I absolutely adore a good stir fry and this Cashew Chicken Stir Fry is the perfect quick and healthy no-fuss meal. No to mention because it’s a stir fry it is also really adaptable and you can swap in/change up the ingredients depending on your tastes – you can even leave out the cashews if someone in your family is allergic to nuts (or just allergic to the taste!).
I like to serve this up with some pasta or on a bed of fluffy rice to really soak up the delicious sauce! If you’re looking for more stir fry options make sure to check out my Shrimp Stir Fry or my Easy Fried Rice recipes!
Fast and Healthy Chicken Stir Fry
This recipe has a great basic stir-fry sauce that will work with almost everything, even beef if you want. It’s an incredibly easy to adapt recipe that we usually serve over spaghetti or spaghettini noodles – and the kids scarf it up, even my picky eater! I tell you, put ANYTHING on spaghetti noodles and my kids will eat it. You can serve this over rice, chow mein noodles, whole wheat noodles whatever you desire!
I first published this recipe 8 years ago, it was one of the first recipes on my blog and it’s time for new photos and a re-write!
How To Make Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
Here’s the quick recap of what making this involves so you can see if this recipe works for you:
- Whisk the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
- Fry the chicken until cooked.
- Fry the vegetables.
- Add the sauce and cook until thickened.
- Serve alone, over pasta or vermicelli noodles, or on a bed of rice!
Tips and Tricks For Making Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
- If you want a thicker sauce, add a little extra cornstarch to the mix.
- Go for unsalted cashews if you can – I find that salted cashews can make the dish a little TOO salty but roasted unsalted nuts are generally harder to find. If you use salted cashews then try to use a low sodium soy sauce!
- It’s fine to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts if you’d prefer.
- You can freeze the leftovers from stir fry for up to a month and just reheat it as needed. Try to use it within 2-3 weeks for the best flavor, though! It will also keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days if you store it in an airtight container.
- If you like a bit of extra spice in your stir fry, just add some sriracha or red pepper flakes to your sauce to add some fire!
Can I Use Any Vegetables?
Absolutely! A stir fry is a great way to use up any vegetables you have in the fridge, so don’t be afraid to experiment! Yellow squash, celery, and broccoli are all great swaps or add-ins. Also, if you just want to mix it up and don’t have time to prep, you can easily pick up some pre-mixed packs of stir fried vegetables in the store.
More Chicken Recipes to Try:
Air Fryer Fried Chicken: a super healthy alternative to that southern fried chicken we know and love!
Honey Garlic Instant Pot Chicken Thighs: the perfect sweet and tangy “takeout” fix!
Smoked Paprika Baked Chicken Thighs: this staple dish is the perfect quick and easy weeknight meal.
Creamy Garlic Swiss Chard Chicken: low carb AND deliciously creamy.
Happy cooking!
Love,
Karlynn
Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients
Stir Fry Sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 1-2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (or 1 tsp fresh grated ginger, which you will fry in Step 2)
- 1 tablespoon white sugar (to taste!)
Cashew Chicken Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound chicken breast, chopped
- 1 large red pepper cleaned and sliced
- 2 cups snow peas
- 1/2 cup roasted cashews
- 4 servings noodles of your choice, rice, etc
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients except for the sugar. IF you are using fresh ginger, then wait and fry it with the fresh garlic in step 2. Add sugar to taste, then set aside.
- Take the tablespoon of oil and heat in a large pan or wok. Fry the chicken until the chicken is well browned and cooked through. Add in the garlic and ginger, saute for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add in your vegetables and fry until tender-crisp.
- Take the sauce mixture and add to the vegetables, stirring until the mixture thickens slightly, 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the cashews, warm slightly. Serve alone or over pasta or vermicelli noodles.
Notes
- Sesame oil is my favorite flavor in this dish, so I add two teaspoons to give it some more depth. You can use one if desired.
Nutrition
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Doris says
Hello I am new here on your site. Just wanted to suggest that I use raw cashews which are toasted in oven at 300degrees for about 10 minutes. Lidl’s or Aldi’s has them so you don’t have to worry about extra salt in this recipe. Personally, I like some onions sauteed in the mix. Good eating for sure!
Quentine A. says
You mentioned the ginger and garlic in the Sauce Ingredients list – to be whisked together in a small bowl and set aside. The chicken stir-fry ingredients list does not have the ginger and garlic listed. Yet your recipe says add in the ginger and garlic while stir frying the chicken and veggies. Should there be a second set of ginger and garlic for the chicken pieces? Please clarify.
Loved your recipe – in fact, love all your recipes – they are fantastic! And a life-saver – giving me a jump-start for my family meals each day! Thank you…..
Karlynn Johnston says
Ok, I’ve tried to clarify better (thank you for pointing that out!).Fresh ginger and garlic need to be fried together in step 2 after the chicken, powdered would have to be added to the sauce beforehand. Does that make more sense?
Curtis says
In the ingredient picture, to the left of the snow peas, is not in the list?
Karlynn Johnston says
That’s the condensed chicken broth/stock, just needed water that’s all!
Cate G says
I didn’t use cashews but we tried peanuts and now we have a new family favorite for sure.I like the idea of adding mushrooms to it from the commenter below, might try it next time. Also used green peppers along with red.
Karlynn Johnston says
Fixed, thank you and I am so glad you liked it! so simple and yummy!
lsoergel says
I made this last night and it was great! Thanks! I just wanted to point out that where you say “In small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar,and sesame oil, set aside until needed.” I think you meant to say Chicken stock instead of Sesame Oil…
Soooo yummy!! Thanks again! Liz S.
asma says
Chicken stir fry perfection, thank you. We used egg noodles and it was gone in seconds. I would add mushrooms next time maybe…..
Karlynn says
1 lb of chicken breast, but sometimes I use more in my personal versions to “up” the chicken in it.