Weeknight Cashew Chicken

This weeknight cashew chicken is faster than takeout and tastes amazing. It’s a perfect fix for your Chinese food cravings on those busy weeknights.

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While my husband is all about ordering out when I don’t have a meal on the table, I know I can whip out many meals out in a half hour or so. It flummoxes him, but this is why weeknight recipes are invented.

Forget spending the money and calories on takeout, and enjoy this homemade cashew chicken recipe in less time than it takes to call the local Chinese restaurant, order it, pick it up, and get home to eat it. It’s a win all around right?

I love recipes that are easy but still have a ton of flavor and aren’t the same old standbys – chicken I’ve cooked in a crockpot all day, spaghetti and meatballs, a quick chicken soup, and the like. I love having variety in my diet, but frequently I want something more and different.

Cashew chicken is slightly sweet from the touch of sugar, while having plenty of umami from the soy and the fish sauce. Oh, and don’t forget the satisfying crunch from the carrots, snow peas, and – of course – the cashews.

With all those variables, it means that I usually end up eating less of it because so many of my senses are engaged in eating it, and I’m satiated that much faster.

Serve your cashew chicken over rice with green onions sliced atop it. Yum!

Is cashew chicken gluten free?

The only gluten in this recipe is the soy sauce, and you can easily swap it out for tamari or amino acids. Use a one to one ratio for this if you make the swap.

Aside from that, this simple Asian chicken recipe is gluten free, as well as dairy free.

Do I need to use fish sauce?

Technically, no, you can skip the fish sauce if you get wigged out by it. But it adds a ton of umami to so many Asian dishes.

It doesn’t take a lot to really help your flavors pop, so give it a try if you can. You don’t actually taste it in the final dish as  distinct flavor.

If you choose to leave it out, consider adding a tablespoon or two of hoisin sauce in its place. It isn’t anywhere near the same flavor, but it does help to give a little depth of flavor to the marinade.

Why do you toast the cashews?

Toasting the unsalted cashews brings out their natural oils and gives them a delicious crunch, too. You want to toast them just until they become fragrant, so be careful not to burn them.

You can also skip this step, but toasted cashews definitely add to the finished dish. It doesn’t add any extra time to this quick weeknight dinner because you toast them for just a few minutes while your chicken cooks.

How can I make this even more flavorful?

When I need to make this quickly, I skip the marinade. However, the marinade is where the flavor is at.

Marinate your chicken for at least a couple hours if you can. You can also marinate the chicken starting in the morning, then cook it up for a quick dinner later.

What other veggies can I add to cashew chicken?

When I make this, I use carrots and snow peas because they add great color to an otherwise bland looking (but so not bland tasting!) dish. I’m a huge fan of adding color where I can to make it more interesting.

You could add your own preferred veggies in addition to – or in place of – these, from green peppers to sugar snap peas to baby corn to water chestnuts to edamame and more. Think about red bell peppers or mushrooms or broccoli, too.

That’s another fun part about dishes like this; you’re able to take it and play with it and make it your own.

And of course, that’s one of the most fun parts about cooking, right?

What kind of chicken should I use?

I often use boneless skinless chicken breast because it’s so readily available. However, lately I make this with boneless skinless chicken thighs instead.

Chicken thighs tend to have a bit more flavor, and right now, they’re about half the price of chicken breasts. No brainer, right?

As long as it is boneless and skinless, I’ll use it. You can use chicken tenders or chicken cutlets, as well.

And technically, you can cut the chicken off the bone and remove the skin before you cook it, if you prefer. That definitely adds time, however, and for a quick weeknight dinner, I want easy.

How do I reheat cashew chicken without making my veggies soft?

If you reheat your leftover cashew chicken  in the microwave, you veggie will get soft. But sometimes expedience wins out.

However, if you add your leftovers to a saucepan and heat it over medium heat on the stove, this helps keep your veggies crunchier. Just make sure you stir this often so nothing burns to the bottom while your chicken and veggies heat through.

How to Make Weeknight Cashew Chicken

Make your marinade

Peel your garlic cloves, and mince them. Add to a container or zip top bag where you will marinate your chicken.

Add the brown sugar, fish sauce, mirin, fresh ginger, soy sauce, and 1/4 cup of the chicken stock. Stir to combine.

I keep my ginger root in the freezer and grate it directly into whatever I make with my microplane zester. It adds way more flavor that way, and it doesn’t go bad before I can use it.

Cut your chicken into bite size pieces, and add it to the marinade you’ve made, stirring carefully to ensure all pieces are coated. Cover and stick in the fridge for at least a half hour and ideally about three hours.

You want bite size cubed chicken. Don’t make the chicken pieces too big, but remember that they shrink slightly when they cook, too.

If you’re in a hurry, you can skip the marinating portion, no worries. Additionally, you can marinate this starting in the morning for a quick prep dinner later in the day.

Cook your chicken

When you’re ready to cook, add the remaining 1/4 cup of chicken stock to a deep braising pan and turn the heat to medium. Add the chicken pieces and marinade and cover for a few minutes to bring the heat up inside.

You’ll poach your chicken for about 8-10 minutes, until it is cooked through.

While your chicken cooks, peel your carrots. Cut them into matchstick size pieces – cutting the carrot in half lengthwise, placing the cut side down and slicing thinly, then cutting them into 2 inch or so sections.

Wash your snow peas and slice them in half. Although traditionally they’re served whole, I find it hard to fit them in my mouth that way and go for comfort over style in this dish.

Place your unsalted cashews into a dry pan, and toast them over medium heat for two to three minutes. Shake the pan periodically, and remove it from the heat once you start to smell the nutty fragrance.

Make the sauce

Once your chicken is cooked, place the cornstarch to a small bowl. Add a bit of cold water and use a fork to stir it together to make a slurry, adding more water if necessary.

Add the slurry to your cashew chicken sauce, stirring while you do so to ensure it gets incorporated. Bring it to a slow boil for 2-3 minutes to thicken your sauce.

Add the crunchy cashews, snow peas, and most of the carrots, reserving a few for extra garnish. Stir together to coat in sauce, then turn off the heat.

Let it sit just so the new ingredients get warm but don’t cook through – you want that crunchy texture. The time it takes to get out your plates to serve the chicken is long enough.

Serve immediately over white or brown rice with sliced green onions on top.

Save this simple cashew chicken recipe to make again!

Looking for more quick weeknight dinners? Here are more of my favorites.

• Chicken egg roll in a bowl
• Cheater chicken enchiladas
• 3 cheese lasagna roll ups
• Mexican quinoa skillet
• Cheesy stuffed shells
• Tuna and tomato pasta
• Cacio e pepe
• Carrot ginger soup

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