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Cashew Chicken

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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.

Cashew Chicken - delicious and easy cashew chicken recipe with tender and silky chicken in Chinese brown sauce. Homemade is so much better than takeout. | rasamalaysia.com

Silky Chicken with Brown Cashew Chicken Sauce in a bowl.

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.

Chinese Cashew nuts chicken with red and green bell peppers in a bowl.

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.

Healthy and easy Asian stir-fry chicken cashew nuts.

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.

Homemade Chinese Stir-fry Chicken cashew nuts with brown cashew sauce in a bowl with chopsticks ready to serve.

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!

What Dishes to Serve with this Recipe?

For a wholesome Chinese meal and easy weeknight dinner at home, I recommend the following recipes.

This Recipe Goes Well with:

Other Recipes You Might Like

5 from 2 votes
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Cashew Chicken Recipe

Cashew Chicken - crazy delicious and easy cashew chicken recipe with tender and silky chicken in Chinese brown sauce. Homemade is so much better than takeout and it's perfect for busy weeknights.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Keyword Cashew Chicken
Prep Time
Cook Time
Total Time
Servings 2 people
Calories 515 kcal
Author

Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 10 oz. boneless and skinless chicken breast, cut into small cubes
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 5 slices peeled ginger
  • 1 small red or green bell pepper, cut into small squares
  • 1/2 cup unsalted cashew nuts

Marinade:

  • 1 teaspoon corn starch
  • 1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine, (optional)

Sauce:

Instructions

  1. Rinse the chicken breast with cold water, pat dry with paper towels. Cut the chicken into cubes and marinate with corn starch and rice wine (if using). Mix all the ingredients for the Sauce together. Set aside.
  2. Heat up a wok or skillet with 1 tablespoon of the oil and stir-fry the chicken until they turn white (not bot completely cooked). Dish out and set aside.
  3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of the oil into the wok or skillet and add the ginger and bell pepper. Stir-fry until you smell the peppery aroma from the peppers, then add the chicken back in. Stir in the Sauce and toss and stir fry continuously until the chicken is cooked and the sauce thickens. Add salt to taste.
  4. Add the cashew nuts and do a few quick stirs. Dish out and serve immediately with steamed rice.

Recipe Notes

To make the chicken extremely tender like Chinese restaurants, you may use 1 tablespoon of baking soda to tenderize the chicken. In a bowl, add the baking soda to the chicken. Use a spoon to mix well so the baking soda coats the chicken evenly. Leave on for 5 minutes before rinsing the chicken off with cold water. Make sure you rinse the chicken well so there is no residue on the chicken. Pat dry with paper towels before marinating with corn starch and rice wine.

Nutrition Facts
Cashew Chicken Recipe
Amount Per Serving (2 people)
Calories 515 Calories from Fat 306
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 34g 52%
Saturated Fat 15g 75%
Cholesterol 91mg 30%
Sodium 421mg 18%
Potassium 862mg 25%
Total Carbohydrates 17g 6%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Sugars 4g
Protein 37g 74%
Vitamin A 5.3%
Vitamin C 60%
Calcium 2.5%
Iron 17.2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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314 COMMENTS... read them below or add one


  2. I just cooked this and was impressed once again. I did the bicarbonate marinade and couldn’t believe how much better the chicken was. My wife doesn’t eat chicken very often as she thinks it’s generally rubbery but she loved this. I’ll be doing this for all chicken recipes from now on. Cant wait to try more of your amazing recipes. Thanks.

    Reply

  3. This is my favourite go to recipe when I have a craving for Chinese take-out. I have made it numerous times. I find I have to multiply the marinade and sauce X 4 for a family of four (3-4 chicken breasts cubed). Also, I have to add additional cornstarch to the sauce mixture (about 1 Tbsp) to get a silky sauce. 3 cloves of minced garlic and grated ginger is a nice addition to this recipe as well. Like one other commenter, I too use rice vinegar in place of rice wine. It still tastes great.

    Reply

  4. Your recipes are always so light and delicious. I just made this and it’s sooo good. Treating the chicken with baking soda made it so silky and tender. I added some dried red chili peppers for heat. Amazing!

    Reply

  5. I’ve never used fresh ginger. I watched a youtube video to learn how to peel and slice. But your recipe only says “5 slices” . How big is a slice? Thank you

    Reply

  7. Very, very good. Made this last night and our family liked this as much as the recipe we have from Thailand cooking school (a friend who traveled there for 2 weeks took a cooking class while in Thailand, returned with the recipe book they used). As other reviews mentioned, Rasa’s photos are great however the base recipe needed some color besides red & white, so thanks for the ‘heavy lifting’ Rasa for the delicious recipe, and we’ll just add some vegetable add-ons (see the website link for this comment, if it shows to visitors, if you’d like to see the photo of our meal)::
    After tripling the sauce ingredients to make 6-8 portions, and using 1 diced finger pepper when cooking the chicken, easy enough to add some vegetables we were fortunate to have on hand:
    a.) 1 large sweet onion (cut into 3/4 inch squares)
    b.) 1 large red bell/capsicum pepper
    c.) 1 poblano pepper
    d.) about 1 cup matchstick-cut carrots (from 2 inches of carrot that’s about 3 finger’s thick)
    e.) 14 ounces unsalted cashews (lightly browned in oil over Medium heat in the wok, taken out, added back in at the end)
    f.) 2 cups of sliced mushrooms
    Flavor was really good; I’d like to see the sauce be a little brown instead of light-colored, other than that can’t imagine changing a thing!

    Reply

  8. Hi Rasa, I should have read the recipe first before I first commented…..do you sprinkle the baking soda on both sides of the chicken breast ? So this recipe is made with only one chicken breast? And about how many will it feed ?

    Can you please do a video the next time you make it, and let us see you do it all? From beginning to the end….that would be wonderful……Thanks

    Reply

  9. This sound really good, can’t wait to make it….wish you would do videos and show us just how you use the baking soda on the chicken, take us thru the entire recipe…..no one ever said how long to leave the baking soda on….or how much to sprinkle on…..this would make it more helpful to know all this…..
    I believe you said you could use on Beef too, what about pork, or other meats…..can you please email me personally with these questions…..

    Reply

    • You only leave the soda on for 5 minutes. It’s in Rasa’s last paragraph of instructions. Make sure you don’t leave it longer or your chicken will turn out with an unpleasant texture and like she indicates. Make sure you rinse the cubed chicken well. Note: When using this method, your chicken will not brown well.

      Reply

  10. Cashew Chicken is my favorite, I have never used the baking soda; but was wondering if it can be used on other meats?
    Thank you, Mary

    Reply

  12. Made this many times and is always a hit!, Since my husband loves fried rice, that is what I usually serve it with. Absolutely delicious.

    Reply

  14. Every recipe I’ve tried from Rasa Malaysia has been a huge success. This one is my favourite. It’s so easy and it’s delicious! I brought a few of my coworkers this cashew chicken for lunch and now they keep asking me when I’m making it again. I usually double or triple the recipe and add carrots, celery, and broccoli. So yummy! Even my picky mother who hates everything loved this (after picking out the peppers and onion lol). Thank you for such fantastic recipes!

    Reply

    • Hi Michelle, thanks for your sweet comment. I am so glad that you love my cashew chicken. I love that you add in more vegetables. Good idea. Tell your friends to check out my site. Can’t remember my site’s name, just tell them easyasianfood.com and it will redirects here. :)

      Reply

  15. Thanks so much for the cashew chicken recipe! Out of all the stirfries I’ve tried over the years, this tasted and felt like the most authentic! I’m so excited and am going to try more of your recipes. It was so good! :) Happy holidays!

    Reply

  17. I appreciate your recipes. I’ve used several and haven’t been disappointed yet. I want to learn to cook the Chinese way. It can be difficult to find authentic Chinese recipes that aren’t corrupted by American tastes. I also enjoy learning new and proper techniques. I was excited to learn about the use baking soda and have applied it to other recipes. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

  18. I really admired about what you have to say regarding Chinese food and how American restaurants have turned it into greasy starchy food. This recipe looks like a shift away from that and after learning about baking soda, I’m definitely going to have to give it a try. It looks a lot fresher than what you would order at a take-out restaurant.

    Reply

  20. This was soooooo good! I made it with shrimp, skipping the baking soda step- seriously, so good! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

  21. Is there an acceptable substitute for oyster sauce? I wouldn’t use it for two reasons, one of which is a severe allergy to any kind of shellfish or shell-type sea creature.

    I wonder if the awful reaction I always have to “Chinese” food is because of what you said; it’s been butchered (I would say bastardized) in this country to the point that it isn’t the fresh, clean way of eating it seems it should be. I don’t eat Chinese food because it ALWAYS makes me very sick. I think, with this recipe, if I can substitute oyster sauce with something else, I may have found at least one authentic dish I can enjoy.

    Thank you for posting it :-)

    Reply

  22. I made this last week and it was delicious. My 2 year old can be quite fussy but she loved this dish. I didn’t have rice wine but did have rice wine vinegar. No white pepper, used black pepper instead. I’ll definitely be making it again. Thank you for sharing this recipe :-)

    Reply

  23. Thank you so much for the velveting tip. I eat a load of chicken breasts these days and velveting is a fantastic way to ensure a tender and melt in the mouth texture. Thanks again !

    Reply

  27. I have a question please everytime i make chinise or thai food ..it tastes a bit bitter..is there something i am doing wrong.

    Reply

  30. Hi, just found your site and am eager to try your recipes! I’m wondering is there some other vegetable I could use instead of green peppers, I’m allergic to capsicums, so all peppers and chilies. What veg would you recommend besides maybe mushrooms? Would broccoli or carrots work instead? Or maybe cabbage? Thanks for your help and for sharing such great recipes!

    Reply

    • Hi Shelley, welcome to Rasa Malaysia, make sure to follow me on Pinterest and Facebook and subscribe to my email to get recipe updates. You can use broccoli, or carrots, or even celery. I think it will taste great!

      Reply

  33. I bought your cookbook last week from Amazon and I have made about 4 dishes so far. Love them all! Made this tonight, it was delish! I love the book, thank you!!

    Reply

  34. I am usually hopless at stirfries! However this recipe has completely come through for me! I used garlic and only a little ginger. Added some more veggies and it was brilliant! I will be cooking this again!

    Reply

  36. I love all your recipes, i live in Netherlands, married with a chinese-dutch and i’m romanian :) , i love to cook asian, your recipes are perfect, when i need a new idea i’m searching on your page and…go to market :). Thank you for all the hard work you are doing and for sharing everything with us!

    Reply

  37. Made this yesterday, what a hit it was. Your recipe was delicious. Cashew chicken has always been my wife’s favorite and this did not disappoint.

    Reply

  38. Oh My GOD just made this..Thank you sooo much what a little ripper of a dish..Absolutely delicious. I just love your site..Thank you again.

    Reply

  39. Just a question regarding the marinating of the chicken in baking soda. Do I just sprinkle it over the top of the chicken pieces & stir to combine, or do you cover the chicken with water & add the baking soda to the water? How do I ensure the baking soda is not just stuck to one or two pieces of chicken?

    Reply

  40. What a joy, finding your web site. Circumstances have me setting up home as a single person, on fixed income, trying to keep a balanced diet – learning to cook for my self. You are right about the overly Americanized recipes that most Chinese restaurants serve. The problem with cooking at home is it takes a lot of pots, pans, cookers, etc. and a lot of preparation. Your recipes have been easy to follow, simple steps laid out clearly, and with a few simple (but important) tools, mainly a good wok and a couple accessories – the recipes I have tried all came out great. I would like to see more Asian recipes like steamed fish. Surprisingly – I have had a difficult time finding a good bamboo steamer. It’s on my list as well as a good rice steamer. I do pretty well with a small stove top pot – but I know what a good ricer can do and I am working my way to get that into my kitchen.
    Beside your recipes tasting better than what I would get in a restaurant – it is far more economical doing it yourself, and far more healthier. The expanse and range of recipes you offer are great. It expands the palette and keeps cooking from being boring. It encourages buying fresh vegetables – which, when you living alone can easily become something you quit doing. I hated going to the grocery store and buying the same old stuff over and over again. Now my trips are far more interesting as I shop knowing exactly what meal I am planning.
    It is nice to have a spice cabinet with a big range of spices instead of just a salt and pepper shaker. I had never heard of oyster sauce but now it is also one of my secret weapons.
    Thanks, you effort is greatly appreciated

    Reply

  41. Loved this dish, thought it was perfect exactly as published, then hubs-my masterchef-complained the flavor was too light. Should I marinate the meat in the sauce? Any suggestions?

    Reply

  42. Can you place a “Print” button on your recipies? I’d love to print them out with the picture but can’t really do it on your site now. Thanks.

    Reply

  43. It would be nice if you could type the recipe in bold, it does not print out well. Also, the sliced ginger: how big are the slices supposed to be.

    Reply

  44. Tried the baking soda on the chicken today. The chicken dish turned out really tender. Thank you for sharing the secret tip!

    Reply

  45. I did not know that baking soda can soften meat. I tried it on my steak, and it was Awesome!!! Thank you so much. Also, I did the cashew chicken, it was marvelous. I was out of oyster sauce, the chicken was still delicious. Thank you…bye bye tough meat :)

    Reply

  47. You can use this brand of soy-based “oyster sauce” called Mama Sitas. It is vegetarian and while I traditionally use regular oyster sauce, My girlfriend’s sister who is a vegan turned me on to this sauce.I can hardly tell the difference between this and real oyster sauce. You can find it in most any Asian market.

    Reply

  48. I have made this multiple times. I add celery and have used rice vinegar in place of the rice wine. My family LOVES this! I triple the recipe now so we have lots of leftovers!

    Reply

    • I love rice vinegar. It’s one of my go to vinegars as it has a very light flavor. For anyone who hasn’t used it before however, there is a difference between plain rice vinegar and seasoned rice vinegar. The seasoned version has sugar (in various forms), salt, and other artificial flavor enhancers added.

      Reply

  50. I absolutely loved this recipe i cant wait to try other recipes since i live in a country where rice wine is not available i actually skipped it … can you tell me why its used and is there any other substitute i can use for it .. thanks :)

    Reply

  51. Is there a substitute for the oyster sauce or could I leave it out? I can’t have oysters due to an allergy so that is out of the question? Any suggestions?

    Reply

  52. Only comment or request I have is, I would like to know the serving size of your recipes. That would help me a lot in planning to prepare one of your recipes for a family of 6. I would love to try your Cashew Chicken!!

    Reply

  53. My husband and I just finished making this wonderful dish exactly as the recipe called for ( I tripled the sauce) including the baking soda marinade/rinse and it was the most delicious/moist cashew chicken I have ever eaten!!! Thanks for a great recipe that we will be making again!!

    Reply

  54. Sorry, I just read the your comment that told us to use roasted cashews not raw. Thanks!

    Manju, Just in case you don’t get an answer soon, I would say that yes you should stir-fry the cashews, but that as I said is just my opinion.

    Reply

  58. Ok, so I don’t own a wok… can I make this in a frying pan? Or I have a clay pot that I can bake in.. Please advise!!! Thank you!

    Reply

  59. Sorry if this is a silly question, is the white pepper necessary? Is there something else I could replace it with (black pepper?)

    Reply

  60. there was a comment on here a couple days ago about using baking soda and the guy also told you how to do it, using his own recipe. why did you remove the comment, it was very helpful

    Reply

  61. looks like a garnish of spring onions over top, but I don’t see them in the recipe.?

    Also, is there a ‘nutrition’ list for this recipe? I have to limit sodium, so prefer recipes which include this.

    Reply

  62. I have had g his dish in the north of china, and your recipe looks very authentic, I will be giving it a go in the next few days. I agree with you that the chinese food outside china is not half as tasty. I might be making jiaozi too for easter, thanks for sharing with us.

    Reply

  67. Made this last night and the meat really was tender! I stir fried this in my clay pot and turned out great.

    Was wondering, why was it necessary to rinse off the baking soda?

    Reply

  68. This was so delicious! I couldn’t believe how tender the chicken was. I made it “as is”, except I doubled the sauce. Two great sized servings over white rice. I can’t wait to experiment with this recipe.

    Reply

  70. This was, by far, the best cashew chicken I have ever made or ever had. So light and fresh. The baking soda works like a charm at tenderizing the chicken.

    Reply

  74. Pretty good flavor. It’s not exactly what I’m used to though. The recipe is definitely better than that gross greasy Americanized available to me now but growing up in Japan I’m used to a thicker darker sauce. Still yummy, I think I just like Japanese style Chinese food lol.

    Reply

    • I stir-fry the cashews for a bit at the end of stir-frying the onions & peppers. It toasts them, makes them a crunchier. You can do them in a dry skillet before hand as well.

      Reply

  76. Wow, first time for me in the kitchen! your recipe was my first attempt at cooking and the dish literally turned heads!!!!! I had my friend over and he licked the bowl clean ! thank you so much, i think i’m gonna cook for myself more often from now on :)

    Reply

  77. Please oh please would you attach an email link to your recipes. To subscribe, you have the email link. I am not on Utube or tweeter so I end up writing the recipes by hand.
    Love your recipes. Now, I want to love your website.
    Ann

    Reply

  78. I am a big fan of your website but didn’t know you had published a cashew chicken recipe. When I wanted to make it for the first time, I googled it and found that you had one already! I was so happy! I tried it the same day and it turned out great. It even made me like green bell peppers!! The meat was really tender, thanks again for the baking soda tip, but next time I think I’ll let it brown a little so it’s not too white.

    Reply

  79. The picture of the Cashew Chicken looks beautiful.

    The tips are appreciated.

    This might sound like a joke, but I promise you, I am serious;
    Where is the recipe.

    I scroll up and down and click on every picture/word of cashew chicken

    and never get led to a recipe.

    Can you help?

    Barry Clompus

    Reply

  81. Wonderful recipe. Would I literally quadruple the ingredients if using 4 chicken breasts? Also, is it possible to prepare the sauce in advance? Thank you for a delicious recipe!

    Reply

  83. I love this recipe. I usually quadruple it, to feed a family of 4. To spice it up a bit, I add a touch of chili-garlic sauce (huy fong) to the sauce, or a squirt of sriracha, or I replace the sugar with Thai chili sauce, but no other modifications. And I use the baking soda trick for other things now. This is one of the best Chinese restaurant style recipes I’ve ever tried, thank you for posting it.

    Reply

  84. I made this for my husband’s birthday dinner, he took two helpings which is very unusual. The only thing I was missing was the oyster sauce, I used fish sauce instead, but it wasn’t the same, this definately needs the oyster sauce. Thank you for another great recipe. Oh and by the way, since using your recipes I have lost 10 pounds in two weeks.

    Reply

  85. Ok, so after re-reading everything (including all the comments), I think I have this figured out.

    1) Sprinkle the chicken with ONLY baking soda. Wait 15 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.
    2)Mix the corn starch with rice wine and marinate the chicken in this for 15 minutes.
    3) Make the sauce
    4) Stir fry the chicken halfway and set aside.
    5) Stir fry the peppers, onions, and ginger.
    6) Add the chicken back to the mix, along with the sauce.
    7) Add the cashews, and a little salt. Give it a quick stir fry to mix everything up.
    8) Serve over rice.

    Reply

    • You can view the recipe by clicking to pg.2, on the below the CHINESE RECIPES: POPULAR & ALL-TIME FAVORITES pictures. Only when you want to print the recipe, you may log in.

      Reply

  87. I LOVE your website and your recipes. Thank you so much.

    I have made the Cashew Chicken and think it’s great. I do have a question though. I am going to cook it at a gathering where it will be difficult to marinate, then rinse. Can I do that ahead of time, rinse it, then freeze it for later thawing? I would do the pepper, onions, and ginger slices that way also.

    Thank you again for what you do.

    Reply

  89. Hi Bee, I think you should open a restaurant , your recipes and the pictures you posted never fail to wet my appetite.
    Thanks a lot.

    Cheers from Penang.

    Reply

  90. I made this and it was just great. Definately a keeper. I used thigh filets as I don’t like breast. I also used the soda but as I don’t think chickens need to be tenderised I wont bother in future.
    Thank you

    Reply

  91. Hi Rasa – Do you have suggestions for making this recipe with ‘extra sauce’ – like almost a gravy with this? My husband likes his Cashew chicken with lots of ‘sauce’ because he likes it mixed with the rice.

    Reply

  92. Hands down the best chicken cashew recipe ever, it taste like restaurant quality and its so easy to make. I haven’t had a failed recipe from your site yet, awesome!

    Reply

  93. Hi…I truly love all your recipes. My husband and I noth enjoy our time together in the kitchen with your recipes as reference :) thank you so much for your passion and sharing it with us!

    1 small question, what I can replace the rice wine with? Can I use rice vinegar instead? Will my chicken still be silky and tender?

    Reply

  96. I made this today and it was a hit! I love your tip on using baking soda to make the chicken tender! Your recipes never disappoint! Thanks!

    Reply

  97. I made this for my birthday party last night, tripled everything on the recipe. It didn’t receive bad reviews from my friends, but I wouldn’t call it a hit, either. They said the chicken was too pale it looked like tofu. And for a meat-loving bunch, I guess that greatly affected their impression about the dish. Although for me it was great. And very easy to make. (I added broccoli, though)

    Reply

  98. Hi! I wanted to cook this for a party with friends. Then I found out that one of them is allergic to everything seafood and this recipe calls for oyster sauce. What would be a good substitute for it?

    Reply

  99. You stated to marinate in your directions the chicken, are saying to marinate with baking soda first and only baking soda? Because usually a marinate requires liquid. Or just rub and coat it with bakind soda then clean it thoroughly? a little confused with that.

    Reply

  101. This was sooooo good! Much, much better than the cashew chicken at the Chinese Take Out joint. I accidentally used too much corn starch, so it was indeed really sticky but that wasn’t so bad. I would add the cashews at the end next time for more crunch. OH and the chicken was just as silky as you said. So much fun to eat! Thank you for this recipe!

    Reply

  102. Rasa Malaysia, I noticed that with the same recipe, you do add chinese rice wine/sherry. I am staying in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I couldn’t get the chinese rice wine/sherry which is shown in your cookbook even in the big wet market. Where can I get it? Is there any substitute?

    Reply

  103. Rasa Malaysia, thank you for all your recipes!
    Cathi and Susan Patrick Harris, thanks for the clarification on the recipe. I had the same questions in my mind while reading it. At first, didn’t know what to do with the baking soda whether to add it separately or to mix it with the rice wine and cornstarch, now it’s all clear I can start cooking this wonderful dish.

    Reply

  104. I look great & yummy. It’ll be served for dinner tonight. Thank you for sharing the recipe and promoting Malaysian dishes.

    Well done & good luck to you…

    Reply

  106. My husband licked the plate clean! Loved it too. Easy and yummy. I added a dash of Maggi at the end. Next time, I will add some dry chilis, it will take it to the next level, in my opinion.

    Reply

  109. Wow! This was spectacular. I used to get cashew chicken when I was growing up at our favorite Chinese spot, but nothing has ever lived up to it. This was even better!! The baking soda trick is a good one. Thank you so much! Will be trying many more of your recipes.

    Reply

  110. Totally amazed and impressed with what the baking soda soak does to the chicken. Silky is the perfect way to describe it, besides YUM!

    I’ll admit that I made the recipe with celery instead of green pepper purely out of preference, and added two cloves pressed garlic to the sauce. I also doubled the sauce and used two large chicken breasts (1.3 pounds). It fed our family of four (two toddlers) with a bit left over.

    Thank you!

    Reply

  111. I’m going to try this recipe tonight. I’m a little confused by the writing of the recipe, so it wouldn’t surprise me if others need clarity as well. When it says “marinate chicken with the baking soda”, it just means sprinkle chicken with baking soda, let rest for 20 minutes, rinse. Baking soda should not be grouped in to the “Marinate” section of the recipe…doing so implies all three ingredients (baking soda, corn starch and rice wine) are mixed together to form a marinade. That is not so, according to the vague first step of the recipe! In the second step of the recipe it says to “marinate with the rest of the ingredients”. At first I thought this to mean the sauce, but it means to marinate the chicken with the rice wine and cornstarch.

    I’m good with recipes too. This one isn’t written well for someone who needs to follow a recipe closely (not me), so hopefully my comments will help someone. I know my mother in law would botch this one if going by the recipe! Haha.

    Thank you, and I will let you know how it turns out. Lovely photos…that is why I am trying this recipe because pretty pictures + food is where my heart lies!

    Reply

  114. I love the ingredients for this recipe but the measurements seem to be off. Can you change the recipe for say 4-6 people and then let us know the measurements then. Some sites even have a serving generator that will change the recipe for you based on how many people you’re cooking for…otherwise I had to improvise which still turns out good.

    Reply

  115. I bought sodium bicarbonate. Is this the same as baking soda? According to google the shortened form for baking soda is sodium bicarbornate/bicarb soda/bicarb. i hope i bought the right thing. =/

    Reply

  116. I made this tonight for the first time. I did everything according to your recipe and it came out delicious! The chicken was so tender and the sauce was light but flavorful. It was amazing! I bet it will even tempt my hubby to eat veggies. :)

    Thank you for the recipe, tips, and beautiful photography. I favorited your blog!

    Cheers,
    Rae

    Reply

  117. I love this recipe! at one point, I was making this dish for 2 days in a row.. even my bf loves it! its such a keeper!!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and others as well!!

    Reply

  118. hi there! i’m currently studying in the States and every time i miss home cooked food i would visit your blog and randomly select one of your recipes. i can’t tell you enough how amazing your blog is. thanks for making homesickness that much more bearable:)

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  119. When you explain the marinate in your directions, are saying to marinate with baking soda first? Because usually a marinate requires liquid. To rub and coat would be more appropriate for the baking soda then the cornstarch and rice wine are the marinate. Do I have the process correct? That the two are seperate processes?

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  121. Thank you so much! This was just as good, if not better from my local restaurant. My whole family – children (3 yrs & 8 yrs) included loved this dish! Baking soda – WOW! I am looking to see if you have a vegetable Tofu now…I hope so.

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  122. My wife really loves cashew chicken in red sauce. i’m haveing trouble finding it. can you please help

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  124. Thanx so much for the recipe and very useful tips.I dont know much about cooking asian dishes, therefore I have concern that I might not get the sauce right because of small units of measure I.e. 1/8 table spoon. Also I have seen that in some recipes peanut oil is suggested for trying, or is vegetable oil better? And my last question (sorry):is this dish hot (having pepper in it) or do u suggest putting some chillis in if I want it a bit spicy? I have tried chicken cashew dish in one restourant and it was really nice and slighly spicy/ hot,not too much,just a bit.Thanx again for everything:)

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  125. How do I find really flavorful Chinese recipes that I can make at home? I love Chinese food, but according to your posts, I haven’t really had authentic Chinese food in America. Help me find recipes for some. Thanks.
    I’m also interested in Dim Sum. I love to do appetizers and dim sum are wonderful. Need really good recipes.

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  126. Thankyou for this wonderful recipe. The baking soda is such a good tip. I didn’t have any rice wine so i just used a white wine to substitute and it still turned out fantastic! The ginger made it so aromatic and I normally don’t like green capsicum but I really loved it in this meal. Chicken cashew is now one of my top favourites.

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  127. So I made this tonight and I have to say it turned out excellent, the chicken was so tender and amazing. The only changes I made was to cut out the extra sugar and I didn’t have oyster sauce on hand so I just added more soy sauce. I also added garlic both fresh and powdered, liberal salt, and mushrooms. As I’m not a fan of sugar and sweet with savory, the only sweetness came from this rice wine and plumb wine mixture I had, I couldn’t find just straight rice wine. I also added some dried red chili peppers to the veggies and it turned out savory and tiny bit spicy and completely amazing. Great recipe, I followed it exactly despite the substitutions and both my husband and I loved it so much, I will definitely make this again.

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  128. What an awesome recepie!!! Chicken really was great… Totally tender! Can’t wait to try it on other meats in some my other fave dishes. I actually could only find rice wine vinegar, so I used that, I was a little worried so I only marinated for about 10 mins and it seemed fine. But will try and find rice wine! Also, I couldn’t find corn starch, but a chef friend of mine said that corn starch is the same as corn flour, hope that’s right… It worked perfect so it must be.
    So greatly appreciate you sharing your great secrets & tips… I can’t wait to try your others fab recepies!!! Xx

    Reply

      • Corn starch and flour is actually not the same. When thickening with flour it tends to give a much more raw and starchy flavor, and a corn starch suspension should be like syrup almost. Tried using tapioca starch instead? its actually giving a clearer look on the sauce and more silky look on the meat.

        Arrowroot is also a excellent cooking alternative.

        And if rice wine cannot be found, a dry sherry or a Japanese Saki will do the same trick, though it wont give the same extra little kick in the flavors as the Shao xing wine does. I cant get shaoxing here, so i need to import it from asian people i know.

        A golden tip. If you for example buy a wok or other equipment from a store such as the wok shop who ship internationally, ask them if they can get you some rice wine along the purchase there. They will in many cases be happy to help their customers:).

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  130. delicious. Making more today. Very light not too greasy and the baking soda did make the chicken very smooth and tender.

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  132. Hello Rasa,

    I grew up on asian/chinese food and love it! i have not tried to make this recipe yet but i must say it looks very good. Usually cashew/almond chicken is overpowered with celery and I myself do not like celery and will pick it out if i ever get this dish. What exactly does marinating the chicken in baking soda do? and is this a common practice in most asian chicken entrees?

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    • Baking soda tenderizes the chicken meat. It’s what the restaurant use to treat their chicken. It works wonder but remember to rinse off the baking soda after the treatment.

      Reply

  133. Thanks for sharing the recipe! I made this last night and it was delicious!!! I’ve tried several recipes from this website and this is one of my favorites!

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  134. I gotta say.. your tip about baking soda is the BEST and it works!!
    Thank you so much for sharing the recipe, I tried it and my husband devoured it. I made it again for a party and they all loved it. Looking forward to more =)

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  137. We are the Chinese food lovers, our weekdays will not be completed without Chinese food dinner or lunch.
    thank you so much for sharing your recipe, now I am sure we may not be going to Chinese Restaurant often as we usually do, because from now on,I will be the one prepare our meals. May God Bless You, and thank you so much of your kind heart by sharing us your excellent recipe.

    Highly Regards

    Ma.Vic from O’Fallon, IL

    Reply

  138. I just wanted to tell you thank you so much for the cashew nut chicken recipe. My favorite Chinese restaurant (now gone) made a recipe almost identical to this one. A favorite I can now make at home. Love your website.

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  139. I have made this recipe a few times now. It is wonderful, the chicken is perfect every time. The sauce is lovely too, it is a perfect Cashew Chicken. Your site and recipes have made me want to cook more Asian dishes again. Thank you.

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  140. We had chicken in the freezer and my husband suggested Cashew Chicken. I found your recipe, and it was fantastic! I used the baking soda as you suggested, and the chicken tasted great! I love your website! Thanks for sharing!!

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  142. Yum the Cashew Chicken looks so good!…If this tastes as good as it looks, I’ll be in heaven. Can’t wait to make this, thanks for the delicious recipe.

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  143. This is delicious! I made this tonight and loved the baking soda technique! My 1 year old who had never cared for chicken even gobbled this up!! Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes!! I love this website!

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  145. Panic-ing rite now. Not sure what to do with my chicken tonight. Thank goodness i found this recipe. And the comments are all positive : )

    Got a stupid question, Bee. Do u use raw cashews?

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  146. Thanks for this, the recipe totally worked! The chicken did get very tender, I hadn’t thought it would work out for me! It all looked and tasted very professional Thanks!

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  148. OMG! I tried this recipe yesterday and I would say it was the greatest success. Chicken had never tasted so tender and so good. Thanks soooooo much.

    I also tried the asparagus with sambal recipe. It turned out nice but the trouble of pounding the chillies and other ingredients in a mortar is not worth it. Spent more than an hour to do the pounding and had the fire in my fingers for next couple of hours (silly me for not putting on gloves). Pheww! However I would do it again when I get my food processor.

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  149. Thanks for the great recipes, I think I will try a new one everyday next week! The baking soda is a new one for me, I often wondered how restaurants were able to get their meats so tender and I wasn’t that lucky. Now I know. Is there a per pound ratio? Or do you just sprinkle to cover? So glad I stumbled onto your website!
    Thank you.

    Reply

    • Glad you enjoyed this cashew chicken recipes and others as well. There is not a ratio for baking soda vs meat. Sprinkling to cover is just fine. But too much will definitely “over-tenderized” and the chicken will lose its texture completely. Beware :)

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  150. Great recipe! I made it without the green peper and onion. I used water chestnuts and celery. My family all liked it. I doubled the recipe and the sauce. Next time I will triple the sauce as my kids would have liked the rice a little wetter. I did not use rice wine as I do not have it. What is it anyway?

    Reply

    • The brand is usually named Shaoxing. Its usually labeled “Hua tiao chiew” and the bottle normally has a red label. A good dry sherry can also be substitution if shaoxing can’t be found. But using the shaoxing wine is preferable and gives a more authentic touch.

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  151. yeah?i ought to try dat too..but need some furniture arrangement to achieve that effect.hehe well, i made this for lunch today,evryone at home loved it!just to try something Chinese this wikend..(minus the rice wine and sesame oil..)for the first time, i tried using baking soda to tenderize the chicken.useful tip! kam sia..

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  152. hi..i like ur food photography very much..im in the process of learning..
    how do you achieve such beautiful lighting effect?

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  153. I have been using the baking soda for years in My buffalo chicken wings.
    I Brine Soak the chicken wings in chicken stock and baking soda.
    Most tender wings I have ever had.
    Baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) is weakly alkaline. As such, it neutralizes the acids and breaks down the proteins. This accounts for its usefulness as a tenderizer. It also is baking soda’s neutralizing effect on acidic scent molecules that makes it a deodorizer.
    Baking soda also has other uses. Baking soda is a very effective meat tenderizer. It can be added to stews or rubbed directly on meat, and then rinsed off before cooking, to make the meat more tender.

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  154. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful secrets, this will ever be my favorite site. I’m new cook and this really helped me a lot.

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  155. Thanks for the advice. I bookmarked this website. I try to pat it dry. I figured out that baking soda technique is the main key to everything. At least now i can make a velvety texture without using too much oil and the eggwhite and cornflour technique;)

    For the sauce I tweaked it a bit. I used 3 tbsp of chicken stock, 1 tbsp oystersauce, 1/2 soy sauce (kimlan), a pinch of white pepper, 1/2 tbsp of sugar,1 tbsp of shao xing and few drops of sesame oil.

    I love the fact that you stay away from MSG:)

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    • Rasa I live in Australia and I don’t know were to I buy white pepper powder and rice wine ? Woolworths sell Rice wine Vinegar and the ‘Saxa’ pepper white. Are these the same ?

      Reply

        • Actually white pepper comes from the same ‘black’ pepper. they only differ in processing. fresh ripe pepper is soaked in water for a month to get rid of the outer skin before being dried, but the black one skip this process. so if you are desperate, black pepper can still do, but use the fine milled one (hence the powdered form).

          Reply

  157. I tried this, but the chicken lacks a more slaty flavor. any advice on how to achieve this? I can add much salt and the chicken breasts is still kinda flavorless.

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  159. I made this tonight and it was amazing. Thanks so much for the recipe and the baking soda tip. It made a huge difference in the tenderness of the chicken!

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  160. Great recipe and easy to follow steps! I tried it as a last minute dish (without cashew nuts) and still turned out great!
    I also used your pak soy recipe! Nice too!
    My fiance loves the dishes! Going to try your other dishes like kung po and chicken satay!

    Your pics are very well taken!

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  161. I made this for dinner tonight and my family LOVED it. This taste just like the yummy Asian food I get in Singapore. I have tried a few of your recipes and they all turned out great. Thank you!

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  162. your cashew chicken looks yummy :)and i would definetly love to try them…but is there any other substitute for rice wine , as am very sure that we’l not get them ,here in the middle-east .
    luv,
    saji.

    Reply

  163. This cashew chicken looks so good! I will try to make it using your cashew chicken recipe. Thank you for sharing the tips.

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  164. Hey there,
    I feel like I owe it to you to say , ” Thank you” for putting so many of my local cravings at rest. :)
    I have been reading and trying out your recipes for erm…a year and half now, and each time, with great success!
    I was just wondering if you would know of a local Malay snack called, ” kerepek ubi pedas”?. I have been trying to find an accurate recipe for it.
    Anyway, thank you again for doing what you do, coz’ you do it best!

    Reply

  165. Thanks for posting this recipe! I made it this past weekend and it was a huge hit with me and with my husband. I love the more subtle taste and the consistency of the chicken due to the baking soda marinade. The only substitution I made was using roasted peanuts instead of cashews just because the cashews we had in the pantry were already salted and I find they tend to get a little mushy in food.

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  166. I tried the baking soda and it made a great difference to the chicken! YUMM! Thank you for sharing. I have to confess i put dried chillies in the cashew chicken, I couldn’t help it. :)

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  167. I tried this recipe for dinner tonight and Im eating the chicken as i write this comment. The baking soda really makes a difference to the texture of the chicken. The recipe for the cashew chicken is fantastic as well. From now on, Ill be trying to use baking soda whenever I can! Thanks

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  168. such a classic dish and yet so good! i never had an exact recipe since my mom would basically make it from memory/sight. thank you!

    Reply

  169. Just a follow up message to let you know that I provided a link to your marvelous recipe in my blog post dated 8/13/08. I just love your food, and learn so much from your posts. (I did try to send this msg to you via email, but my system keeps hanging.)

    Reply

  170. Baking Soda is an interesting tenderizer. I tried it yesterday on my normal stir fry chicken with some oyster sauce it was spectacularly tender!

    I wonder if you know what is the science behind it. Does the baking soda loosen the strands of tough tissues on the meat or what?

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  171. I’m from Malaysia too and now living in KY and you’re darn right about the Chinese food here. Our Malaysian chinese food are 100x better than the American Chinese Food which is bland and BLAH lol

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  173. i’m sure that i will love your cashew nut chicken..i can smell it here ;-) very nice photos, comme toujours! Cheers

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  174. Anonymous – correct, once you marinate the meat–chicken, pork, or beef–with baking soda, you rinse it off with water before other seasonings. The steps can be found at the Recipe section of this post. Thanks!

    Reply

  175. yes!i hve learn another trick baking soda….thanks
    BTW i’ve try your pie tee recipe…
    yeah… is a great sucess for 1st timer…all 80 pie tee was gone within few minutes…
    Frying the shell is time cosuming but results well paid!
    How long can the shell stored?

    Thanks
    Snoppy

    Reply

  177. What a great post! The photos are just lovely! I love Cashew Chicken. Something about the crunch of the nuts in just irresistible! I know what’s for dinner tonight!

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  178. If using baking soda on BEEF or PORK, does one use the same method as the chicken, that is, sprinkle it on, leave for 10-15 mins. then wash it off before marinating the meat

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  180. This looks great. I’m a little surprised by the baking soda – I have to see how this works for myself!

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  181. That looks amazing! I absolutely love cashew chicken, good to now have a recipe so I can try it myself! Plus, thanks for the tip on the baking soda, can’t wait to try it out!

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  182. This looks terrific! I’m so glad you posted this as we are planning one celebrating the foods of China this week! We are also celebrating the Olympics through food. I agree that baking soda works wonders as a tenderizer. Love this post! Yum!

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  183. Lydia – yep, baking soda that is! Just rinse your chicken really clean and you will get that smooth, silky, tender (yet elastic) texture. :)

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  186. A stunning picture as usual!

    Ok before you start ripping on chinese food in the States, i do have to say that there are a lot of chinese restaurants that serve authentic chinese food, especially in the major cities.

    Personally, i usually just go around the chinese restaurants in philadelphia’s chinatown on a sunday and look to see which restaurant has the most chinese families in it. That’s a very good indicator for me about authenticity. I’ve run across my share of good and bad restaurants, but that can be applied to any type of cuisine.

    I would never have thought about using baking soda, i’m definitely going to try this the next time i have chicken. Thanks for posting the recipe and the stunning picture.

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  187. Thanks for the tip on baking soda. I have my fair share of eating “chicken with a foul chicken-y odor.”

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  188. This looks really yummy. I’m going to take some chicken out of the freezer to thaw for tomorrow’s dinner right now.

    Mary, mom to 10

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  189. Baking soda, eh? See, these are the secrets that we are not privy to — thanks for sharing.

    LOL Some of those dishes on the list I’ve never even heard of, but that is what passes for Chinese food sometimes.

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  190. I’ve read this about baking soda, and mentioned in a recent post that I’d never tried it. But now you have shown me the way, and as I love Cashew Chicken, I’ll try pre-marinating with the baking soda. Thanks!

    Reply

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