Description
This Cashew Chicken is a quick, better-than-takeout dinner featuring crispy chicken bites, a sweet-savory sauce, and crunchy roasted cashews, perfect for weeknights.
Ingredients
1 ½ lbs chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces (or chicken breasts)
½ cup cornstarch (for coating)
Oil for frying (canola or regular olive oil)
1 cup roasted cashews
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
4 green onions, sliced (reserve some for garnish)
Sauce:
¾ cup chicken stock
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Instructions
In a small bowl, whisk together chicken stock, soy sauce, honey, hoisin sauce, cornstarch, and rice vinegar. Set aside.
Toss chicken pieces in cornstarch until evenly coated.
Heat oil to 350°F. Deep-fry chicken for 2–3 minutes (or pan-fry over medium-high heat for 2–3 minutes per side) until golden and cooked through. Drain on paper towels.
In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add garlic, ginger, and cashews, stir-frying for 1 minute until fragrant.
Pour in the sauce mixture and cook until thickened.
Return chicken to the pan, tossing to coat in the sauce.
Remove from heat and stir in green onions. Serve over rice and garnish with sesame seeds if desired.
Notes
Chicken thighs stay juicier, but breasts work fine.
Toast cashews briefly for extra flavor.
For spice, add red pepper flakes or chili oil to the sauce.
Leftovers keep well for 3 days in the fridge.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian-inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 480 kcal
- Sugar: 11 g
- Sodium: 960 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 34 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg