• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Endless Meal®

Healthier Recipes for Busy People

Search
Main Menu
  • Browse All Recipes
  • By Course
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Dessert
    • Side Dishes
    • Appetizers
    • Soup
    • Salads
    • Drinks
  • By Method
    • Slow Cooker
    • Grilling
    • Oven
    • Stovetop
    • Sheet Pan
    • Casserole
  • By Diet
    • Gluten Free
    • Vegetarian
    • Paleo
    • Vegan
    • Refined Sugar Free
    • Whole30
    • Low Carb
  • By Cuisine
    • Asian
    • Indian
    • Mediterranean
    • Mexican & Southwest
    • North American
    • Thai
  • By Protein
    • Beef
    • Chicken
    • Pork
    • Lamb
    • Turkey
    • Seafood
    • Meatless
  • By Holiday
    • Valentine's Day
    • St. Patrick's Day
    • Easter
    • Cinco de Mayo
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
  • By Season
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Autumn
    • Winter
Start Here
About
Cookbook
Instagram
Facebook
Pinterest
Youtube
  • Recipes
  • Dinners
  • Cookbook
  • About
  • Start Here
Home Recipes
Cashew chicken on a plate with rice and steamed broccoli.

Cashew Chicken

4.9 stars (32 ratings)
7 Comments
Jump to Recipe
Gluten Free Gluten Free Paleo Paleo Refined Sugar-Free Refined Sugar Free

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Cashew chicken is sweet, sticky, and all things delicious. It's easy to make and better than your favorite takeout. Serve with a side of rice and broccoli for a quick and easy dinner!

Cashew chicken on a plate with rice and steamed broccoli.

What is cashew chicken

If you love sweet and sticky chicken recipes, this one is for you. Cashew chicken is a Chinese-American dish of chicken with cashews nuts in a sweet sauce.

  • Lightly crispy pieces of tender chicken.
  • With lots of tasty cashew nuts.
  • Smothered in a savory sweet sauce.
  • That makes our inner 5-year-old self happy happy happy.
  • And the adult version of ourselves will love that dinner is only 30 minutes away.
  • And easily made refined sugar-free.

READ MORE: Sticky Honey Garlic Chicken

Cashew chicken in a pan with lots of sticky sauce.

How to make cashew chicken

This is a very simple recipe.

  1. Toss the chicken pieces in tapioca starch or cornstarch.
  2. Now mix the sauce ingredients together.
  3. Cook the chicken until lightly crispy then add the sauce and cashews to the pan.
  4. Let it bubble for a couple of minutes then eat!

What ingredients are in cashew chicken sauce?

The ingredients in cashew chicken stock vary in each recipe. We find that the best ingredients for this sweet and savory combo are:

  • Chicken stock – low-sodium or homemade is best
  • Hoisin sauce – you can buy gluten-free hoisin sauce or make your own if you'd like a refined sugar-free version
  • Soy sauce – low sodium works best here
  • Rice vinegar
  • Garlic
  • Ginger

How long does chicken with cashew nuts keep?

While this dish is best eaten fresh, it will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge. Reheat it in a pan over medium heat, adding a bit of water or chicken stock to loosen the sauce.

A close up of cashew chicken on a plate with steamed broccoli.

Easy chicken recipes

  • Peanut Butter Chicken
  • Tangy Lemon Chicken
  • Juicy Baked Chicken Thighs
  • Honey Garlic Chicken
Tap stars to rate!
4.94 stars (32 ratings)
Cashew chicken on a plate with rice and steamed broccoli.

Cashew Chicken Recipe

Prep: 10 minutes mins
Cook: 20 minutes mins
Total: 30 minutes mins
Rate Recipe Print
Cashew chicken is sweet, sticky, and all things delicious. It's easy to make and better than your favorite takeout. Serve with a side of rice and broccoli for a quick and easy dinner!
6 servings

Ingredients

Cashew Chicken

  • 6 boneless chicken thighs (cut into bite-sized pieces)
  • ½ cup tapioca starch (can sub cornstarch)
  • 2 tablespoons oil (we like avocado oil)
  • ¾ cup cashews (toasted (see notes))

Cashew Chicken Sauce

  • ½ cup low-sodium chicken stock or water
  • ⅓ cup hoisin sauce (gluten-free, if needed. homemade for refined sugar-free)
  • 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce (gluten-free or coco aminos, as needed)
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (can sub white vinegar)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 teaspoon finely minced ginger

Instructions 

  • Place the chicken and tapioca starch in a medium-sized bowl and mix well. In a small bowl, mix together the cashew chicken sauce ingredients.
    6 boneless chicken thighs, ½ cup tapioca starch, ½ cup low-sodium chicken stock or water, ⅓ cup hoisin sauce, 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon finely minced ginger
  • Heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add half of the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, until almost cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and add the remaining chicken, adding more oil if needed. Cook the second batch of chicken then drain any oil from the pan. Do not wipe the pan clean. Pour the sauce into the pan and let it cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the cashews.
    2 tablespoons oil, ¾ cup cashews

Notes

To toast raw cashews, place them on a baking sheet in the oven at 375 degrees for 6 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 chicken thigh with ⅙ of the cashews and sauce, Calories: 339kcal (17%), Carbohydrates: 21g (7%), Protein: 26g (52%), Fat: 17g (26%), Saturated Fat: 3g (19%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 108mg (36%), Sodium: 444mg (19%), Potassium: 431mg (12%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 5g (6%), Vitamin A: 28IU (1%), Vitamin C: 1mg (1%), Calcium: 24mg (2%), Iron: 2mg (11%)
© Author Kristen Stevens

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.

Cashew chicken on a plate with rice and steamed broccoli.

Did you make this?

We love to see what you made! Tag @theendlessmeal or hashtag #theendlessmeal!

Tag us on Instagram
Rate Recipe

Pin this cashew chicken recipe to save it for later!

Cashew chicken on a plate with rice and steamed broccoli and the recipe title on top of the picture.
507 shares
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
Kristen Stevens

Kristen Stevens

Hi, I'm Kristen! I LOVE everything to do with food: making it, taking pictures of it, and (the best part) eating it. ♡♡♡

Learn More
Posted: 04/14/2020 Updated: 01/31/2023
guest
Rate this recipe:




guest
Rate this recipe:




7 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

sidebar

Get the cookbook!

Sugar Free Paleo Dinner Recipes
Buy now!

Trending

A pot of creamy chicken taco soup with a ladle scooping some out.
35 minutes mins

Chicken Taco Soup

A bacon sandwich with lots of caramelized onions.
25 minutes mins

BEST Bacon Sandwich with Caramelized Onions

Lemon chicken pasta in a white bowl with a fork,
35 minutes mins

Lemon Chicken Pasta

Cheesy White Bean Tomato Bake in a cast iron pan with bread.
20 minutes mins

Cheesy White Bean Tomato Bake

Seasonal

a close up of our favorite lingcod recipe on a plate with salad
20 minutes mins

Favorite Lingcod Recipe

a big salad bowl filled with spring mix salad tossed in lemon honey vinaigrette
10 minutes mins

Spring Mix Salad

spring vegetable noodle stir fry in a bowl with a fork.
30 minutes mins

Spring Noodle Stir Fry with Lemon Sesame Sauce

a pot of spring minestrone soup
28 minutes mins

Spring Minestrone Soup

As seen on:

Get the cookbook

Sugar Free Paleo Dinner Recipes

no sugar. no grains. no dairy. no hassle.

Buy now!

Explore Recipes

Quick & Easy
Pasta Recipes
Chicken Recipes
Slow Cooker Recipes
Salad Recipes
Soup Recipes
Side Dishes
Desserts
Instagram
Facebook
Pinterest
Youtube
Back To Top
FAQ
Privacy Policy
Disclaimers
Accessibility
© 2023 The Endless Meal® All Rights Reserved.
Site Credits
Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled
507 shares
wpDiscuz