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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.
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Recipes You Might Like
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.
Can you marinate the chicken ahead of time and just leave it in the cornstarch until you’re ready to cook it?
Yes you can
WHERE IS THE RECIPE?
The link of the recipe is at the bottom of the page, if you just read and look there is no way to miss it: https://rasamalaysia.com/cashew-chicken/2/
I have a question please everytime i make chinise or thai food ..it tastes a bit bitter..is there something i am doing wrong.
Thank you Bee – love your recipe.
This was absolutely wonderful. How would you recommend spicing this recipe up?
Just add some dried red chilies.
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!
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!
brocolli beef link aint working either..
It’s working just fine, you can click on the orange circle to the recipe, or it’s at https://rasamalaysia.com/beef-and-broccoli-recipe/2/
the link to cashew chicken recipe is not available? please check your link
It’s fixed thanks for catching it. It’s at https://rasamalaysia.com/cashew-chicken/2/ you can just click on the orange circle “Get Recipe” to go to the link
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!!
Thanks Trynity, looking forward to your review on Amazon.
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!