sit 10 minutes. Stir the sauce ingredients (except the slurry and sesame oil) together; mix the cornstarch slurry separately.
If your cashews aren't already toasted, dry-toast them in the wok over medium heat for 2–3 minutes until golden and fragrant, then set aside. (This keeps them crunchy in the finished dish.)
💡 Watch them closely — cashews go from golden to burnt quickly.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in the wok over high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer, sear, then stir-fry until just cooked through, 3–4 minutes. Remove to a plate.
Add the onion and bell pepper to the wok and stir-fry 1–2 minutes until crisp-tender. Add the garlic and stir 20 seconds until fragrant.
Return the chicken, pour in the sauce, and bring to a simmer. Stir in the slurry and toss until glossy and thickened, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat, fold in the toasted cashews and sesame oil, and serve right away over rice.
💡 Add the cashews at the very end so they stay crunchy rather than softening in the sauce.
Tips & notes
- Toast the cashews and add them last — that's how they stay buttery and crunchy instead of going soft.
- Use unsalted cashews so you control the seasoning; the oyster and soy sauce already bring plenty of salt.
- Velvet the chicken (the cornstarch-soy-wine toss) for that tender, restaurant texture.
- This is a forgiving stir-fry — swap in snap peas, carrots, water chestnuts, or zucchini for the pepper and onion.
- Want a little heat? Add a few dried chilies or a spoonful of chili oil with the garlic — it edges it toward kung pao.
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Cashew Chicken
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Beginner
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless chicken thigh or breast, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- ¾ cup roasted unsalted cashews
- 1 red or green bell pepper, cut into chunks
- ½ onion, cut into chunks
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- ⅓ cup chicken stock or water
- 1 tbsp cornstarch, mixed with 2 tbsp cold water
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Velvet the chicken: toss the pieces with the soy sauce, cornstarch and Shaoxing wine. Let sit 10 minutes. Stir the sauce ingredients (except the slurry and sesame oil) together; mix the cornstarch slurry separately.
- If your cashews aren't already toasted, dry-toast them in the wok over medium heat for 2–3 minutes until golden and fragrant, then set aside. (This keeps them crunchy in the finished dish.)
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in the wok over high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer, sear, then stir-fry until just cooked through, 3–4 minutes. Remove to a plate.
- Add the onion and bell pepper to the wok and stir-fry 1–2 minutes until crisp-tender. Add the garlic and stir 20 seconds until fragrant.
- Return the chicken, pour in the sauce, and bring to a simmer. Stir in the slurry and toss until glossy and thickened, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat, fold in the toasted cashews and sesame oil, and serve right away over rice.
Nutrition (est., per serving): 390 cal · 28 g protein · 18 g carbs · 23 g fat
Cashew Chicken FAQ
What's the difference between cashew chicken and kung pao chicken?
Both are chicken stir-fries with nuts, but cashew chicken is mild, savory-sweet, and uses cashews, while kung pao chicken is a spicy Sichuan dish with peanuts, dried chilies, and the numbing tingle of Sichuan peppercorn. If you want heat and complexity, make kung pao; if you want a gentle, crowd-pleasing dish, cashew chicken is it.
How do you keep the cashews crunchy?
Two things: toast them first (a few minutes in a dry pan until golden), and add them at the very end, off the heat, just before serving. If you stir them in early, they sit in the sauce and turn soft. Adding them last keeps them buttery and crisp.
Can I use salted cashews?
You can, but reduce the soy and oyster sauce a little to compensate, or the dish may come out too salty. Unsalted roasted cashews are ideal because they let you control the seasoning. Raw cashews work too — just toast them yourself until golden.
What vegetables go well in cashew chicken?
Bell pepper and onion are classic for crunch and sweetness, but it's flexible. Snap peas, carrots, celery, water chestnuts, and zucchini all work well — just cut them so they cook quickly and add them with the onion and pepper.
Is cashew chicken spicy?
No — traditional cashew chicken is mild, which is part of its appeal. The flavor comes from the buttery cashews and a balanced savory-sweet sauce, not from chilies. If you'd like some heat, add a few dried chilies or a little chili oil with the garlic.
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