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freshly made thai cashew chicken in a black plate.
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4.89 from 27 votes

Thai Cashew Chicken

This tasty Thai Cashew Chicken is loaded with crunchy veggies, tender chicken and an abundance of toasted cashews all in a delicious Thai stir fry sauce! This Thai dish is incredibly quick to make, ready in just 20 minutes start to finish!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: Thai
Keyword: cashew chicken, thai cashew chicken
Servings: 4
Calories: 461kcal

Ingredients

Sauce

Cashew Chicken

  • 2 tablespoon peanut oil
  • ½ cup raw cashews unsalted
  • 1 medium onion sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 pound chicken thighs boneless skinless, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 medium bell pepper cut into bite size pieces
  • 3 dried red chilies cut into bite size pieces
  • 2 green onions cut into 1 inch pieces

Instructions

  • Make the sauce: Stir all the sauce ingredients into a small bowl and set aside.
  • Cook the cashews: Heat the peanut oil in a large wok or skillet, over medium heat. Add the cashews and cook until they become aromatic and start to brown but not burn, about 3 minutes. Transfer the cashews to a bowl using a slotted spoon.
  • Cook veggies: Turn up the heat to high and add the onion, garlic and bell peppers to the wok and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
  • Cook the chicken: Add the cubed chicken thighs to the skillet and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink.
  • Finish the dish: Add the dried red chilies and sauce to the wok. Cook for another 2 minutes until the sauce is thick and glossy. Stir in the toasted cashews and green onions and serve.

Notes

  1. If you're not a big fan of chicken thighs, you can confidently use chicken breast, boneless and skinless, cut into 1 inch pieces as the recipe mentions.
  2. I prefer raw unsalted cashews because I like to toast them myself in some peanut oil. If you only have unsalted roasted cashews you can use those as well, though I would still go ahead and toast them a bit more for extra nutty flavor.
  3. Feel free to add extra veggies to this recipe. Some great addition would be mushrooms, broccoli or asparagus.
  4. If you're using fresh red chilies, keep in mind they are much spicier than the dried ones, so adjust as necessary for your comfortable spice level.
  5. This cashew chicken is best served fresh. However, leftovers will last in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I usually just reheat in the microwave for a 1 to 2 minutes before serving over rice or noodles.
  6. You can freeze this by storing it in an airtight container or freezer bags, once it has fully cooled. Store it in the freezer for up to 2 months. To thaw, take it out of the freezer the night before and place it in the refrigerator. The next day when ready to serve, either heat it up in the microwave and add it to a skillet or wok and stir-fry until heated through.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 461kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 693mg | Potassium: 599mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1402IU | Vitamin C: 90mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 3mg