A saucy chicken stir fry with cashews, this is a terrific combination of flavours. You’ll love how saucy this is, and how you can adapt this to your taste by using vegetables of choice. Try this with Hot and Sour Soup or Chinese Corn Soup with a side of Fried Rice for a homemade takeout experience!
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Cashew Chicken
This is takeout made at home that truly stacks up to your favourite Chinese restaurant. No false promises here! Just read some of the glowing reviews from the many people who have tried this. 😇
You’ll have it on the table faster than ordering home delivery, it’s healthier (way less greasy!) and it’s versatile so you can add or switch the vegetables as you please. So much easier to just adapt this yourself rather than trying to explain what you want over the phone to your Chinese takeout place…… right?? 😉
The secret ingredient is Chinese Cooking Wine
Chinese Cooking Wine, also known as Shaoxing wine or Shaosing wine, is the secret ingredient that makes homemade Chinese food truly taste as good as take out.
It’s an alcoholic wine used for Chinese and other Asian cooking. Totally unpleasant to drink, salty, cheap as chips from Asian stores (~ $1.50 for a big bottle), lasts forever and you can read more about it here (if you’re so inclined).
While you’d never drink it straight, when used cooking, it completely transforms. It seasons the sauce, gives it depth of flavour and complexity, that “something something” to make it just like Chinese restaurants.
Substitutions for Shaoxing Wine
The best substitute is Mirin, or dry sherry – these produce virtually the same result. If you can’t consume alcohol, the best alternative is to substitute low sodium chicken broth for the water in the sauce.
Ingredients in Cashew Chicken
I promised quick and easy, and I exaggerate not! There’s not that many ingredients in the sauce (see photo above) nor in the stir fry itself (see below).
I like to use chicken thigh for stir fries because it’s juicier than breast and tenderloin. If I make this with chicken breast, I always tenderise it using a Chinese restaurant technique using baking soda (bi-carb). It’s super simple, see directions here: How to Velvet Chicken.
I make Cashew Chicken with green capsicum (bell peppers) and onion because they are the most common vegetables I’ve seen in Cashew Chicken. But feel free to add other vegetables into this. I’ve also seen it with red capsicum, celery, Asian Greens, broccoli, carrots and scallions/shallots.
Making Cashew Chicken
Cashew Chicken is very straight forward to make and also very forgiving (especially if you use chicken thigh).
Mix the Sauce, use a bit to marinate the chicken just for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the vegetables, have a glass of wine, browse through the Asian Takeout recipe collection and think about all the other things you want to try one of these days…😊
When you’re ready to cook, have everything ready to go because it takes less than 5 minutes! Sauté garlic and onion (1 min), cook chicken and capsicum (3 min), add sauce, simmer 1 minute until thickens, serve over rice.
As with all my stir fries, this Cashew Chicken comes with plenty of sauce. There’s nothing sadder than when you’re left with a bowl of plain white rice with no sauce to eat it with. Right??!
Hope you enjoy! – Nagi x
PS For a healthy low carb option try Cauliflower Rice – 77% fewer calories and 87% less carbs than rice!
Watch how to make it
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Chinese Cashew Chicken
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 tbsp cornstarch / cornflour
- 3 tbsp soy sauce , all purpose or light (Note 1)
- 1 1/2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine or Mirin (Note 2)
- 3 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- Dash of white pepper (sub black)
Stir Fry
- 500g / 1 lb chicken thigh , skinless boneless, cut into 2.5cm/1″ pieces (Note 3)
- 2 tbsp peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/2 onion , chopped into 1.75 cm / 3/4″ pieces(yellow, brown or white)
- 1 green capsicum / bell pepper , chopped into 2 cm / 0.8″ pieces
- 6 tbsp water
- 3/4 cup roasted cashews , unsalted
Instructions
- Sauce: Mix cornflour and soy sauce until there’s no lumps. Then add remaining Sauce ingredients and mix.
- Marinate: Transfer 2 tbsp Sauce to chicken, mix to coat. Set aside for 10 minutes+.
- Cook: Heat oil over high heat in a wok or heavy based skillet. Add the garlic and onion, cook for 1 minute.
- Add chicken and cook for 2 minutes. Add capsicum and cook for 1 minute.
- Add Sauce and water. Bring to simmer and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until Sauce thickens.
- Stir through cashews, remove from stove. Serve immediately with rice – or for a low carb, low cal option, try Cauliflower Rice!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published October 2015. Updated post with new photos, better video and most importantly, Life of Dozer section added! No change to recipe.
More Chinese takeout favourites
- Chow Mein
- General Tso’s Chicken
- Sweet and Sour Pork
- Crispy Honey Chicken
- Beef & Broccoli
- Chop Suey (Chicken Stir Fry)
- Spring Rolls
- Prawn (Shrimp) Stir Fry
- Chinese BBQ Pork (Char Siu)
- See ALL Chinese Takeout recipes
Life of Dozer
Wow, it’s true. You really can make anyone look intelligent with glasses. 🤓
Very nice flavour and really does taste like take-away, though too salty for my liking. I increased the quantity of veg and used less chicken. Next time I’ll use less soy sauce, oyster sauce and Shaoxing wine. I think this will become part of the regular rotation of dinner! Yum!
Another awesome recipe. You are my go to website for searching for new meal ideas.
Thanks!
Thanks so much Helen – N x
everyone loved. thanks
That’s awesome Mandy!
Thank you so much Nagi for all your fantastic recipes – I’m like Nagi this, Nagi that to everyone! I love the fact that most of the ingredients are in the pantry and you include substitutes and they’re easy for busy or regular home cookers. I especially like that everything tastes delicious. Keep ’em coming 😁
That’s so nice to hear Kathryn! – N x
Hi Nagi,
Can I use your Charlie sauce in this dish? If so, what quantity?
Cheers.
This dish was amazing! I substituted snow peas and carrot for the capsicum. The kids all loved it and asked for it to become a regular in the rotation and said it was better than the Chinese takeaway. Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes Nagi!
Winner winner chicken dinner Jen!
Always a hit when I make this. Thx for making me look good Nagi!
Wahoo, I’m so glad it’s a hit John ❤️
Yummy! Made this for Sunday lunch and it was a hit with my boyfriend! I used vegetarian oyster sauce and Quorn meatless pieces in mine. It was so much better than take out.
That’s awesome to know Kristina!
WINNER WINNER
CHICKEN DINNER !!
Yessss!
I honestly love your recipes and have tried loads, this being my favourite. Feel like a proper cook when I make this, everyone loves it. I have leftovers – can you freeze it??
Hi Charlotte! Just added a note about freezing – flavour wise it holds up fine but sauces thickened with cornflour tend to become a bit watery once frozen 🙂 still perfectly tasty though, just a thinner sauce! N x
Does what it says on the “tin” AWESOME recipe….will never order again from a restaurant as this is the BEST!!
You’re totally converted Scott!!! Welcome to the dark side!
Hi Nagi
Just wondering what type of Soy Sauce you use ? I made this super easy recipe but it seemed to be too salty, almost like it needed a sweet flavour in the sauce ?
Thanks so much !
Hi Teresa, all purpose or light as per the recipe – N x
SO GOOD!! Added red bell peppers, mushrooms and bok choy.
Velveting the chicken first was a game changer and I can’t get over how delicious that sauce is!
Will definitely make again and again (and again and again….).
Thanks so much Nagi!!
You’re converted!!!! 😂
This was amazing. I am on a calorie count and I divided this into three servings! The above calorie info, is that based on 1/5 of the dish?
Hi Rena, The recipe serves 4 – I’m so glad you loved it!
Made this tonight and it was delicious I did add some extra vegetables that I had laying around but other then that I followed the recipe exactly.
I had no issues with the sauce at all. I did almost miss the step of adding the water so maybe that could be a step some people are missing?
Definitely plan on making this again 🙂
I’m so glad you loved it Stephanie!!
Mine neeed more liquid -about a cupful
Hi Louise, that doesn’t sound right, did you make any amendments to the recipe? – N x
Hi Nagi! Unfortunately this dish came out really salty 🙁 I followed it to a tee – the only thing I was thinking was if you use a 15ml or 20ml tablespoon? I used a 20ml spoon, and wondered if that might have been it! Thanks 🙂
Hi Joanna, I use a 15ml tablespoon but it shouldn’t make too much of a difference as majority of the ingredients are in tablespoons (so everything should have been scaled up equally in your case). Can I ask what type of soy you used?
Thanks for the reply! I just used the standard light soy sauce- I do have the dark (bought for use in other recipes of yours – I think I love you by the way 😜). I was just so disappointed, I’ve been scratching my head as to where I went wrong. Will have to give it another shot with the 15ml measure and see how we go!
Hi Joanna
I had the same problem, it seemed to need a sweet ingredient .. have you made again ?
Nagi this is way better than takeaway, super quick and super easy and sooooo tasty.
Woot! Thanks for the compliment Michelle!
It smells delicious but i don’t know what happened! My sauce came out white and thick, but i followed the measurements. What do i do in this case?
Hi Angela, that doesn’t sound right at all! Did you cook the cornflour out? – N x
Love Dozer pictures, kept it up Nagi. Your recipes are also delicious and straightforward to make