Thai Cashew Nut Chicken

My simple and easy Thai Cashew Nut Chicken is on the table in 20 minutes. Its low sugar with tender chicken pieces that sticky sweet and savory sauce and roasted golden brown cashews for crunch. Its the perfect weeknight dinner and ideal for meal prepping.

Why I Love This Recipe 

• If you love thai food with bold flavors and crispy golden cashew nuts, this is a must make! 
• Not too spicy! but it's super easy to add additional spice and heat.
• Make it in 20 minutes, like these Honey Soy Garlic Chicken Bowls.
• Serve with traditional Jasmine Rice, or go low carb with Cauliflower Rice.
• Tender chicken with a rich sweet, savory, umami sauce that perfectly coats the chicken.
• This recipe is perfect for meal prepping and leftovers taste just as good the day after.

Main Ingredients 

I love recreating my favourite asian takeout recipes, mostly because I want to know what goes into them and so I can reduce the amount of sugars that are added.  Adding nuts to my stir fries is some thing I love – not only adding texture but it also gives the dish a good protein boost.   

So if you can’t get enough of cashew chicken but you like a little bit of a kick with it, then this Honey Chilli Chicken with Cashews is one you might want to check out – perfectly sweet, and spicy to wake up your tastebuds. My other favourites include this 15 minute Healthy Chinese Garlic Chicken and this Chinese Black Pepper Chicken that is perfect for busy weeknights.

Ingredient Notes 

1. Chicken Thigh:  make sure to trim any excess fat off the chicken thighs as you chop them into 3cm chicken cubes.  Make sure not to cut it too small as it will dry out.  Feel free to use chicken breast if preferred but into the same size.

2. Shaoxing wine:  this is also known as Chinese Cooking Wine.  If unable to find, you can substitute with cooking Sake, or a dry sherry in the same quantity.  If unable to consume alcohol, leave out from recipe 

3. Rice Wine Vinegar:  White vinegar can also be substituted. 

4. Garlic/Ginger:  Fresh garlic and ginger work best in this recipe, however for convenience you can also use bottled ginger/garlic without loosing too much flavour. 

5. Vegetables:  Whilst I used yellow, green and red capsicum (bell peppers), any vegetables would work – think broccoli, snow peas, zucchini, beans, basically whatever you have in your fridge. 

6. Cashews:  The must-have ingredient. Buy unsalted roasted cashews, otherwise buy plain cashews and lightly roast on a roasting tray in a preheated oven at 180 C/320 F for 5-8 minutes.

How To Make It 

1. Prepare the chicken:  Add chicken thigh to a large bowl, along with 2 teaspoons cornflour/cornstarch, 1 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce, and 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine.  Mix through until the chicken is coated.  Set Aside. 

2. Prepare the sauce:  Add the sauce ingredients into a jug, and whisk together.  Set aside. 

3. Heat garlic and ginger:  Heat a wok on high.  Once hot, drizzle half the oil around the sides of the wok, so it drips down to the centre.  Add the garlic and ginger and stirfry for 1 minute, or until fragrant. 

4. Cook Chicken:  Add the chicken to the wok, and toss through the garlic and ginger, until chicken is just cooked and beginning to colour.  Remove chicken from wok, onto a separate plate. 

5. Cook Veges:  Return wok to heat, adding remaining half of the  vegetable oil.  Add onions, and capsicum and stir through for 1 minute. 

6. Add Chicken and Veges and Sauce Together:  Pour in the sauce and stir through capsicum.  Add chicken back in and stir through. 

7. Add Cashews:  Add cashew nuts right at the end and serve immediately.  (If adding the dried chilli flakes, sprinkle over before serving – about 1 teaspoon sprinkled evenly over 4 serves adds a nice mild amount of heat) 

Recipe Tips 

1. Sweetness: I've used a teaspoon of monkfruit sweetener to help balance the sauce which I recommend. Alternatively you could use honey, or another granulated sweetener that measures like sugar.
2. Serving:  This recipe serves 4 people with rice or noodles included.  Served on its own without rice or noodles it would serve 2 – 3 people. 
3. Low Carb Serving Option:  Cauliflower rice or Zucchini noodles work great. 
4. Cashews:  Make sure to use roasted unsalted cashews.  Otherwise, buy plain cashews and roast in hot oven for 5-8 minutes, or fry in the wok with a little vegetable oil on high until they are golden.
5. Additional Seasoning: 1 teaspoon of fish sauce (for extra saltiness) or sesame oil (for earthiness) may be added to the sauce.
6. More spicy: add cracked black pepper to serve, additional red pepper flakes, or add diced fresh red chilies scattered on top.

Storage

Store leftover thai cashew chicken stir fry in an air tight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Leftovers are perfect the next day which is why I make this dish often when doing my meal prep on Sunday afternoons. If freezing, omit the jasmine rice or cauliflower rice as it will soak up all the sauce.

The sauce keeps the chicken perfectly moist and together with the vegetables and roasted cashews, there are hints of garlic and ginger with a little bit of sweetness.  This is a perfect dish for the whole family to enjoy because its not too spicy, however feel free to add red pepper flakes on top to serve, or fresh chilli if you like.   

More Quick Asian Recipes: 

• Thai Basil Chicken Stirfry 
• Sweet and Sour Fish 
• Thai Garlic Chicken with Chili 
• Thai Chicken Meatballs with Peanut Sauce 
• 15 minute Yellow Fish Curry