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Cashew chicken is one of the most popular recipes on Rasa Malaysia. I first published the recipe many years ago and it’s also on my “Easy Chinese Recipes” cookbook. Over the years, I have made the recipe over and over again.
Recently I chanced upon a Honey Cashew Chicken recipe here, which is such a wonderful variation so I decided to adapt the recipe for our family’s dinner.
Other Recipes You Might Like
Honey cashew chicken, as the name stated, it’s an Asian stir-fry dish with cashew nuts, chicken, and honey.
Toss in some healthy broccoli and red bell pepper, flavor it with regular pantry items of honey, soy sauce, vinegar, and you have the most amazing, delicious, and wholesome meal for the entire family.
My almost 4-year old son is a super picky eater. He knows exactly what he likes and doesn’t like. This honey cashew chicken recipe totally fits his picky palate because he loves cashew nuts, broccoli, and honey.
He doesn’t like chicken, but when the chicken is combined with his favorite ingredients, he would happily eat it, without complaining about “I don’t want chicken, I don’t want chicken.”
Well, if you have a little picky eater at home, I am sure you know the drill, but this recipe does the magic for me.
The best thing about this honey cashew chicken is how accessible it is to busy moms and home cooks. You don’t need to go to Chinatown or Asian stores for special ingredients.
You can get all the ingredients at your regular grocery stores but still make an authentic and mouthwatering Asian dish at home.
It tastes so MUCH better than the greasy and unhealthy takeout, and you can practically make it in less than 20 minutes from prep to finish!
What Dishes to Serve with This Recipe?
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Honey Cashew Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 oz (230g) chicken breast, cut into cubes
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 1/2 small red bell pepper (cut into cubes)
- 1/2 cup unsalted roasted cashew nuts
Sauce:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or Chinese rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken with the cornstarch for 5 minutes. This will make the chicken tender.
- Mix all the ingredients in the Sauce together, stir to combine well. Set aside.
- Heat up a skillet with the oil. When it's heated, add the garlic and stir-fry a few times before adding the chicken. Stir-fry the chicken until the surface turns white, then add in the broccoli, bell pepper, and cashew nuts.
- Stir to combine well before adding the Sauce. Continue to stir fry until the chicken is cooked or the sauce thickens, dish out and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
My goodness this was so scrummy, healthy and an easy to whip up, one-dish meal for a harried working person’s weeknight dinner for 2. I served with eggs scrambled with shimeji mushrooms and Jasmine rice. Thank you for sharing.
Awesome thanks for your comment. I am happy that you love this honey cashew chicken. :)
Hi, just wondering please. When you say marinate the chicken in the cornstarch, do you mean toss it and leave it or do you mix the cornstarch with water and marinate it? Or is there a liquid version in your country that we don’t have here. Sorry if I’ve missed something obvious ☺
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe. I’ve loved the recipes of yours that I have tried so far!
Just add the corn starch to the chicken.
Best lunch I ever made bravo
Hi Nikki, that’s awesome that you love my honey cashew chicken.
Where’s your recipe? The ‘Honey Cashew Chicken with Rice’ recipe that you linked is a different one.
I wish I had written down your recipe. It was good. My family liked it.
This was absolutely delicious! Immediately after making it I shared the recipe with my mom and sister! I also added one small white onion and some carrots to add more veggies. I will be making this again!
My friend made this for lunch for us. This is a great recipe!
I LOVE this recipe! I usually make it every week and I always double it because my husband can’t get enough. Thank you for your great recipes!
Hi Gena, awww, thanks so much for your sweet comment. I am so happy that you guys love my honey cashew chicken recipe. Happy cooking! :)
Thanks! This is a new family favorite… even my 18mo old loved this. We used rice vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar, did not marinate the chicken in cornstarch first, and used coconut oil for cooking the chicken and then served over plain white rice. I think next time we will also add some red onions and carrots to the mix, maybe also some cayenne.
i made this last night, it was quick, easy and healthy and tasted better than take out! Thanks for the recipe, I will be making it again and again :)
Thanks Rose.
I stumbled on your site looking for a quick family dinner that was not the same-old, same-old (at least for my family). Made this tonight and my entire family l-o-v-e-d it! and that doesn’t happen very often around my house :-) Thank you so much for a quick easy dinner that is simply delicious! I do have one question, why does putting the corn starch on the chicken and letting it sit prior to cooking tenderize the chicken? The chicken was very tender when cooked. Thanks for the tip.
I think whatever in the cornstarch breaks down the fiber in the meat? LOL, I am not too sure but it works. Glad that you like this honey cashew chicken recipe, and there are a ton of recipes that you can try on my site. :)