Forget the take-out, this easy cashew chicken stir fry recipe is perfect for dinner. Made in under 30 minutes, this cashew chicken and broccoli stir fry comes together easily in one pan. Great for a weeknight dinner!
If you love take-out, but don’t like all the calories, carbs and fat that come along with it, then this homemade cashew chicken and broccoli stir fry is for you.
It’s also the perfect option for when you want to make something a little healthier for your family. Made with fresh broccoli, bell peppers and boneless, skinless chicken breasts, this recipe has over 30 gram of protein per serving.
Often, take-out version are loaded with oils and syrupy sauces, they tend to be very high in calories and carbs. This healthier cashew chicken recipe is great for serving your family instead of take-out.
What do I need to make cashew chicken at home?
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts – cutting chicken breast meat into small cubes works really well for this recipe. You can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs as well.
- Bell Peppers – many take-out restaurants make cashew chicken with bell peppers. Feel free to use any color, including green, red, yellow or orange.
- Broccoli florets – pick up some broccoli crowns, or pre-washed and pre-cut broccoli florets from the produce section at the grocery store.
- Whole, unsalted cashews – unsalted cashews tend to work well for this recipe. Salted is also okay, however sometimes the saltiness tends to overpower the sauce. Go with unsalted if available.
- Hoisin sauce – found in the Asian cooking section of the grocery store, Hoisin sauce is a base sauce in many Asian recipes.
- Honey – used as a sweetener for the sauce, honey is ideal for bringing the sweet and savory sauce dimention.
- Soy sauce – also used for making the sauce, soy sauce is the base of many Asian stir fry sauces.
- Hot sauce – this gives the sauce a slight spice, but not overpowering. Feel free to use your preferred hot sauce, like Franks or any other sauce.
- Ground pepper – just a little pepper gives the sauce dimention and flavor.
- Ground ginger, or frozen ginger cubes – ginger gives the everything in this stir fry amazing flavor and dimention. I don’t recommend adding more than 2 teaspoons, as anymore and it becomes overpowering.
- Corn starch – the corn starch is the necessary thickening agent. Once the sauce begings to cook, the starch will begin to thicken the sauce.
For exact ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post for the recipe. Thanks!
How do I make a cashew chicken stir fry recipe?
Step 1: Steam the vegetables in a large skillet or wok
Begin by steaming the vegetables in a large skillet or wok. You can do this by adding about 1 cup of water to a large skillet and then adding the vegetables. Cover the skillet with a lid and steam for 3-5 minutes, or until very bright in color.
Once done steaming, the vegetables will still be firm, and bright in color. Tranfer to a bowl and cover to keep warm.
Step 2: Mix the stir fry sauce
While the vegetables steam, mix together the stir fry sauce. Using a medium bowl, or a glass measuring cup, add in the water, soy sauce, Hoisin sauce, honey, hot sauce, ginger and pepper. Whisk together well to combine. Lastly, add in the corn starch and whisk well.
Step 3: Cook the chicken
Using the same large skillet or wok that you used for the vegetables, cook your chicken. Add in oil and brown the chicken until no longer pink. Once the chicken is fully cooked, add in the stir fry sauce. Add in the steamed vegetables.
Heat the chicken, vegetables, cashews and sauce over medium heat stirring well to coat all ingredients. Cook for another 5-7 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
What can I serve cashew chicken stir fry with?
Serve the cashew chicken over white or brown rice. If you want to keep this dish low carb, I recommend serving it over cauliflower rice.
Here are some other rice options to serve with this stir fry recipe:
- Easy Garlic Rice Recipe from Homemade Heather
- Easy Leftover Fried Rice from On My Kids Plate
- How to Cook Rice in the Oven from Randa Nutrition
How can I meal prep this cashew chicken stir fry recipe?
Meal Prep Option: Add a serving of cauliflower rice to the bottom of your meal prep containers. Place a 1 1/2 cup serving of the Healthy Cashew Chicken to each container. Refrigerate for up to five days, or freeze for up to two months. These make for a fantastic healthy lunch to take to work, or for a simple make-ahead dinner idea.
Where to get these meal prep containers: Is meal prepping a part of your weekly routine? Mine too! In fact, I put together a post with my Best Meal Prep Containers where you can purchase all of the containers that I use and love. I’ve included these meal prep containers, as well as my favorites for food prep & storage and even my favorite kids lunchbox containers.
If you loved this delicious Cashew Chicken recipe, then be sure to check out some of my other similar healthy dinner recipes:
- Oven Baked Sausage and Peppers
- Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken
- Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs
- Honey Sesame Chicken
- Baked Parmesan Crusted Chicken
- Honey Dijon Chicken
- Sheet Pan Chicken and Potatoes
- Crock Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken
- Sheet Pan Sweet & Sour Shrimp
- Shrimp Stir Fry with Noodles
- Baked Italian Chicken
- Sheet Pan Citrus Salmon and Asparagus
- Healthy Chicken Taco Salad
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Lemon Pepper Grilled Chicken
- Italian Mini Meatloaf with Vegetables and Potatoes
Love cooking with chicken? Be sure to check out my post for 30 Easy One Pan Chicken Recipes where I highlight ideas for cooking chicken breasts, thighs, pre-cooked rotisserie chicken and chicken sausage.
Looking for a few more low-carb, healthy dinner ideas? Check these out:
- Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
- Healthy Unstuffed Peppers
- Cauliflower Chicken Fried Rice
- Cauliflower Shrimp Fried Rice
- Vegetable Beef Stir Fry
- Healthy Turkey Chili
Here’s the Chicken with Cashew Nuts Chinese recipe:
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Easy Cashew Chicken Stir Fry with Broccoli and Peppers
Equipment
- Sheet Pan These USA stainless steel sheet pans are great for one-pan meals!
- Wooden Spurtle Tools This 5-Piece Wooden kitchen tool set is amazing and great for use in non-stick cookware. No scratches and no plastic!
- Meal Prep Containers Great for both hot and cold meals, these glass meal prep containers are great for prepping lunches for work and school.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts boneless, skinless, trimmed and cut into cubes
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 large yellow bell pepper cut into pieces, about 1 cup
- 1 large red bell pepper cut into pieces, about 1 cup
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 3/4 cup whole cashews or cashew halves
Stir Fry Sauce:
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 3 Tablespoons Hoisin sauce
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 2 Tablespoons hot sauce
- 2 Tablespoon corn starch
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger or frozen ginger cubes
Instructions
- To a large skillet, add the broccoli and bell pepper pieces and 1 cup of water. Place skillet over medium high heat and bring the water to a simmer. Lower the heat to medium low, and steam the vegetables for approximately 5 minutes. Vegetables will still be slightly firm. Drain off any excess water. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl, and cover to keep warm.
- Using the same large skillet, add the olive oil and heat the skillet to medium-high heat. Add in the chicken pieces and season with the salt and pepper. Brown the chicken pieces until cooked fully through, for approximately 7-10 minutes or until no longer pink.
- While the chicken cooks, stir together the stir fry sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk together the water, soy sauce, Hoisin sauce, hot sauce, honey, and ginger and whisk together well. Then add the corn starch and whisk well, ensuring there are no lumps of starch. (If you're using frozen ginger cubes, these can be added into the skillet with the chicken while it cooks.)
- Once the chicken is fully cooked, add in the steamed vegetables back to the skillet with the chicken. Pour the sauce over all the ingredients into the skillet, and stir to coat the chicken and the vegetables. Heat over medium heat until the sauce thickens for about 3-5 minutes.
- Once the sauce has thickened, it is ready to serve. Serve over white, brown or cauliflower rice. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
That sounds delicious!! I can’t wait to try it. Pinned.
So deliciously simple – Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner Party – hope your week is fantastic!
Hi can you plz share the nutritional value of this recipe
Thank u
This looks marvelous and I love Cashew Chicken – I can’t wait to try your healthier sheet pan version!
Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday!
Mollie
Your sheet pan cashew chicken looks delicious! Hope you are having a great week and thanks so much for sharing your post with us at Full Plate Thursday.
Miz Helen
We love this! However, I just cook it in our big wok
Absolutely!! That works too. A great way to get dinner done quick. -E