Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry is a fresh, homemade spin on a restaurant favorite recipe for cashew chicken! Crisp veggies, tender stir-fried chicken and crunchy cashews come together in a silky, savory sauce. Serve it over rice for a satisfying meal that's brimming with great flavor. This is an easy recipe to make.
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⭐Why Melinda Loves Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry
There's no fuss to make it and like Spicy Peanut Noodles and Spring Roll in a Bowl, it's better than takeout! This recipe might remind you of cashew chicken from your favorite Chinese restaurant.
The veggies can be prepped ahead, making it a quick and easy meal!
Customize the vegetables based on what you have on hand. (Scroll down to "Substitutions" for suggestions.)
Note: Some of the links in this recipe post are Amazon affiliate links, which means I make a small commission from Amazon if you link to and purchase the item. The affiliate process never affects your cost and I only link to products that I use and highly recommend.
👩🏻🍳Ingredients to Have on Hand
Broccoli: You can swap this for whatever fresh vegetables you have on hand, but broccoli is a classic stir-fry ingredient and so good for us, too!
Chicken: I've used white chicken breast meat and skinless chicken thighs and even a combination of both in this recipe. My favorite is chicken tenders since those are so easy to slice and dice.
Cornstarch: This is what thickens the sauce and gives it a silky texture to coat all of the vegetables and chicken meat.
Cashews: Be sure to add these last, after all the chicken and vegetables have been stir-fried and coated with the sauce. This helps ensure the cashews will stay crunchy and crisp for serving.
Scroll to the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
🥦 Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Chop the vegetables: broccoli, carrots and celery, then combine the sauce ingredients in a glass 4-cup measuring cup. Whisk in the cornstarch with the sauce ingredients.
Step 2: Heat the oil in the wok, skillet or pan and once the oil starts to shimmer, add the diced chicken pieces. Stir fry until cooked then remove the chicken from the pan, place it on a plate and cover it with foil to keep warm.
⭐Pro Tip
Be sure to choose a pan large enough for all the stir-fry ingredients. Woks are ideal since they have a large surface area and are designed to handle high heat. A large cast-iron skillet will work too, it can handle the heat needed for stir-frying, just be sure the skillet is big enough for all the ingredients. Any 4-quart sauce pan or Dutch oven can work too.
Step 3: Add the garlic, carrots and celery to the same pan to give these veggies a head start. Stir-fry for a few minutes.
Step 4: Add the broccoli and snow peas and stir-fry for about 5 minutes.
Step 5: Whisk the sauce ingredients again to thoroughly blend the cornstarch with the liquid ingredients.
Step 6: Return the chicken to the pan and pour the sauce ingredients over the top. Cook for a few minutes then sprinkle in the cashews. Stir and serve!
📖 Substitutions
This recipe for Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry uses 7 cups of vegetables and one of the best things about this recipe is that you can swap any of the vegetables with what you might have on hand in the fridge or in the garden.
Swap the snow peas for a can of drained (affiliate link) whole baby corn on the cob. Use half the amount of broccoli and add cauliflower.
Add diced red, yellow or green pepper. Chop and slice fresh zucchini.
Swap the cashews for the same amount of slivered almonds.
Sprinkle a teaspoon of (affiliate link) toasted sesame seeds on each serving.
Serve with rice, noodles or even crunchy (affiliate links) chow mein noodles or wonton strips.
⭐Pro Tip
If you are fairly confident you'll have leftovers, I recommend sprinkling the cashews on each serving (about ⅓ cup per serving) instead of stirring them into the vegetables, sauce and chicken in the pan. The cashews can lose their crunchiness after being refrigerated overnight with the other ingredients.
💭 Recipe FAQs
Either one works well. Salted cashews add even more flavor, but if you opt for salted cashews, keep in mind that they will boost the saltiness of the finished dish.
For the ideal stir-fry texture, this recipe is best served hot from the pan. I don't recommend preparing it ahead of time. But a nice shortcut is to chop all of the vegetables a day ahead or in the morning. That alone will save at least 30 minutes of prep work.
Absolutely. Simply leave out the chicken, use vegetable broth and double up on one or two of the veggies. You could also swap in tofu for a plant-based protein option.
There's no need to do that. You can add the cashews to the pan directly from the can or jar.
🥘 What to Serve with Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry
In keeping with the theme of a takeout dinner from home, serve this recipe with Pork Wonton Stars as a delicious appetizer.
Follow up with a freshly baked dessert such as Chocolate Zucchini Cake, Tiramisu Poke Cake or Fresh Apple Cake.
🥣 Leftovers and Storage
This recipe is best served hot from the pan on the day you make it! That ensures authentic stir-fry texture and crunchy vegetables.
If you do have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy them within 3 days. Reheat leftovers gently in the microwave.
🍽 Other Tasty Dinner Recipes
Cashew Chicken Stir Fry is an easy and delicious dinner recipe! Here are more ideas for dinner time that you'll enjoy.
If you make Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry I'd love to hear how it turned out. Please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and a comment below. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!
Recipe
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
(From Melinda) This recipe comes together quickly; the biggest time factor is chopping and dicing all the vegetables. I like to do that ahead of time so all the ingredients are waiting for me when it's time to stir-fry. I've been making this delicious recipe for years and can't wait to hear what you think!