This Skillet Cashew Chicken recipe is the perfect one-pan dinner. It comes together quickly and is full of flavor. Make it spicy or mild and serve it in lettuce wraps or over rice!
*Originally posted 5/2018. Post & recipe updated 1/2023*
Hi friends!
Just popping in to share a quick and easy dinner idea we’ve been loving lately – Skillet Cashew Chicken. I love this meal because you can make it all in one pan…and you can totally customize it to fit your family.
Don’t like broccoli? Try swapping in green beans. Don’t like spice? Leave out some of the sriracha and add a different spice. The sauce is super easy to make and it thickens up right in the pan while you’re cooking!
How To Make Cashew Chicken
Making this recipe is super easy and involves just a few steps:
- Dice your veggies and your chicken.
- Toss the chicken in cornstarch.
- Mix up the ingredients to make the sauce.
- Saute the chicken and veggies.
- Add the sauce and let it simmer for a few minutes to thicken.
- Serve in lettuce wraps or over rice.
Healthy Cashew Chicken Recipes
This Skillet Cashew Chicken checks all the boxes in my book – quick, easy (pretty much all you have to do is a little chopping), packed with lean protein and veggies and most importantly – delicious.
If you’re looking for more recipes like this, try:
Skillet Cashew Chicken
I’ve served this over regular rice, cauliflower rice and in lettuce wraps! Or just eat it straight out of the pan, right?
I know cashews are a bit pricey, but if you don’t regularly buy them, I’d advise looking for them in the bulk bins. Then you can get only what you need for this recipe without buying a whole bag.
You can also look for them in the baking section where they often come already chopped/in pieces.
Easy Cashew Chicken Recipe
Here’s the recipe I use:
PrintSkillet Cashew Chicken
This Skillet Cashew Chicken is the perfect one-pan dinner. It comes together quickly and is full of flavor. Make it spicy or mild and serve it in lettuce wraps or over rice!
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 – 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 3 cups diced veggies (I use carrots, peppers & broccoli)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup (or honey or brown sugar)
- 2 tsp fresh ginger (I use ginger paste)
- 1–2 Tbsp sriracha (or other hot sauce)
- 1 cup cashews, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions
- lettuce wraps or rice for serving
Instructions
- Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and toss in cornstarch.
- In a large pan, heat oil over medium heat and add vegetables and garlic.
- Saute vegetables for 5 minutes.
- Add chicken and saute another 5 minutes.
- In a bowl, combine rice vinegar, broth, tamari, maple syrup, ginger and sriracha and mix well.
- Add sauce to the pan and stir until everything is well coated. Cook another 3-5 minutes until sauce is thickened and chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
- Stir in cashews and green onions and serve in lettuce wraps or over rice.
Notes
Taste and add more sriracha if desired.
Pretty easy right? The cornstarch will help the sauce thicken up a little as it bubbles away over medium to medium-high heat.
Cashew Chicken Recipe FAQs
What is cashew chicken?
Cashew chicken is a stir-fry of chicken and vegetables with a salty-sweet sauce that thickens up and coats the chicken and veggies.
What’s an easy cashew chicken sauce recipe?
Most traditional recipes use sesame oil but I don’t like the taste so mine does not. I use a combination of rice vinegar, chicken broth, tamari or soy sauce, ginger, garlic, a sweetener like maple syrup and a hot sauce like sriracha.
Can I use this recipe for cashew chicken lettuce wraps?
Yes! This recipe can easily be spooned into lettuce wraps for a quick weeknight meal that you don’t even need utensils for!
How can I make a vegetarian version of skillet cashew chicken?
You could easily make this with tofu! I would use extra firm tofu, press the water out, pan sear it and then set aside while you saute the veggies and add it back in and add the sauce. You could also use white beans instead of chicken.
How do you store leftover skillet cashew chicken? Can skillet cashew chicken be made ahead of time for meal prep?
Store in a glass pyrex container in the fridge and reheat in the microwave! The flavors of this dish deepen as it sits so feel free to make ahead of time and reheat all week long.
What are the best types of skillets to use for making skillet cashew chicken?
You can use whatever pan you want to make this. Grab your favorite non-stick skillet or try a cast iron skillet if you have one.
What about a cashew chicken recipe for crockpot?
My version is not designed for the crockpot but if you’re looking for a crockpot recipe, try this Crockpot Cashew Chicken or this Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken Recipe. Just note the cook time won’t be very long since the chicken is cut into bite-sized pieces. It will likely cook in 3 hours or so.
Can you make cashew chicken in the instant pot?
Here’s a great recipe for Instant Pot Cashew Chicken.
Is cashew chicken spicy?
This is totally up to you. My recipe calls for sriracha or your favorite hot sauce but you can use as much or as little as you’d like, or leave it out completely!
Is cashew chicken gluten-free?
As long as you use tamari instead of soy sauce and make sure your hot sauce is gluten-free then yes!
What to serve with cashew chicken?
Serve this with lettuce wraps or a side of rice and you’ve got a complete meal in 20 minutes!
Want more chicken recipes? Check out:
- Sheet Pan Caprese Chicken
- Spicy Chicken Pitas
- Healthy One Pot Chicken & Rice
- Sweet Potato Chicken Chili
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
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I’m all about this! SO full of flavor!!
YUM! Adding this to my meal plan next week!
This looks very good, Lindsay! Looking forward to trying this!
-Kiki
I made this Lindsay and it was so good. Mine didn’t look as pretty as yours but tasted really good anyway. I really appreciate that your are putting “optional” on ingredients that could possibly raise your blood glucose and that your said lettuce wraps or rice. I of course had to change other things that were spicy and no garlic. Thanks.
Delicious! Will make this again.
Thanks for sharing this Skillet Cashew Chicken recipe! The one-pan idea is a real time-saver, and I love the flexibility to customize it according to personal preferences. The step-by-step guide is super helpful for someone like me who’s not the most confident in the kitchen