I didn’t think they actually served Thai Cashew Chicken in Thailand.
When we tumbled out of our hotel room in Chiang Mai at 10:45 p.m. in fervent search of dinner after a delayed flight, my stomach’s resolve to eat the first food we could find was outmatched only by my relentless determination to not, under any circumstances, waste a single meal in Thailand.
I forced Ben to bypass several restaurants that I deemed “too touristy,” and after we had been walking 10 minutes, he stopped firmly in front of what was one of the first open restaurants we’d seen in a while, pointed to the menu, and asked me, a look of animal-like desperation in his eyes, “Can we PLEASE eat here?” I glanced at the menu and spotted cashew chicken. I was immediately suspicious. Wasn’t cashew chicken just something they served at Westernized “Thai” restaurants in America? Surely this place could not be legit.
It was nearly 11 p.m., and even I had to admit that our prospects of finding other open options were dwindling. I reluctantly agreed.
Then, as if he could read my thoughts and were looking to spite me for making us walk so far, Ben ordered the cashew chicken. It was delicious.
I’m still not sure how authentic cashew chicken is (we didn’t make it in any of our cooking classes or have it at our homestays), but it became Ben’s go-to restaurant dish of the trip. He ordered it at every available opportunity. Thus, great food moocher that I am, I had the pleasure of sampling it from his plate at every available opportunity too.
About This Easy Thai Cashew Chicken
Today’s recipe is my adaptation of the Thai Cashew Chicken we had at nearly every restaurant north of Bangkok. Authentic or not, it’s a dynamite stir-fry dish that has weeknight dinner wrapped.
Stir-fries are a faithful companion on busy weeknights. They’re fast, hit every food group from veggies to lean proteins in a single pan, and are perfect for using up odd bits of leftover produce lurking in the fridge. Start to finish, this simple chicken and cashew nut stir-fry is ready in 20 minutes flat, even fewer if your veggies and chicken are already prepped.
If you’ve had cashew chicken at take-out restaurants, you’ll be familiar with the rich, savory flavors of the sauce and the warm crunch of the cashews. This particular cashew chicken recipe, however, is much lighter and healthier than what you’ll find in a restaurant. I packed it with veggies, sweetened the sauce naturally with honey, then served it over whole-grain brown rice (quinoa would be tasty too). Honestly, I didn’t miss the extra oil and sugar one bit, and I don’t think that you will either.
Thai Cashew Chicken certainly saved our dinner that late night in Chiang Mai, so I feel it’s only fitting that it’s destined to be a weeknight dinner hero for us in Wisconsin. I hope it saves a manic Monday (or Tuesday or Wednesday) wherever you try it too.
More Chicken Stir Fry Recipes
Recommended Tools to Make This Recipe
- Nonstick sauté pan (I also love this wok)
- Non-slip cutting board
Thai Cashew Chicken
Ingredients
For the Cashew Chicken:
- 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large), cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch or substitute arrowroot powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
- 3 medium red bell peppers seeded and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 large head of broccoli cut into florets (about 4 cups)
- 1 bunch green onions about 6 medium, thinly sliced
- 2/3 cup dry roasted unsalted cashews
- Cooked brown rice or quinoa for serving
For the Sauce:
- 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey plus additional to taste
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 cloves garlic minced (about 2 teaspoons)
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes plus additional to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, toss the chicken pieces with the cornstarch, salt, and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high. Once the oil is hot and shiny, add the chicken mixture and sauté for 4 minutes, just until lightly browned. Add the bell pepper, broccoli, and green onions. Continue sautéing until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 additional minutes. Stir in the cashews and cook for 30 additional seconds.
- While the chicken and vegetables are cooking, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl or large measuring cup, stir together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons honey, ginger, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Taste and add additional honey and/or red pepper flakes as desired (I added an additional 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes). Pour the sauce over the skillet and toss to coat. Enjoy immediately with brown rice.
Nutrition
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How do you think this would go frozen? Or hpw long would it last in ther fridge? :) Very keen to try it!!
Hi Carleigh, I’ve never tried freezing it, but generally stir-fries freeze pretty well, so I’d say it’s worth a shot! The leftovers should be good in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. I hope you love the recipe!
I LOVE THIS RECIPE!!! I made this for dinner last week and it was a HUGE hit!! Everyone loved it. I used coconut oil instead of canola and added sugar snap peas & slivered carrots (along with the peppers, broccoli and green onion). I will definitely make this again soon!
Woohoo Jaimie! I’m so glad the recipe is a winner for you. Thanks so much for leaving this great feedback and sharing your tweaks!
Where’s the fish sauce? I thought that was mandatory in Thai stir fry’s? Anyways looks great, love Thai cashew chicken!
It’s not in this particular recipe, but you could certainly add a little splash if you’d like! I’d love to know what you think if you give it a try.
Hello from Nova Scotia. We really enjoyed this recipe.. I used a local raw wildflower honey infused with chillies plus the red pepper flakes . It had a nice kick to it . Thanks
That infused honey sounds delicious, Catharine! Thanks for taking the time to leave this review, and I’m so glad you enjoyed the dish!
Hi Erin, I made this recipe tonight and it was great, except was I supposed to thicken the sauce first? It says to pour it in and serve immediately, but it’s super runny, so I cooked it for a while longer until it FINALLY started thickening up, but by that time, my veggies were wilted-tender, not crisp-tender. Thank god my chicken wasn’t dry; luckily I brined it first. Am I doing something wrong? I followed the recipe exactly. Thanks!
Camille, the sauce in this recipe is a bit thinner. If you’d like to thicken it, next time you could try removing the veggies and chicken with a slotted spoon, then reducing just the sauce on the stove with a cornstarch slurry (2 T cornstarch mixed with 2 T water). I’m sorry it wasn’t as thick as you were expecting, but I’m glad you liked the flavor!
Made this tonight … absolutely wonderful. Best stir-fry recipe I’ve made (or had!) Rave comments from all present. The sauce puts all bottled sauces to shame with its bright fresh flavors, and the whole meal beats any cashew chicken from your favorite take-out by a mile. Easy to prep. Simple to make. Ready in a few minutes. Perfect. I started with a 12 inch skillet, but after putting everything in, I was out of room and dumped all into my All Clad Essentials Pan to finish it. I’ll post a couple of pix on Instagram. Thanks, Erin!
Dean, I am SO happy to hear this was a hit, thank you for reporting back, leaving this review, and sharing on Insta too!!
This was fantastic! I made it with a bunch of different veggies and everyone ate it up!
My husband and I have had one of your recipes for dinner for 5 out of the last 6 nights! All have been well loved and that includes this one! So flavorful and healthy! Love that I can trust your flavors! Keep up the delicious work! xoxo
Hooray! I’m glad to hear you loved them, Rachel. Thanks for taking the time to leave this wonderful review!
I made this for dinner tonight, it was a hit! Very tasty mix of ingredients and yummy sauce.
Yay, Elizabeth! So happy to hear how much you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking time to leave this lovely review!
Hubby and I would get cashew chicken from our local thai place on a Friday, always lovely and fresh it was our fave! I found your recipe and decided to give it a go myself, absolutely delicious and very easy! Hubby said we don’t need to go back to the local Thai now this is his favourite, plus he is happy he gets more chicken than it being bulked out with carrots ?
I’m so glad you both enjoyed it, Carla! Thanks for taking the time to leave this wonderful review.
I just made this and it turned out pretty good! The only thing that my family and I personally didn’t like was the amount of ginger.. way too overpowering! Next time I think I will just use a teaspoon
Julia, I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe. It sounds like you know exactly what to tweak next time for your taste!
We just had this for dinner. Oh my word! It was amazing and so tasty. Can’t wait to try another one of your recipes. Thanks
Thank you for taking the time to share this, Montanna! I’m so happy this recipe was a hit!
I pinned this delicious-sounding recipe. Will be making it soon! Thanks for your recipe.
Thank you so much for sharing, Peggy! I hope you love the recipe!
I’m getting into healthier eating, and made this for our summer dinner in NZ tonight, and it’s an absolute hit!
Next time I’ll use the biggest pan I can find – it was a squeeze in my usual skillet, but worth it for all the fabulous flavors and textures. We tried red quinoa with it, and it worked a treat. It felt more luxurious and satisfying than takeout, and much easier on our budget, too. I know it can keep in the fridge and would freeze well, but my teens aren’t going to let it last that long….!
Thank you so much, Erin!!
I’m so happy to hear that this recipe was a hit, Natalie! Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review!
Every time I even THINK about this recipe I crave cashew chicken. This is my favourite takeout food dupe, and I love to make it when I’m dying for Thai food so I don’t go all out with curries, rice and cashew chicken. It is so much healthier than takeout but it totally hits the spot. Excuse me, I need to go buy some cashews now.
Now, I’M craving it too, Julia! Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review!
We found this to be delicious and easy to prepare. It has found a place in our regular rotation! Thanks so much for sharing it!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Chris! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Made this for a (very) picky eater and he really enjoyed it. I did add oyster sauce which was called for in other recipes but that was my only adjustment. I liked all of the veggies in this version. So tasty and easy!!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Great recipe, I chose it primairly because it was the only one I could find that did not use any fish or oyster sauces or anyother seafood/seafood sauce as my boyfriend dosn’t like seafood and I wanted to make something both of us would enjoy. It was a hit, and we have added it to our rotation. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed the recipe, Shy! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I made this last night, adapting it slightly to our favorite take out place. Used your recipe as a guide and it was delicious. I omitted the broccoli and added carrots, mushrooms and pineapple. Oh I also used a rotisserie chicken because I had it on hand Next time I will double the sauce, because we love how the rice soaks it up. Thank you for another great recipe!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Courtney! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
This recipe was a huge hit with my family (even the picky ones)! The spices and honey caramelized the Asian veggies to perfection. Can’t wait to make this dish again.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Stephanie! Thank you for sharing this kind review!