Cashew chicken is one of those menu items that you’ll find at most Chinese or Asian restaurants, but you don’t always have to enjoy it as take-out. It’s easy and quick to make yourself at home. There are no traps or pitfalls between you and a restaurant-quality dish.
The secret to making the best chicken with cashew nuts is to slightly undercook your vegetables so that they’re still crunchy, and to use cornstarch for a velvety rather than watery sauce. Other than that, the ingredients make their own magic once combined. Stand back and enjoy.
Ingredients for Cashew Chicken
- Cornstarch: This natural thickener gives the sauce a wonderfully velvety texture
- Brown sugar: It’s not a sweet dish overall, but a little brown sugar gives that signature Asian character
- Chicken broth: Make your own or use pre-prepared stock to create a smooth, savory sauce
- Soy sauce: Choose light soy sauce, low-sodium if possible, to give the sauce some aromatic saltiness and umami
- Canola oil: This is a good neutral-flavored oil for frying at higher temperatures
- Chicken breasts: Cut into evenly sized pieces. Choose boneless for faster cooking and remove the skin so that it doesn’t turn the broth greasy.
- Mushrooms: Fresh white or chestnut mushrooms bring texture, meatiness, and more umami flavor
- Green pepper: Cut into strips, fresh green pepper adds sweetness, crunch, and color
- Water chestnuts: Pick up a can of pre-sliced water chestnuts. They give stir-fries a distinctive snap in each bite.
- Ginger: Grate fresh ginger root for its pungent aroma and pleasant heat
- Green onions: Finely chopped scallions are a sweeter, more fragrant alternative to regular onions
- Salted cashews: Crunchy at first then soft and creamy, cashew nuts are the dish’s star ingredient for many
- Rice: Cook some basmati or jasmine rice to provide the starchy bed for the cashew chicken
Good Food, Good Meat, Good God, Let's Eat! 