This cashew chicken recipe is one of those weeknight dinners I come back to again and again. Tender pieces of chicken breast are coated in a light cornstarch marinade, seared until golden, then tossed with crunchy vegetables and a savoury-sweet sauce made with soy sauce, honey, and oyster sauce.
What makes it special is the balance — the honey rounds out the saltiness of the soy, the sesame oil adds depth, and the cashews bring a buttery crunch that ties everything together. The whole dish comes together in about 30 minutes, start to finish.
I love that this tastes just like the cashew chicken you’d order from your favourite Chinese restaurant, but it’s made entirely in one skillet with ingredients you can find at any supermarket. If you’ve been craving takeout, skip the delivery fee and make this instead — it’s genuinely better fresh from your own kitchen.
Easy Cashew Chicken (Better Than Takeout!)
Equipment
- Large nonstick skillet or wok (12-inch / 30 cm)
- Large mixing bowl
- Small mixing bowl
- Sharp chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Wooden spoon or spatula
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons soy sauce divided — 3 tablespoons for marinade, 2 tablespoons for sauce
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry or Shaoxing wine
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch divided
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil for cooking chicken
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil for vegetables
- ¾ cup yellow onion chopped (about 1 small onion)
- ½ cup celery chopped (about 1–2 stalks)
- ½ cup red bell pepper chopped (about ½ large pepper)
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
- 2 cloves garlic minced (about 2 teaspoons)
- ½ cup green onions chopped (about 4–5 stalks)
- ½ cup roasted unsalted cashews
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds optional garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine 3 tablespoons soy sauce, dry sherry, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch. Add the chicken pieces and toss until evenly coated. Set aside to marinate while you prepare the vegetables.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, remaining 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1 cup chicken broth, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, and 1 tablespoon honey. Set the sauce aside.
- Heat 1 teaspoon neutral oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook for 4–5 minutes, turning once, until golden brown on the outside and cooked through (internal temperature of 165°F / 74°C). Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the same skillet. Sauté the onion, celery, red bell pepper, ginger, and garlic over medium-high heat for 2–3 minutes until the vegetables are crisp-tender and fragrant. Return the chicken to the skillet. Pour in the sauce mixture and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and cook for 1–2 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken. Remove from heat and drizzle with sesame oil. Garnish with cashews, green onions, and sesame seeds if desired. Serve immediately over steamed rice.
Notes
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Cashews will soften overnight — add a fresh handful when reheating for crunch.
- Freezing: Freeze without the cashews and green onion garnish for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in a skillet.
- Make-ahead: Marinate the chicken and prep the sauce and vegetables up to 24 hours in advance. Store separately in the fridge and stir-fry when ready.
- Substitutions: Swap chicken thighs for breast for juicier results (increase cook time by 1–2 minutes). Use tamari in place of soy sauce for a gluten-free version.
- Pro tip: Toast the cashews in a dry skillet for 2–3 minutes before garnishing — this intensifies their flavour and restores crunch if they’ve been sitting in your pantry.
Nutrition
What Makes This Cashew Chicken Special
Most cashew chicken recipes dump everything into a pan at once and hope for the best. This version uses a two-stage cooking method — searing the marinated chicken first until golden, then building the sauce separately — which gives you properly browned chicken with a glossy, clingy sauce instead of a watery stir-fry.
The marinade does double duty: the cornstarch tenderises the chicken and creates a thin coating that crisps up in the hot skillet, while the soy sauce and sherry penetrate the meat with savoury depth. The sauce itself balances four flavour profiles — salty soy, sweet honey, umami oyster sauce, and nutty sesame oil — so every bite has complexity without being complicated.
The cashews are added at the very end so they stay crunchy. That textural contrast against the tender chicken and crisp vegetables is what makes this dish genuinely craveable.
Equipment You’ll Need
- Large nonstick skillet or wok (12-inch / 30cm) — A wide cooking surface is essential for searing the chicken without steaming it. If the pan is too small, the chicken will crowd and release moisture instead of browning.
- Large mixing bowl — For marinating the chicken. Needs enough room to toss the pieces and coat them evenly in the cornstarch mixture.
- Small mixing bowl — For whisking together the stir-fry sauce so it’s ready to pour in when the timing is right.
- Sharp chef’s knife and cutting board — Uniform chicken pieces cook at the same rate. A sharp knife also makes quick work of the vegetable prep.
- Wooden spoon or spatula — For stirring without scratching your nonstick surface.
Nice-to-haves that improve the result:
- Instant-read thermometer — Takes the guesswork out of knowing whether the chicken is cooked through, especially with the thick cornstarch coating hiding visual cues.
- Small dry skillet — For toasting cashews before garnishing. Two minutes in a dry pan transforms their flavour from bland to deeply nutty.
Tips for Best Results
- Cut the chicken into uniform 1-inch pieces. Uneven chunks mean some pieces overcook while others stay underdone. Consistency matters more than speed.
- Don’t skip the cornstarch marinade. It creates a velveted coating that keeps the chicken silky and helps the sauce cling. This technique, called velveting, is what restaurants use to get that signature tender texture.
- Get the skillet screaming hot before adding chicken. You want a sizzle the moment the chicken hits the pan. If it doesn’t sizzle, the pan isn’t hot enough and the chicken will steam and turn grey.
- Cook the chicken in a single layer. If your pieces are overlapping, work in two batches. Crowding the pan drops the temperature and prevents browning.
- Add the sauce and cook only until it thickens. The cornstarch thickens quickly — usually within 1-2 minutes of boiling. Overcooking will break the sauce down and make it watery again.
- Toast your cashews. Raw cashews are fine, but 2-3 minutes in a dry pan transforms them. Watch them closely — they go from toasted to burnt in seconds.
Substitutions and Variations
- Chicken thighs instead of breast: Boneless skinless thighs are juicier and more forgiving if you overcook slightly. Cut to the same size and add 1-2 minutes to the searing time.
- Gluten-free version: Use tamari instead of soy sauce and check that your oyster sauce is gluten-free (Lee Kum Kee makes one).
- Spicy cashew chicken: Add 1-2 teaspoons of chilli garlic sauce (sambal oelek) or a handful of dried red chillies to the sauce mixture.
- Shaoxing wine instead of sherry: This is actually more traditional and adds a slightly deeper flavour. Use a 1:1 swap.
- Extra vegetables: Snow peas, broccoli florets, or water chestnuts all work well. Add firmer vegetables with the onion and celery; add delicate ones like snow peas in the last minute.
- Peanuts instead of cashews: Roasted unsalted peanuts are a budget-friendly swap that still deliver crunch and nuttiness.
- Low-sodium version: Use reduced-sodium soy sauce and low-sodium chicken broth. The honey and sesame oil carry enough flavour to compensate.
Storage and Reheating
- Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The cashews will soften overnight — add a fresh handful when reheating.
- Freezer: Freeze without the cashew and green onion garnish for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheating: Reheat in a skillet over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, adding a splash of chicken broth to loosen the sauce. Microwave works in a pinch but the chicken won’t be as tender. Avoid reheating more than once.
- Meal prep tip: This recipe scales easily. Double the batch, store the extra without garnish, and you have two dinners sorted for the week.
What to Serve With This
- Steamed jasmine rice — The classic pairing. The fluffy rice soaks up every drop of that honey-soy sauce.
- Fried rice — If you have leftover rice from yesterday, fry it with an egg and a splash of soy sauce for a more substantial meal.
- Lo mein or egg noodles — Toss cooked noodles directly into the sauce for a noodle bowl variation.
- Steamed broccoli or bok choy — A simple green side keeps the meal balanced and adds colour to the plate.
- Wonton soup — Start with a light soup to make it feel like a proper Chinese takeout spread at home.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use pre-roasted salted cashews?
You can, but reduce the soy sauce by about 1 tablespoon to account for the extra salt. The flavour will be slightly different — roasted salted cashews have a more assertive taste — but it works in a pinch.
What is oyster sauce and can I leave it out?
Oyster sauce is a thick, dark brown condiment made from oyster extracts. It adds a rich umami depth that soy sauce alone can’t replicate. If you can’t find it, substitute with 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce mixed with ½ teaspoon soy sauce — it’s not identical but captures a similar sweet-savoury profile.
Why does my stir-fry come out watery?
Three common causes: the pan wasn’t hot enough, the chicken was crowded, or the cornstarch wasn’t dissolved properly. Make sure your skillet is smoking hot before adding the chicken, cook in batches if needed, and whisk the sauce mixture thoroughly before pouring it in.
Can I make this ahead of time?
You can marinate the chicken and prep the sauce and vegetables up to 24 hours in advance. Store them separately in the fridge. The actual cooking should be done fresh — stir-fries are best straight from the pan. The entire cook time is only about 10 minutes once everything is prepped.
Is this recipe authentic Chinese?
Cashew chicken has roots in Chinese stir-fry cooking but the version most Westerners know — with a sweet, thick sauce — is a Chinese-American adaptation. Authentic Sichuan cashew chicken (gong bao ji ding) typically uses dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorns. This recipe leans into the sweeter takeout style that most home cooks are craving when they search for cashew chicken.
How do I prevent the cashews from burning?
The cashews in this recipe are added off the heat as a garnish, so they won’t burn during cooking. If you’re toasting them separately, keep the heat at medium and stir constantly. Remove them from the pan the moment they turn golden — residual heat will continue to darken them.
A Brief History of Cashew Chicken
Cashew chicken as Americans know it was popularised in the 1960s by David Leong, a Chinese immigrant chef in Springfield, Missouri, who adapted traditional Chinese stir-fry techniques for American palates. His version — deep-fried chicken pieces over rice with cashews and oyster sauce — became so iconic that Springfield declared itself the cashew chicken capital of the world.
The dish draws from the Cantonese tradition of pairing proteins with nuts in stir-fries, a technique dating back centuries. Cashew nuts themselves arrived in Chinese cooking via Portuguese traders who brought them from Brazil to India and eventually to Southeast Asia in the 16th century. The combination of tender meat, crunchy nuts, and a balanced savoury-sweet sauce reflects core principles of Chinese culinary philosophy: harmony of texture, flavour, and colour on every plate.
If you make this cashew chicken, I’d love to hear how it turned out — drop a star rating and leave a comment below to let me know!
