Thai Cashew Chicken
Published Mar 31, 2020•Updated Feb 14, 2024
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Thai Cashew Chicken is tender bites of chicken in a savory and slightly sweet sauce. It’s better and healthier than takeout, made in 30 minutes, and full of crisp toasted cashews.
Okay, so I totally know what you’re thinking of when I mention Cashew Chicken. A Chinese food buffet version, right? Good but not great. This, my friends, is NOT that buffet cashew chicken. This is the Cashew Chicken of Thailand. In the world of stir fry dishes, this one is tops (perhaps only matched by the delicious Honey Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry). It is packed with flavor, full of sweet peppers and onions, tender chicken, and a sauce that will make you go back for seconds…and thirds…and look forward to leftovers at lunch. I’m certain you’re going to love this recipe as much as I do.
Ingredients
- Chicken Breast – Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces and toss it with salt and flour. Chicken thighs would work well here too.
- Onion and Bell Peppers – Onion and bell peppers add flavor and color to the dish.
- Green Onions – Chop the green onions and add them in for fresh flavor.
- Cashews – Raw cashews work best here because you’ll toast them in oil before cooking. But roasted and unsalted cashews will also work.
- Cooking Oil – I like vegetable or peanut oil here for the high temperatures used during cooking.
- Stir Fry Sauce – This simple, savory sauce comes together fast. Check out the notes below and the recipe card for tips on light and dark sweet soy sauce which are both used in this recipe. This sauce does not use fish sauce, but like many Thai dishes, fish sauce would add a delicious savory flavor.
FAQs
In Thailand, cashew chicken is still considered a Chinese-style dish but it is so common there that it’s become Thai food in its own right. The most noticeable difference in the Thai version is that the sauce is more complex – it is savory, slightly sweet, and with a little bit of tart flavor. Spice is optional, but as with most Thai chicken stir-fry recipes, a little heat is always welcome.
Light soy sauce (also called thin soy sauce) is the most common soy sauce used in Thai cooking. This is not the same as low-sodium, but it has a light color and more delicate flavor than Japanese or Chinese soy sauces that many of us have in our pantries. Dark sweet soy sauce has a thicker texture and color and a more rich flavor. It is a must-have ingredient for the beloved Thai noodle dish, Pad See Ew.
Check out my Guide to Essential Thai Ingredients for more details.
Like most stir-fry dishes, this is a weeknight favorite. A few minutes of prep means all of the ingredients are ready to go and the dish can be finished in the wok in 15 minutes or less. Cooking everything in the right order is key.
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Pin It NowHow to Make Thai Cashew Chicken
Step 1: Make Sauce
Garlic, soy sauce, water, cornstarch, and red pepper flakes (optional) are things you probably already have in your pantry. You’ll also need Oyster Sauce. Don’t be afraid of it! You’ve surely had oyster sauce if you’ve had Thai or Chinese take-out. The finished dish won’t taste like oysters, but will have a savory flavor that shouldn’t be missed. You’ll also need Dark Sweet Soy Sauce. It’s inexpensive and available at any Asian market. This is the brand we keep in our pantry.
Step 2: Prep Ingredients
The ingredients list is short and sweet. Slice peppers, yellow onions, and green onions. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and toss with a bit of salt and all-purpose flour (to help it brown in the pan). Get everything ready before you start. This will cook FAST.
Step 3: Fry Cashews
Since cashews are the key ingredient of cashew chicken you really want them to shine. Add cashews to some hot oil over medium-high heat and cook for about a minute until they are golden brown. You’ll be amazed at how much toasty flavor and crunch this step gives the finished dish. It also gives the cooking oil some cashew flavor. Set cashews aside.
Step 4: Fry Chicken
Leave the oil from the cashews in the pan and add the chicken. Saute until golden brown and cooked through (6 to 7 minutes). Set chicken aside with cashews.
Step 5: Cook Peppers and Onions
To the hot pan, add those peppers and onions and saute until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add a splash of water if the pan starts to look dry.
Step 6: Simmer with Sauce
Here’s my favorite part. Add the stir fry sauce and let it bubble and thicken.
Step 7: Cook Everything Together
Add chicken and cashews back to pan with green onions. Toss everything to coat in sauce.
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Pin It NowThai Cashew Chicken
Equipment
- Wok or skillet
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 2 cloves Garlic, chopped
- 1/2 cup Water
- 2 Tablespoons Light Soy Sauce
- 1 Tablespoons Dark Sweet Soy Sauce
- 2 teaspoons Oyster Sauce
- 1 teaspoons Cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes (optional – skip if you don't want the dish to be spicy)
- 1/4 teaspoons Ground White Pepper (optional)
Cashew Chicken:
- 1/2 Yellow Onion, sliced
- 1/2 Red Bell Pepper, sliced
- 3 stalks Green Onions, chopped
- 1 pounds Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast, chopped
- pinch Salt
- 1 Tablespoon All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup Raw Cashews (or use roasted and unsalted cashews)
- 1/4 cup Cooking Oil (like vegetable or peanut oil)
- Rice, for serving
Instructions
- Make sauce:Whisk together garlic, water, light soy sauce, dark sweet soy sauce, and oyster sauce. Whisk in cornstarch. Add red pepper flakes and white pepper (if using). Set aside.
- Prep ingredients:Slice onion and bell pepper and combine. Chop green onions. Dice chicken and toss with a pinch of salt and flour.
- Set onions / peppers, green onions, chicken, sauce, and cashews near the stove. Place a paper towel on top of a plate and set that near the stove.
- Heat cooking oil in a wok over medium-high heat.
- When oil is hot, add cashews and saute until golden brown and toasted, 1 to 2 minutes (watch carefully to prevent them from burning). Set cashews on paper-towel lined plate. Leave oil in the wok.
- To remaining oil in wok, add chicken. Let chicken cook for 2 minutes without stirring (this will help it to brown on the bottom).
- Continue cooking, turning occasionally, until chicken is golden brown and cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes total.
- Transfer chicken to the plate with the cashews and return wok to heat.
- To any remaining oil in the wok, add onions and bell peppers.
- Saute until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. (Add a splash of water if the pan starts to look dry.)
- Pour sauce over onions and peppers.
- Simmer until sauce starts to thicken, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add green onions, chicken, and cashews to pan. Cook everything together for 1 minute to coat in sauce.
- Serve over rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi there! I’m wondering how you make the dark sweet soy sauce if you don’t have it, like how much brown sugar do you add? Thanks so much! Can’t wait to make this!
Looking very forward to trying this Amazing recipe! It looks awesome 😊 thank you for sharing!
Thanks so much Vickie! Enjoy!
Thanks for an excellent recipe and the easy to follow cooking instruction. I made this on Friday evening, adding carrots, green beans and some noodles. The meal was very well received.
Thanks again.
Roddy
Jess, can I substitute low sodium soy sauce without having a negative impact on the recipe?
Thanks!
Anne – absolutely! I’ve made it with low sodium soy sauce and the result is delicious. I like to add a small amount of additional sweetener (sugar or honey) to balance it out if using regular low sodium soy sauce.
Sooooooo close to a genuine restaurant taste, and I attribute the difference to the fact that I only had Japanese Soy Sauce. I substituted chicken thighs for chicken breasts because I have some weird aversion to breasts, but it was so. Dang. Good. I added a dash of brown sugar at the end because I felt it needed just a touch more sweetness and used half the oil because I was using a fattier chicken cut. Would recommend to anyone. (:
Awesome – thanks so much for the note Mariah and thanks for sharing those substitution / variation tips!
Fantastic! I added a yellow pepper and also used chicken thighs and breast meat. Turned out really good. Will definitely be making again. Next time I will double the sauce part of the recipe.
Awesome – thanks for letting us know, Mike! Good call on the sauce – I always love extra sauce!
Hi
Do you think that I could replace the sauce with a tamarind concentrate? Curious because I just bought tamarind to try to replicate a spicy/savory thai cashew dish that I recently tried.
Thank you!
I think that would be delicious! Definitely taste it as you go though and add a bit of soy sauce and / or pinch of sugar to balance the tart flavor of the tamarind.
This did not taste like the Thai restaurant version whatsoever. All it tasted of was soy sauce for us. Really no discernible flavor. Only change was tofu for chicken and we added extra veggies. Bummer because we were looking forward to the sweet, garlicky dish at home. Back to the search for a good home made version.
Hi Bevin – I’m so sorry that this didn’t turn out the way you expected. I ate this dish many, many times in my years of living in Bangkok, so I found the flavor to match my memory. Did you use Thai brands of the sweet and light soy sauce? (A Japanese or Chinese version of regular soy sauce would give you a very different result – one that would likely taste much more of soy sauce than the Thai version of the dish.)
I agree. I don’t think this person used Thai brands for the recipe. And, that would definitely make it taste way different (to soy like in flavor). I personally think this is one of the better Thai Cashew Nut Chicken recipes here on the Web. Truly matches what I grew up with at the “Bangkok West” Thai food restaurant in Santa Barbara, CA.
I appreciate you posting this recipe!
This is one of my favorite dishes and it turned out fantastic. I did double the garlic, because I always at least double the garlic (haha!), but otherwise stuck with the recipe. Next time I think I will up the veggies a bit (maybe just need larger veggies), and maybe add carrot, but otherwise don’t think I’d change it. Thank you for sharing!
Cashew chicken is my favorite, I used to eat it almost everyday til I got sick of it lmao. Gave your recipe a shot at home and it turned out amazing 👌
Awesome! So glad you liked it Chris. I’ve definitely been through the too-much-cashew-chicken phase myself – I used to eat it SO much too!