Easy Cashew Chicken | Cookies and Cups

This amazingly straightforward (and simply plain superb) Cashew Hen is a favourite weeknight dinner! Comprised of juicy hen stir-fried with tender veggies in a tangy, savory Asian-inspired sauce. This 25-minute do-it-yourself recipe is one million occasions higher than takeout.

Should you love fast take out at house impressed dinners, make sure that to strive my Beef and Broccoli recipe!

Higher-Than-Takeout Cashew Hen Recipe

We’re no strangers to takeout on this household. I’m a sucker for the comfort of a sizzling and prepared meal from our favourite native take out spot, however I additionally know there’s nothing higher than do-it-yourself! For the times when a craving strikes, this straightforward cashew hen recipe has all of the acquainted Asian-style flavors that I really like, made proper at house (within the time it will take to have it delivered, too!). Like my Orange Chicken, it is a restaurant-quality hen dinner that anybody could make with a couple of primary components and a skillet.

The spicy and tangy cashew hen sauce is simply next-level scrumptious, and you can also make this recipe as gentle or as sizzling as your loved ones prefers. Should you’re on the go all week lengthy, my cashew hen is your new greatest good friend. That is the kind of dinner you want in your life, belief me.

What Is Cashew Hen?

Cashew Hen is all the time my go-to order after we seize Chinese language take-out. It’s a preferred dish created from hen and greens, stir-fried with cashew nuts in a mixture of hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil. The flavors are savory, slightly tangy, and a bit spicy (relying on how a lot chili is concerned). 

Enjoyable reality: You’ll discover totally different variations, together with Chinese language-style, like this one, and Thai cashew hen, however cashew hen was truly invented in Missouri! It’s extra of an American dish that’s Chinese language-inspired, created at a restaurant known as Leong’s Tea Home.

What You’ll Want

There are two components to this cashew hen recipe: the flavorful stir-fry sauce, plus the hen and different add-ins. Beneath is an summary of the varied components you’ll want for each. Keep in mind to confer with the recipe card for the total ingredient quantities!

For the Sauce

• Hoisin Sauce and Soy Sauce: Each of those conventional Asian condiments pack in a great deal of umami taste. Like soy sauce, hoisin sauce is created from soybeans, with further spices, garlic, and chilies. It’s principally gentle, so that you’ll discover I spice it up with chili sauce in a while. You’ll discover hoisin sauce within the condiment aisle of most main supermarkets.
• Hen Broth: I like to recommend utilizing low-sodium hen broth since components like soy sauce already comprise excessive quantities of sodium. You don’t need your sauce to return out overly salty.
• Honey: For a touch of pure sweetness. Should you don’t have honey available, brown sugar can be utilized as an alternative.
• Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar is the perfect for seasoning and flavoring Asian-style recipes. Should you don’t have it, apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar are good substitutes. 
• Sesame Oil: You’ll need to get your palms on some. Sesame oil has a particular taste that actually can’t be substituted in Chinese language-style cooking!
• Ginger: I extremely advocate utilizing freshly grated ginger on this cashew hen stir fry sauce. It’s straightforward to grate utilizing a zester, and also you’ll discover recent ginger root in most grocery shops or markets. Floor ginger works in a pinch, however the taste simply doesn’t evaluate!
• Cornstarch: To thicken the sauce.
• Sriracha and Crushed Pink Pepper: To beef up the spiciness of the sauce. I exploit sriracha for its barely candy chili taste. One other related chili sauce may even work. Should you’d desire a extra gentle sauce, be at liberty to adapt the quantity of chili or go away it out altogether.

For the Hen

• Hen: I exploit boneless skinless hen breasts, reduce into skinny strips. Some folks desire to make use of boneless hen thighs, which is completely high-quality additionally! You’ll additionally want canola oil or vegetable oil for sautéing the hen.
• Greens: I exploit a mixture of snow peas, thinly-sliced carrots (julienne-style is greatest), and crispy water chestnuts in my cashew nut hen, together with garlic for aromatics. You may undoubtedly adapt this recipe with any greens you’d like. See in a while for straightforward variation concepts.
• Cashews: Everybody thinks the hen is the star of the present right here, however actually, it’s the cashew nuts! Cashews grow to be wealthy and nutty as they prepare dinner, lending a great deal of taste to the stir fry. Be sure you use unsalted cashews so that you just don’t wind up with a dish that’s too salty.
• Jasmine Rice: I serve my cashew hen over a mattress of fluffy jasmine rice. In fact, you may serve your stir fry nevertheless you’d like! Take a look at the part under for extra tasty serving solutions and facet dish concepts.

The best way to Make Cashew Hen

Don’t be stunned if this cashew hen is probably the most ridiculously straightforward dish you’ll make this week! When you whisk up your stir-fry sauce, simply 20 minutes is all you must sauté the components in a skillet. 

• Put together the Sauce: This half is tremendous straightforward. Merely whisk collectively all of the sauce components in a bowl, and set this apart for now.
• Brown the Hen: If in case you have a wok, now’s the chance to make use of it! In any other case, warmth a little bit of oil in a non-stick skillet on the stovetop. Give your hen strips a sprinkle with salt and pepper, after which toss these into the skillet to sear on all sides. I like to recommend working in batches, in order to not overcrowd the hen items. Over medium-high warmth, the hen ought to brown fairly shortly.

• Prepare dinner the Veggies: Switch the seared hen items out of the pan and onto a plate. Subsequent, decrease the warmth and add the carrots and snow peas to the skillet to prepare dinner till they’re crisp-tender. Afterward, stir within the garlic and water chestnuts.
• Mix: Now, it’s time to convey all of it collectively. Add the cooked hen again to the skillet, and over low warmth, pour within the stir fry sauce. Sprinkle within the cashews, after which stir every little thing to coat whereas the sauce thickens and cooks. Dish up your do-it-yourself cashew hen over rice or noodles, and dig in!

Ideas for Success

Beneath are some ultimate recipe notes to assist your cashew hen come out precisely to your liking:

• Adapt the warmth ranges. Should you’re catering to milder palates, you may adapt the quantity of chili on this recipe as wanted. Use kind of sizzling sauce, or omit the chili altogether.
• Toast the cashews. If in case you have the time, frivolously toasting the cashews in a pan with some oil brings out an much more nutty taste. You too can use pre-roasted cashews.
• Make it vegetarian. You may simply swap out the hen for tofu for those who’re making a vegetarian stir-fry. Or, simply substitute the hen with extra veggies! See under for straightforward variation concepts.

Straightforward Recipe Variations

I really like meals like cashew nut hen as a result of I hardly run out of the way to customise the components. A stir fry is an ideal approach to make use of up nearly any leftover veggies, and many others. you could have kicking round within the fridge. Listed here are some straightforward cashew hen variations to strive:

• Totally different Protein: Why not strive cashew beef? Or tofu with cashew nuts? Hen is a basic, however go forward and blend it up with any protein you’d like. 
• Totally different Veggies: This recipe works with nearly any vegetable. Attempt it with broccoli, bell peppers, zucchini, candy corn, onions, inexperienced beans, mushrooms, cabbage, or bok choy. Remember that totally different greens could have totally different prepare dinner occasions.
• Straightforward Add-Ins: Costume up this straightforward stir-fry recipe with bean sprouts, edamame, chives, or inexperienced onions.

What to Serve with Cashew Hen

All it takes is a facet of rice or Spicy Sesame Noodles to show your cashew hen right into a well-rounded meal. Simply another reason to like this recipe! In fact, for those who’re in search of easier dishes to serve alongside a scrumptious plate of hen with cashew nuts, under are a few of our favorites.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

Refrigerate leftover cashew hen hermetic for as much as 3 days. Leftovers are straightforward to reheat within the microwave or in a skillet on the stovetop. You may add slightly water to assist loosen up the sauce if wanted. 

Can I Freeze Cashew Hen?

Sure! This hen stir fry freezes properly. Retailer it hermetic in a freezer-safe container or resealable bag, and freeze it for as much as 3 months. Thaw the cashew hen within the fridge earlier than reheating.

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