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A healthy attitude Cashew Chicken! Tender garlic chicken stir-fried with red bell peppers and roasted cashews, tossed with a flavorful, hearty homemade stir-fry sauce.
Wisdom is not something we need to strive for. Rather, it arises naturally as we slow down and notice what is already there.
Hämin Sunim
This cashew chicken is bursting with succulent, deep flavor that’s made without bottled sauces, which often contain oils and sweeteners we don’t want to eat or serve our families.
The list of ingredients for the sauce might be long, but it’s quick to put together and most of the items will likely already be in your pantry.
Table of contents
- Ingredients in Cashew Chicken
- Notes on ingredients
- How to make cashew chicken
- Frequently asked questions about recipes
- More recipes you might like
- Cashew Chicken
Ingredients in Cashew Chicken
Notes on ingredients
- shiitake are used here to create a certain depth of flavor. Diced into small cubes, these disappear into the pan, but result in a nice umami.
- sherry vinegar– offers an important balance, rice vinegar can also be used.
- molasses– gives a beautiful color and a rich taste.
- 5 spice– just a hint creates complexity.
- Low sodium tamari– You can of course substitute with soy sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos. Be sure to adjust the flavor as some are saltier than others.
- Roasted cashew nuts– Roasting the nuts brings out so much flavor.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make cashew chicken
STEP ONE- Prepare the chicken: Mix together the cornstarch, water and salt. Add the chopped chicken and toss in the cornstarch slurry until completely coated. Set aside while you prepare the ingredients.
STEP TWO- Portion-cook the chicken and sauté over medium-high heat with an oil over high heat, until just lightly browned, about 1 minute on each side. (It will continue to cook in the sauce, don’t worry about it cooking all the way through.) Set aside on a plate lined with a paper towel to soak up some of the oil.
STEP THREE- Make the pan sauce: In a blender, combine tamari (or soy sauce), maple syrup, sesame oil, sherry vinegar, molasses, ginger, garlic, chicken stock, cornstarch, 5 spices, white pepper, and pepper flakes. Mix until completely smooth.
STEP FOUR- In a pan or wok with oil, sauté onions, garlic, ginger and diced shiitake cubes over medium heat for approx. 3 minutes.
STEP FIVE- Add the peppers, sauce, chicken, cashews, and 1/2 the scallions. Let the sauce bubble for about 2 minutes. (If you would like the sauce to thicken more, mix 1 teaspoon of cornstarch with 1-2 teaspoons of water and add to make it fizzy again.)
The cashew nuts will soften in the pan. Add them after cooking if you prefer the crunch. Or half cooked and half as a side dish.
Serve- Add the remaining spring onions and serve with rice if desired. Also makes a delicious filling for salad cups!
Frequently asked questions about recipes
It depends on the ingredients used. This recipe is made the healthy way with clean pantry ingredients while avoiding sauces that contain artificial ingredients and sugary syrups.
You can use arrowroot or tapioca starch.
arrowroot– Clear, shiny and tasteless. Add at the end of cooking, longer heat breaks down resulting in a thin sauce.
tapioca starch– Clear and tasteless. It is recommended to use twice as much tapioca as cornstarch.
Yes. You can omit the cornstarch slurry and add the chicken with the onions and sauté.
More recipes you might like
We enjoyed the leftovers of this cashew chicken just as much as we did fresh! let us know what you think
~ Tonia
love this recipe? Please let us know in the comments and leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating under the recipe card.
description
A healthy attitude Cashew Chickentender garlic chicken stir-fried with red bell peppers and roasted cashews, tossed with a flavorful, hearty, homemade wok sauce.
Chicken
Stir Fry Sauce
Stir-frying
- Prepare the chicken: Mix together the cornstarch, water and salt. Add the chopped chicken and toss in the cornstarch slurry until completely coated. Set aside while you prepare the ingredients.
- Make the sauce: In a blender, add tamari (or soy sauce), maple syrup, sesame oil, sherry vinegar, molasses, ginger, garlic, chicken stock, cornstarch, Chinese 5 spice, white pepper and pepper flakes. Mix until completely smooth.
- Boil the chicken Fry in batches over medium heat with oil over high heat until just light brown, about 1 minute on each side. (It will continue to cook in the sauce, don’t worry about it cooking all the way through.) Set aside on a plate lined with a paper towel to soak up some of the oil.
- Stir-frying: In a pan or wok with oil, sauté onions, garlic, ginger and diced shiitake cubes over medium heat for approx. 3 minutes. Add the peppers, sauce, chicken, cashews, and 1/2 the scallions. Let the sauce bubble for about 2 minutes. (If you would like the sauce to thicken more, mix 1 teaspoon of cornstarch with 1-2 teaspoons of water and add to make it fizzy again.)
- Add the rest of the scallions and serve with rice if desired! Also makes a delicious filling for salad cups!
Remarks
Roast raw cashews in a 350F oven for 10-15 minutes – don’t walk away!
The cashew nuts will soften in the pan. Add them after cooking if you prefer the crunch. Or half cooked and half as a side dish.
If you prefer, you can omit the cornstarch slurry and add the chicken with the onions and sauté.
nutrition
- Serving size: 1 cup
- Calories: 316
- Sugar: 13.3g
- Sodium: 440.6mg
- Fat: 5.1g
- Saturated Fatty Acids: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 56.5g
- Fiber: 3.5g
- Protein: 14.9 g
- Cholesterol: 28mg
Keywords: Cashew Chicken, Cashew Chicken Recipe, Best Cashew Chicken Recipe