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Cashew Chicken - Delicious and easy cashew chicken recipe with tender and silky chicken in Chinese brown sauce. Homemade is so much better than takeout.
Chinese Cashew Chicken
There are many recipes online, but I am going to teach you the best homemade and authentic Chinese cashew chicken recipe that tastes just like takeout from the best Chinese restaurants.
The secret to becoming an expert on this recipe lies in the silky velveting techniques of the chicken and the sauce. Master those and you won’t need takeout again, believe me.
How To Make Cashew Chicken Silky
If you have been to a good Chinese restaurant, you would notice that the chicken is extremely tender and silky smooth – almost velvety. Yes, most Chinese chefs “treat” the chicken with baking soda.
Baking soda removes the potential “meaty” odor from the meat and tenderizes at the same time (learn all about it in my Cook’s Note). Pairing the velvety chicken with crunchy cashew nuts adds texture and tastes absolutely delicious.
Cashew Chicken Sauce
What kind of sauce is used? Like most Chinese stir-fry, the sauce is a Chinese brown sauce that is made of oyster sauce, soy sauce, water (or chicken broth) and sugar.
For authentic flavors, sesame oil, ground white pepper and Chinese rice wine are also used to make the sauce. Lastly, corn starch is added to thicken up this traditional sauce.
Tips For The Best Cashew Chicken
- Use chicken breasts for the best result.
- Do not skimp on the cashews – include loads of cashew nuts.
- The brown sauce is the soul of this dish, so get the best quality Chinese soy sauce and oyster sauce.
- Add red or green bell peppers and cook in a wok or skillet. Make some steamed rice to go with it and you don’t need Chinese takeout ever again!
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is only 515 calories per serving.
What To Serve With This Recipe
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Cashew Chicken
Ingredients
- 10 oz (280g) boneless and skinless chicken breast, cut into small cubes
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 5 slices ginger, peeled
- 1 small red bell pepper, or green bell pepper, cut into small squares
- 1/2 cup unsalted cashew nuts
Marinade:
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine, optional
Sauce:
- 1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 3/4 teaspoon soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons water
- 3 dashes ground white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon rice wine, optional
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- salt , to taste
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Rinse the chicken breast with cold water and pat it dry with paper towels. Cut the chicken into cubes and marinate it with cornstarch and rice wine (if using). In a separate bowl, mix all the ingredients for the Sauce together and set aside.
- Heat a wok or skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of oil. Stir-fry the chicken until it turns white (it doesn't need to be fully cooked). Remove the chicken from the wok and set aside.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the wok or skillet. Then, add the ginger and bell pepper, stirring until you can smell the aromatic scent of the peppers. Return the chicken to the wok, then stir in the sauce. Toss and stir-fry continuously until the chicken is fully cooked and the sauce thickens. Adjust the seasoning with salt to taste.
- Add the cashew nuts and stir quickly to combine. Dish out and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Cooked this for dinner. It is pretty easy to cook and delicious. I don’t have bell pepper at home so I substitute it with carrots instead. My husband enjoys it very much.
Hi Jane, thanks for trying my recipe! :)
Delicious and the chicken was so very tender without the baking soda tenderizer! It was moist and juicy. I only wish I’d made 2X sauce. It is an easy, straightforward recipe with minimal preparation. Visually, I think it would benefit from a few scallion greens garnish at the finish before serving.
Hi Nancy, thanks for your comment and thanks for trying my recipe!
We love this recipe. It’s definitely better than any take out we’ve ever had. The only tweek that we consistently do is double or triple the sauce because it is so good. Your book is excellent and we always recommend it to anyone who wants to try making really delicious Chinese recipes at home. We wish you would publish some more books!
Hi Tom, thanks for your sweet comment. Thanks for supporting my work and cookbook and no I won’t be writing another cookbook, it’s just too much work and the financial reward is low. :(