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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.
It was wonderful. So easy. It’s much better than carrying out.
Thank you for your kind comment, Michelle. I am very glad that you liked the Cashew Chicken recipe.
Thank you for all your wonderful recipes
Hi Jill. Thank you for your support.
I made this recipe last night and it what Sooo delicious! I added carrots, pineapple, green and white onions to the dish. My family loved it.
I can’t do the oyster sauce…if I leave it out will it be missed and if so, what else can I substitute for it?
Just use soy sauce or fish sauce.
This sounds delicious! What are your thoughts on adding celery to it?
You can add celery.
This meal is so delicious and easy. I’ve made it again and again!
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.
Hi Brian, that’s awesome, please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
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.
Hi Marni, thanks for trying my cashew chicken recipe. :)
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!
Thanks for trying my cashew chicken. I am so happy you had success. :)
Question, do you velvetize the whole chicken pieces of the cut up chicken?
Velvet the cut up chicken pieces.