Cashew Chicken is made in a skillet on the stove top! Tender, flavorful chicken in an easy homemade sauce and loaded with cashews. This easy, one pot dinner recipe can be ready in just 30 minutes.
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CASHEW CHICKEN RECIPE
This easy skillet cashew chicken is really simple, and it’s a quick 30-minute dinner that’s made in just a skillet pan.
I’ll admit, mine took a bit longer than 30 minutes because while making it, my daughter decided it would be a good idea to stir the sauce mixture, and it spilled everywhere. My kitchen still smells like soy sauce & sesame oil!
HOW TO MAKE CASHEW CHICKEN IN A SKILLET PAN
Begin by mixing up the homemade sauce. I mix mine into a 2-cup glass measuring cup but you could also use a small bowl. You will also need a whisk to get it combined and smooth.
- low-sodium chicken broth – If you do use regular, full-salt chicken broth (which is fine!) then you may want to slightly cut back on the amount of salt you sprinkle on the chicken pieces.
- low-sodium soy sauce – Yes, please make sure you are using the low sodium soy sauce. Regular will be way too salty. Unless you love that, then go ahead.
- hoisin sauce – You can find this by the soy sauce and other Asian ingredients in the grocery store.
- brown sugar
- rice vinegar – Make sure it is the unseasoned rice vinegar.
- garlic – Use fresh chopped garlic cloves, chopped garlic from the jar, or garlic pasta from the tube.
- ginger – You can peel and shred your own fresh ginger but the easiest thing to do is to buy a tube of ginger paste (in the fridge part of the produce section).
- sesame oil
- cornstarch
- cashews – I use lightly salted cashews, but any will work. I also like them chopped up a bit more so I put them into a Ziploc bag and pound them to chop them up a bit.
You will also need some boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have been cut into bite-sized pieces. Add that to a skillet pan with some olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Let the chicken cook most of the way through, add the sauce, let come to a boil and then reduce heat, and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Add cashews and a water + cornstarch mixture to help thicken it up.
TRY THESE OTHER CASHEW RECIPES
- fruity cashew chicken pasta salad
- chinese cashew chicken
- cashew chicken salad
- instant pot cashew chicken
- cashew crunch
Skillet Cashew Chicken
Cashew Chicken is made in a skillet on the stove top! Tender, flavorful chicken in an easy homemade sauce and loaded with cashews. This easy, one pot dinner recipe can be ready in just 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed (or use garlic paste)
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger (or use ginger paste)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Chicken
- 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt & pepper
- 1 cup cashews
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
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Combine all the sauce ingredients in a glass measuring cup or a bowl. Whisk together to break up clumps. Set aside.
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Add olive oil and chicken chunks to a skillet pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
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Cook chicken, over medium-high heat, for 8-10 minutes. Stirring to turn the chicken every couple minutes until it looks cooked and the outside is white. It should be mostly cooked, but not to temperature as it will cook in the sauce later.
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* Chicken gives off a lot of liquid while cooking, so at this point I like to drain the liquid from the skillet pan. This is optional.
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Add the sauce to the skillet pan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, and let simmer for 10-12 minutes. Chicken should be cooked through.
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Stir together the cornstarch and water with a fork. Add this to the chicken and sauce, along with the cashews. Stir and let it cook and thicken for a few minutes before serving.
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Serve over white rice and garnish with green onions.
Recipe Notes
You will need about 2 pounds of chicken breast for this recipe
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