Better than Takeout Cashew Chicken Recipe

The long-awaited Cashew Chicken recipe is officially live and this has to be one of my faves around here! We all know my hubby is a chef in disguise and if you have eaten one of his dishes or tried any of these recipes you will know full well how talented he is. That being said, I can safely say this recipe ties for the top-rated recipe in my opinion with his Pad Thai recipe - go check it out if you haven’t yet! This dish is the perfect go-to for a chilly family movie night or any time takeout is the usual craving but maybe you don’t want to go out to get it or pay the bill. This meal is so comforting and fills you without being super unhealthy and having hidden ingredients. You can customize the heat level to be as mild or as spicy as you please. This recipe is a MUST TRY so let me know if you make it and how much you love it!

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup raw cashews

  • 3 cloves garlic

  • 5 scallions - white part diced and green part cut into 1” pieces

  • 2 medium carrots sliced thin diagonally

  • 1 red pepper cut into 3/4” pieces

  • 2 lbs chicken thighs cut into 3/4” cubes

  • 2 tbsp sesame oil - divided

Sauce

  • 1/3 cups soy sauce

  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar

  • 1 tbsp fish sauce

  • 4 tbsp brown sugar

  • 2 tsp coriander

  • 1 tbsp chilli pepper paste - more to extra heat

  • 2 tbsp corn starch

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Directions

  1. Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in a frying pan over medium heat while prepping all of the vegetables and chicken.

  2. When the pan has reached temperature add the cashews and cook until they have browned. About 1-2 mins. Remove from pan and set aside.

  3. Add the remaining oil to the pan and then add the chicken - cooking until browned. You may need to work in batches if your pan isn’t big enough. Once finished cooking - remove the chicken from the pan along with the juices and set aside.

  4. While the chicken is cooking add your sauce ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk until combined. The corn starch will be added last after being made into a slurry by whisking it with equal parts hot water.

  5. Once the chicken is finished cooking the pan should be coated with oil/fat - if not add a small amount of oil before cooking the vegetables. Cook the vegetables starting with the carrots and cooking until soft. Add the scallions whites, garlic and red pepper - cooking until the peppers are starting to soften but are still firm.

  6. Immediately add the chicken, cashews and scallion green parts. Cook for 30 seconds to heat up and then add the sauce. Stir the mixture and continue to cook until the sauce thickens - remove from heat and serve over rice!

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I could not recommend this recipe more and I hope you enjoy it!