20 Minute Cashew Chicken
Super Easy 20 Minute Cashew Chicken. A quick and easy meal for busy weeknights!
Cashew chicken has to be one of my all time favorite take out dishes. Right alongside General Tso’s Chicken and Beef and Brocolli. Tender juicy pan fried chicken stir fried in a sticky, sweet and tangy sauce. Topped with tons of crunchy cashews.
I sautéed my chicken with red pepper and green onions. You can always sneak in some extra veggies to this dish.
I coated the chicken in cornstarch and pan fried it over really high heat. This keeps the chicken really juicy and also helps to thicken up the sauce.
For the sauce I mixed together soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and hoisin sauce. I suggest using low sodium soy sauce in this dish to control the salt level. You can always add some water to help with the salt if you only have regular soy sauce.
I like to serve my cashew chicken over rice or noodles. You can even serve this as an appetizer over lettuce wraps!
20 Minute Cashew Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast cut into bite sized cubes
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced
- 1 cup unsalted raw cashews
- green onions for garnish if desired
- sesame seeds for garnish if desired
Instructions
- Add chicken and cornstarch to a large ziplock bag and toss to coat the chicken.
- Heat a large skillet or wok.
- Add in cashews and saute until golden brown. Remove from pan.
- Add oil to the same pan.
- Add in chicken and sauté for 3-4 minutes to brown the chicken on the outside (the chicken will continue to cook in the sauce).
- While the chicken is cooking add soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil and hoisin sauce to a medium bowl.
- Add the sauce to the chicken and stir frequently. The sauce will thicken up pretty quickly. Add in red bell pepper and cook for 2-3 additional minutes.
- Stir in cashews and serve immediately with green onions and sesame seeds for garnish, if desired.