Transform your kitchen into a Thai haven in just 20 minutes! Our quick and delicious Thai Cashew Chicken is made from juicy chicken, fresh onions, zesty chilies, and crunchy cashews. Definitely, an unforgettable stir-fry.
Craving a quick and tasty dinner fix? This Thai Cashew Chicken brings together succulent chicken, aromatic garlic, and a generous handful of toasted cashews. It’s a flavor-packed adventure that hits all the right notes – a bit of heat, a touch of sweetness, and that satisfying crunch of cashews in every bite.
My true love affair with Thai food blossomed after going to a Thai restaurant, and I impulsively ordered the Thai Chicken with Cashew Nuts. Suffice it to say, it is the single most delicious dish on the planet. But now, I’m excited to recreate this delectable meal in my kitchen! I’ll be pairing it with a cool Thai Iced Tea for a perfect homemade Thai dining experience.
Table of Contents
Reasons to Love This Chicken
- This Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry offers a unique blend of sweet, sour, and spicy flavors, captivating your taste buds.
- Ready in 20 minutes, this dish is perfect for busy days when you crave a delicious homemade meal.
- This meal is great for leftovers as it tastes even better the next day as flavors meld.
- It brings the essence of Thai cuisine to your home.
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken Breast: The primary protein of the dish and provides the base for all other flavors.
- Roasted Cashew Nuts: A key ingredient that adds crunch and a nutty flavor.
- Garlic: Essential for its aromatic qualities that add depth and a savory kick.
- Yellow Onion: Offers sweetness and texture.
- Dried Red Chilies: Contribute a spicy element crucial for the dish’s signature heat and flavor.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Green Bell Pepper for Green Onion: Adds crunch and a mild, sweet flavor while maintaining the dish’s color and vibrancy.
- Tofu for Chicken: For a vegetarian twist, firm tofu can replace chicken, absorbing the flavors well.
- Lighter Sauce: For a twist on the traditional recipe, try using oyster sauce for a lighter yet umami-rich sauce. Its savory depth complements the chicken and cashews.
- Maple Syrup for Brown Sugar: Maple syrup provides a unique, sweet flavor as an alternative to brown sugar.
How to Make Thai Cashew Chicken
Step #1: Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
Step #2: Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan for 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot enough to produce a sizzle when a drop of water hits it, add all the cashew nuts. Fry the cashews until they turn light brown, just a few minutes.
Step #3: Remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and set them on a paper towel to rest.
Step #4: Add the garlic, onion, and dried red chilies to the oil. Stir-fry for 3-5 minutes or until you can start to smell the spicy aroma of the chilies.
Step #5: Add the chicken and continue to stir-fry until the chicken turns opaque and is cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.
Step #6: Return the cashews to the pan and toss them around the pan to distribute them.
Step #7: Add the sauce to the wok and toss all the ingredients to coat them well.
Step #8: Turn off the heat and add the chopped scallions.
Step #9: Lastly, serve immediately with a side of jasmine rice.
Expert Tips
- Lime Lift: Squeeze fresh lime juice just before serving to brighten the flavors, adding a citrusy zing that elevates your Thai Chicken Cashew to culinary perfection.
- Chicken Preparation: Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces for uniform cooking and flavor absorption.
- Use a Wok: If available, use a wok for authentic stir-fry cooking and better heat distribution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Chicken thighs are a flavorful alternative to breast meat. They are juicier and richer in taste, though slightly higher in fat. You can use it in the same quantity as breast meat.
Chicken pieces should be cooked until they’re no longer pink inside and the juices run clear. Use a meat thermometer to check; the internal temperature should reach 165°F (75°C).
For a thicker sauce, mix a teaspoon of cornstarch with a tablespoon of water and stir it into the sauce. Heat until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency.
Yes. Raw cashews work best.
For a tender chicken, marinate the chicken in a mixture of soy sauce and cornstarch for about 15 minutes before cooking. It can help tenderize the meat and enhance its flavor.
Storage info
To store Thai Chicken Cashew, place it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. While freezing is possible, it may affect the texture of the vegetables and nuts. For reheating, gently warm it in a microwave or on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of water if it seems dry.
If you love Thai food and Thai cooking as much as I do, then check out my post on 10 Kitchen Essentials for Thai Home Cooking.
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Thai Cashew Chicken Recipe
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Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sweet dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
For the Stir-Fry
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil
- 2 cloves garlic - peeled and minced
- 1/2 small yellow onion - quartered
- 4 finger-length dried red chillies - such as chile de arbol, seeded and cut into halves
- 1/2 cup roasted cashew nuts
- 8 ounces boneless - skinless chicken breast, cut into thin pieces (about one large chicken breast – hold your knife at an angle and slice against the grain to get the thinnest pieces possible)
- 1 green onion - cut into 1” lengths
Instructions
- Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan for 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot enough to produce a sizzle when a drop of water hits it, add all the cashew nuts. Fry the cashews until they turn light brown, just a few minutes.
- Remove the cashews from the oil with a slotted spoon and set them on a paper towel to rest.
- Add the garlic, onion, and dried red chilies to the oil in the wok. Stir-fry for 3-5 minutes or until you can start to smell the spicy aroma of the chilies.
- Add the chicken into the wok and continue to stir-fry until the chicken turns opaque and is cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.
- Return the cashews to the pan and toss them around the pan to distribute them.
- Add the sauce to the wok and toss all the ingredients to coat them well.
- Turn off the heat and add the chopped scallions.
- Serve immediately with a side of jasmine rice.
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NOTES
Nutrition
This was delicious! I doubled the sauce recipe, added a little Thai chili paste, and added 2 Tbsp of oyster sauce. Perfection!!! Thank you for sharing!
This recipe was delicious and even my picky husband loved it ! He said it tasted very much like tje cashew chicken we order at our favourite restaurant. (That was a big compliment to this dish!)
Hi!! I just needed to say thank you so much for such an easy cashew chicken recipe!! I fell inlove with this dish when I was in Thailand and haven’t been able to recreate it very well. This recipe was BOMB! I made it vegetarian though since I have recently began eating a more whole-foods, plant based diet.
So for anyone out there wondering if this would taste good vegetarian, it is super delicious!! I used soyganic smoked sriracha tofu blocks and ended up doubling(almost tripling) the sauce recipe since I added a bunch of extra veggies. My boyfriend definitely approved— although he wasn’t a fan of the coconut ice cream I served him for dessert! Lol. You win some, you lose some.
I am so glad I came across your recipe– it was so simple to make and had such amazing flavor. Thank you! I think this is going to be a regular meal in our house.
Hi, thank you for the recipe – I keep getting this at the local Thai restaurant but wanted to make it at home! Some people have mentioned that it is a close recipe – our local restaurant has one of the ingredients in their menu description: “Stir fried vegetables with crunchy cashew nuts and soya oil chilli paste” – perhaps that might be the missing ingredient to try??
Also want to recommend Vietnamese dishes to all Thai food lovers – a lot of their dishes have the similar intense flavour profiles with a fish sauce base, but with added freshness from adding herbs and lemons. Here is one dish I love – Bun Cha (grilled pork and noodles)
Hi again: update – I made the dish, and following some of the comments, I doubled all the sauce ingredients, which flavoured the rice amply. I think I could even triple it for sauce lovers lol. Anyway, I found the soya oil chilli paste I mentioned earlier – a thai product (not the chinese ones) sold in a jar at the local asian grocers, and tried using it in place of the sweet soy sauce – and it tasted the same as my local Thai restaurant! The paste itself practically tastes like this dish(and which, according to the packet you can use for lots of recipes; even spreading on toast lol)! I’ve been spending so much money buying their grilled pork-belly version of this, now I can make it at home anytime I want! The cashews were delicious cooked that way; I sliced up some pork belly, and added sliced carrots and broccoli as I didn’t have water chestnuts (which I would like to try!). Thanks againx
OK, that’s it! I’m going out to buy some of that stuff RIGHT NOW!