Skip the Chinese takeout and make this Cashew Chicken at home! Marinate the chicken in peanut oil, chili powder, honey and tamari, then cook with onions and mushrooms.
This cashew chicken recipe is one of my favorites on the site, and not just because it came from my friend Marc.
Marc loves sharing stories about his famous people Cashew Chickenhis trademark, tested and perfected over decades of pounding the homes of friends old and new in exchange for his cooking skills.
Cashew Chicken is a takeaway standby that you can easily make at home. The chicken is marinated in a sauce made with peanut oil, tamari (or soy sauce if you can’t find tamari), honey, and chilli powder. It is prepared with mushrooms, onions and of course cashew nuts.
How to make cashew chicken
The chicken will marinate for at least half an hour while you toast cashews in a pan. Then the cashews cool and you cook the chicken, removing it from the pan and then cooking the onions and mushrooms together. Then everything is combined in the pan. It’s great served with rice.
Ways to customize this cashew chicken
One of the things I love about this cashew chicken is that it’s a good base recipe that’s easy to expand from. Several people suggested adding some ginger and onion greens, which I think works well, and I’ve added it as an option in this updated version.
I also enjoyed it with some freshly chopped pineapple which gives it some sweetness. Others have added vegetables like broccoli or snow peas.
Note that the amounts given in the recipe are all approximate. But with these ingredients, in roughly the right proportions, it’s hard to go wrong.
Steps to make this cashew chicken ahead of time
You can marinate the chicken the night before you cook it if you like, or at least a few hours in advance. The minimum it takes is half an hour.
More takeout favorites to take at home!
- Ginger beef stir fry
- Korean Spicy Cold Noodles
- Easy fried vegetable rice
- Moo Goo Gai Pan
- Chicken Pad Thai
Easy Cashew Chicken
You can whip this up pretty quickly if you start with the marinade first, then chop the veggies and cook the cashews while the chicken marinates.
ingredients
For the chicken:
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4 Skinless and boneless chicken breast (Above 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 lb total), cut into 1-inch cubes
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3/4 Cup peanut oil or other vegetable oil
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3 tablespoon chili powder
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1/2 Cup Tamari (or soy sauce; use wheat-free tamari or soy sauce if you need to cook gluten-free)
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1/2 Cup honey
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2 cups raw cashew nuts
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3 cups onions (about 2 medium onions), roughly chopped
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3 cups Mushroomsroughly chopped
Optional for garnish:
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1 to 2 teaspoon fresh gingerchopped
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1/4 Cup shallots or green onionsgreen parts only, chopped
method
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Marinate Chicken:
Place the diced chicken in a medium-sized bowl. Add the oil. Add the tamari until the marinade turns a dark brown (about 2 tablespoons per breast). Sprinkle the chili powder over the chicken pieces while stirring, so each chicken piece is well coated with the chili powder and marinade.
Stir in the honey, about 2 tablespoons for each breast. Add chopped ginger if using. Marinate for 1/2 hour to several hours, the longer the better.
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Toast the cashews:
Heat a pan over medium heat. Spread the cashews in a single layer on the bottom of the pan. Stir until lightly browned, remove from heat.
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Roast Chicken:
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary so you don’t overcrowd the pan, use tongs to remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and place them in the pan, saving the extra marinade.
Fry the chicken pieces briefly, remove from the pan and set aside.
Pour excess marinade back into pan and simmer for a few minutes (to kill bacteria). Pour all but 1 tablespoon of the marinade into a separate bowl and reserve.
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Sauté onions and mushrooms:
In the same pan, sauté the onions for a few minutes over medium-high heat.
Add mushrooms and continue to sauté until onions are translucent and mushrooms are cooked, a few minutes longer. If necessary, add some reserved marinade to the pan.
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Combine all the ingredients:
Add the chicken and cashews back to the pan with the mushrooms and onions. Stir to combine.
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Surcharge:
Stir in onion greens (if using) just before serving. Serve over rice. This will keep covered in the fridge for about 5 days.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 848 | calories |
| 51g | Fat |
| 55g | carbohydrates |
| 49g | protein |
