Description
Cashew Chicken is a flavorful and quick stir-fry dish featuring tender chicken breast strips sautéed with crisp vegetables like carrots and snow peas, tossed in a savory and slightly sweet hoisin and soy sauce blend, finished with crunchy cashews. This easy-to-make recipe is perfect for a family meal served over fragrant jasmine rice.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons sriracha sauce
- ½ – 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
For the Chicken and Vegetables:
- 1–2 teaspoons canola oil
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced thinly into 2-inch strips
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 8 ounces snow peas
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
- 1 cup cashews
- Salt and pepper to taste
To Serve:
- 4 cups cooked jasmine rice
Instructions
- Make Sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together the hoisin sauce, low-sodium soy sauce, chicken broth, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, grated fresh ginger, cornstarch, sriracha sauce, and crushed red pepper flakes until smooth. Set the sauce mixture aside to be used later.
- Cook Chicken: Heat 1-2 teaspoons of canola oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Season the sliced chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In batches, add the chicken strips to the hot skillet and cook until they are browned on each side, approximately 2-3 minutes per side. Once cooked, remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
- Sauté Vegetables: In the same skillet, add the sliced carrots and snow peas. Sauté the vegetables until they become tender-crisp, about 3 minutes. Then, add the minced garlic and drained sliced water chestnuts, cooking for an additional 1 minute to combine the flavors.
- Combine and Finish: Reduce the heat to low. Return the cooked chicken strips to the skillet with the vegetables. Pour in the prepared sauce and add the cashews. Stir everything together and cook until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken and vegetables, about 1 minute.
- Serve: Serve the cashew chicken hot over 4 cups of cooked jasmine rice for a complete and satisfying meal.
Notes
- You can substitute cashews with almonds or peanuts if preferred.
- Adjust the level of crushed red pepper flakes and sriracha sauce based on your desired spice tolerance.
- For a lower sodium option, ensure to use low-sodium soy sauce and reduce added salt.
- Use fresh ginger for the best flavor, but ground ginger can be used in a pinch (use about ½ teaspoon ground ginger).
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheated gently on the stovetop or microwave.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
