This Chinese cashew chicken recipe is made with a simple but flavorful cashew sauce. Serve with rice and steamed veggies for an easy weeknight dinner!
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I would wager you've had chicken with cashew nuts at a Chinese restaurant. If you haven't, someone you went with did!
It's one of the most popular and famous stir fry dishes at American Chinese eateries. So, how do you make cashew chicken stir fry at home?
In this post, I'll be dishing all my secrets for making the best chicken cashew stir-fry. It's an easy recipe that take less than an hour to prepare!
Is Cashew Chicken Actually Chinese?
Chinese cashew chicken has some pretty American roots. The gist is that chef David Leong moved from China to the United states in 1940.
He struggled with success cooking authentic Chinese food in Springfield, Missouri. Attempting to adjust his traditional homeland dishes to something the local folks might like, he came up with cashew chicken.
Everyone was in love and he soon opened Leong's Tea House, which found major success until the late 90's. Cashew chicken is still a mainstay in the community, as it is all over the country.
Ingredients in This Recipe
The secret to making an authentic tasting Chinese dish at home lies in a few ingredients. First, MSG.
Oh my goodness, I'm kidding!
By the way, these days the majority of American Chinese restaurants don't use MSG (monosodium glutamate, a flavor enhancer). But MSG has been proven to be completely safe for consumption.
The real secret to easy cashew chicken is to make a great sauce, and that includes ginger, garlic, Chinese rice wine and hoisin sauce. Building these flavors together and adding sweet, crunchy nuts creates a cashew chicken sauce that tastes like your favorite restaurants' classic dish.
Let's break down the key ingredients in teh cashew chicken sauce:
- Fresh ginger and garlic. These two ingredients combine to give many stir-fry dishes their intricate base. Like a mirepoix (onions, celery, carrots) in French cooking, this combo is found in many Chinese dishes.
- Shao Hsing, or dry sherry. Shao Hsing (Shaoxing) is a Chinese rice wine used for cooking. It's easily substituted for dry sherry and has the most to do with making this dish authentic when made at home. Both impart a savory, nutty and aromatic flavor to the stir fry sauce.
- Hoisin sauce. This thick, fragrant, sweet and tangy sauce is a staple in stir-fry sauces and meat glazes. It's usually made from soy beans, fennel seeds, red chilies, and garlic, vinegar and sugar. Hoisin is often called Chinese ketchup, but it's much more complex as spices are often added. It's a perfect addition to an authentic dish.
Can I Use Ground Garlic and Ginger?
Nope! No substituting dried ginger or garlic powder here. The fresh ingredients are key.
How to Make Cashew Chicken
Now that you know what ingredients to keep in the pantry you're ready to have this better-than-takeout dinner at home.
Here's a quick overview of how this recipe is made:
- Pull out a large skillet or wok (check out this ceramic-coated nonstick option!).
- Mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl.
- Cook the chicken, then simmer it in the sauce.
- Finish with crunchy cashews to add the perfect texture and sweet flavor!
Serve this cashew and chicken recipe with long grain rice or sticky rice on the side. Enjoy!
Tips for Making Chicken with Cashew Nuts
- Make spicy cashew chicken by adding extra red pepper flakes, or a sliced red chili to the sauce. Adjust the heat by adding a little chili at a time.
- If you don't have sherry on hand, you may omit it. However, your cashew chicken sauce will lack the depth of flavor that mine had.
- To round out the meal, steam some broccoli or saute mixed vegetables in a separate skillet.
More Easy Asian Dinners:
- Sesame Chicken Skewers with Asian Slaw is heaven on a kabob.
- Sweet Chili Pistachio Grilled Chicken is sticky and delicious and uses my other favorite nuts!
- Korean BBQ Chicken Skewers are great served with a bit of kimchi on the side.
- Veggie Spring Rolls give you a punch of green goodness.
Let me know how it went!
Scroll to the bottom of the page to rate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and comment on this recipe. Leaving comments helps other too!
The Best Cashew Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1¾ pounds total), thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons dry sherry
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic sliced
- 4½ teaspoons cornstarch
- ¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons canola oil or avocado oil
- ½ cup unsalted toasted cashews
- 2 scallions thinly sliced
- ¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- cooked rice for serving
Instructions
- In a bowl combine chicken, sherry, ginger, garlic and 2 teaspoon cornstarch. Chill 30 min. In another bowl combine broth, soy sauce, hoisin, vinegar, sugar and 2½ teaspoon cornstarch; set aside.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, with 1 teaspoon canola oil. Sauté half the chicken until cooked through, about 5 min; transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken and oil.
- Return chicken to skillet. Stir in broth mixture and bring to a simmer; cook until sauce thickens, about 1 min. Add cashews and serve with scallions and red-pepper flakes.
- Serve with cooked white or brown rice if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Be sure to check out these other great international recipes from some of my fellow food bloggers.
Thailand - Thai Chicken Larb Salad
Germany -German Meatballs and Potatoes
Greece - Greek Style Grilled Lamb Chops
Italy -Fettuccini Alfredo
Italy - Wild Mushroom Risotto
Korea -Oven Baked Korean BBQ Chicken Wings
Sweden -Easy Swedish Cucumber Salad
USA - Instant Pot Bourbon BBQ Ribs
My new delicious and easy chicken recipes
About Tara Teaspoon
I’ve been in the food publishing business for over 20 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television & advertising. Order my new cookbook & stick around for amazing things to eat.
Recipe Tara Teaspoon, Photograph Hallie Burton, Food Stylist Ann Disrude, Prop stylist Randi Brookman Harris. Originally published LHJ 09/10. Revised for content 04/22
Amy Nash says
Cashew chicken is my mom's favorite Chinese dish (I'm pretty sure) so I'm going to have to make this for her the next time I go home to visit! Also, I'm cracking up over your reference to Seinfeld here since I also saw you talking about Seinfeld on IG yesterday, lol. My husband is a big fan of that show and some casual seinfeld quotes have also appeared in some of my posts (like the one I did about babka).
Tara says
She'll love this recipe!! Oh hahaha! How is it that Seinfeld is often real life for us. Too funny!
michele says
This is my sisters favorite takeout dish... Shes spending the weekend with us so I'll be giving this a try! The directions are so clear I know she'll be able to do it when she gets back home too!
Tara says
That's awesome! Oh yes try it, it's really classic. Thanks Michele!
Marlee says
This is such a classic for a Chinese place! Love the flavors in this dish!
Tara says
It totally is! I like that I can eat it at home!
Mary Bench says
This is soooo delicious! Have made it several times!
Jerrica Vollmer says
This is my GO TO for authentic cashew chicken ... I won’t use any other. My husband says it’s the best he’s ever had. Felt good to know I coped better cashew chicken than most restaurants. Thank you for sharing this and making my favorite dish something I can create at home. I love out of town so takeout isn’t available.❤️
Tara says
Oh my goodness I'm happy to hear this! It's really one of my favorite recipes. I'm glad you and your husband are with me on that! It's the best alternative to take out for sure!! Thanks for your note!
Demeter says
Thanks for adding the tip about adding spice to the dish. Sometimes it's fun to kick things up a notch.
Amanda says
I love this meal so much. Thank you for sharing!
Dorothy Reinhold says
This is one of our favorite take out dishes. I have always been afraid to attempt the sauce. I am so excited to try this dish tomorrow!
Tara says
Me too! A favorite! You've got this. I think you'll love the sauce!
Tisha says
Cashew chicken makes such a great week night meal!
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says
This is such an amazing flavor combo!! Would love to try this chicken recipe!
Beth says
Such a quick and easy meal! really love the flavor of the cashews!
Tara says
It is!! One of my faves.
Camille Tarics says
My whole family loves this! It’s a great recipe!
Tara says
Camille thanks!!! I'm so glad.
Mary says
I have been looking for a good cashew chicken recipe and have finally found it! Thank you for a great one!!!
Dianne says
I came looking for different breading recipe for the preparation of David Leong's Springfield- style cashew chicken and discovered that this recipe is not the cashew chicken that Mr. Leong created. Realizing that his authentic-style Chinese recipes were not appealing to Midwestern palates, he decided to create a fusion dish that ended up being a hit. It consists of crispy fried chicken chunks smothered in a rich oyster gravy.
The gravy is simple - good quality chicken broth (homemade is best), oyster sauce, white pepper, wee bit of sugar (optional), cornstarch, and some people add soy sauce (recipes vary). But, the sauce never ever has ginger, hoisin, or vinegar.
Top rice with bite-sized fried chicken chunks and generously smother it all with the gravy. Sprinkle bits and pieces of roasted cashews and chopped scallions - Serve!
I'm still hunting for a recipe that replicates Leong's fried chicken. The recipes online never quite seem to turn out as good as his restaurant's chicken. Since I only get back to SW MO once a year or so, I'm driven to find the perfect Springfield cashew chicken recipe so I can have it whenever I want at home.
Tara says
Yes Dianne, he did change his traditional Chinese dishes to be more American. He originated American Cashew Chicken and this is one version that has morphed from that! This is what you'll find in restaurants in most cities across the country. His version, with breaded chicken is awesome. I've gone more with the restaurant version that has come from his creation. All the best finding the Leong's fried chicken recipe you are hoping for!
Brit says
As picky eaters, this is one of the only Asian recipes my younger siblings will eat... and they love it!!
Carmy says
Your cashew chicken's sauce sounds SO flavourful! It definitely shines through as making the dish taste amazing.
Aleta says
What is better than ginger, rice vinegar and hoi sin? Nothing. Nothing is tastier than that combo! This recipe for cashew chicken is simply delicious!
veenaazmanov says
Thanks. Lovely recipe. Just cant wait to check this out. Looks super delicious.
Analida Braeger says
This dish had the most incredible flavors! My whole family loved it. Thanks so much for sharing!
GUNJAN C Dudani says
Its one of my favorite dish from a Thai restaurant. I am happy to find your recipe and now I can make it at home. So excited.
Jessica says
Thanks for posting this! I’m going to try it tomorrow, but I’m out of dry sherry. Is there a substitute I could use?
Tara says
If you don't have it on hand, I would simply leave it out. It adds an authentic aromatic flavor, and there's really no proper substitute.
Kushigalu says
Love the flavor and the combo in recipe. So delicious it is.
Amanda says
This cashew chicken is fabulous! It's so much better than anything you'd get at a take-out place, and it's super simple to throw together.
Jacqui DeBono says
It was really interesting to read the history of cashew chicken, especially as I love cashews and chicken and it's one of the things I order the most often. How fantastic to be able to recreate the dish at home! Healthier, fresher and I can make it whenever I want!
Kim @ Three Olives Branch says
LOVE this cashew chicken! Such a great alternative to take out and tastes just amazing, plus so simple!
Tatiana says
This recipe was so easy to follow! Here at home we love chicken and are always looking for a new chicken dish to try... this one will for certain be made weekly from now on!
Aline says
Love this recipe and the story behind it! We'll make it again this weekend!
Candice says
This sauce is unbeatable! The recipe is so easy to follow and packed with flavor. We are going to be making this one regularly. Thank you for the great recipe!
Erin says
Delicious and very easy to make! Will be my new go to for cashew chicken!!
Nip says
I know sometimes author s fake some of the comments or get friends to post but these are all fake. I think there's maybe one authentic one in the entire bunch. Are there any real comments anywhere? I'm not saying there's something wrong with the dish. I'm just saying, it'd be nice to get authentic feedback.
Tara Teaspoon says
Hi Nip, I'm sorry you feel these comments are fake. In fact, these are real comments as I do not solicit comments. It's just plain bad practice. I encourage you to make the recipe and see why people are leaving such great reviews. Tara
Nip says
Okay. I for real made this last night for dinner. The sauce is very good. I'm going to change a couple of things next time just for personal taste, but the sauce itself is worth the recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Tara Teaspoon says
Thank you Nip and I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe. I encourage you to change up anything to make it perfect for you! Tara