This Cashew Chicken Stir Fry is an easy, healthy weeknight dinner option the whole family will love! Keep this Chinese-American dish mild or spice it up, either way it is going to be delicious!
Easy Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
An easy stir fry recipe is on regular rotation at our house because it is such an easy weeknight dinner that has protein plus tons of fresh vegetables! Whether you make a steak stir fry, shrimp stir fry, or this cashew chicken, we absolutely love the simplicity of these healthy recipes. Especially when they are made with our homemade stir fry sauce – so good! Perfect for serving on any of your favorite types of rice – brown rice, jasmine rice, or even cauliflower rice.
If you do love a good chicken stir fry and you are looking for some more heat, you should checkout our Kung Pao Chicken!! It will definitely bring the heat!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Quick & easy – this delicious meal comes together very quickly in about 30 minutes – perfect for any weeknight!
- Amazing flavors – this sauce with some added garlic and ginger really makes the dish! So many wonderful flavors.
- Veggie packed – bell pepper, celery, broccoli – so many great veggies! You can really use any vegetables that you have on hand, fresh vegetables or frozen vegetables.
What You Will Need
- extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil – a little bit to drizzle in the hot pan to sauté the chicken chunks.
- kosher salt & ground black pepper – the perfect simple seasoning combination for cooking any type of meat.
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts – we love using chicken breasts but you could also use boneless chicken thighs.
- garlic & ginger – a classic flavor combo that never disappoints!
- sweet yellow onion, red bell pepper, celery, broccoli, & mushrooms – colorful and flavorful fresh vegetables that we chose to use but you can toss in any veggies you have on hand.
- cashews – a traditional ingredient for this recipe and adds just the right amount of crunch.
- chicken broth – a flavorful base for the easy chicken stir fry sauce.
- coconut aminos – option to sub with soy sauce if you don’t need it to be Whole30/Paleo.
- rice vinegar & sesame oil – classic flavors that are always good in any stir fry recipe!
- arrowroot or tapioca flour – use the one that works for you or grab some cornstarch to thicken the sauce a bit.
Recipe FAQs and Tips
- Rice vs. Cauliflower Rice: serve with cauliflower rice to keep it Whole30/Paleo, otherwise you can use regular rice too!
- Chicken: the recipe calls for chicken breasts, but you could also use chicken thighs.
- Vegetables: this recipe is so versatile! You can use any vegetables that sound good to you or that you have in your fridge.
- How long can I keep leftovers? Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Can I use a store-bought sauce? Yes, feel free to use any sauce that you prefer but the sauce included in the recipe is pretty amazing so we highly recommend it!
How To Make Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
First, bring a large cast iron skillet to medium high heat, drizzle in the olive oil, and sear the chicken on all sides with salt and pepper.
Then remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
Add a little more olive oil, then the garlic & ginger and more them around in the pan for about 1-2 minutes. Next, add the vegetables that you have chosen to use.
Then remove the vegetables to set aside, simmer the sauce ingredients to thicken a bit and then add back the chicken and vegetables. Toss in cashews and stir to fully combine and coat in the sauce.
Serve with cauliflower rice for Whole30/Paleo or a regular rice of your choice.
Made this recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Asian Inspired
Description
Cashew Chicken Stir Fry – a delicious and easy weeknight dinner option the whole family will love! Serve with cauliflower rice for a Paleo/Whole30 option or serve with your favorite rice! Either way it is sure to be hit!
Ingredients
Chicken Stir Fry:
- 2–3 tablespoons olive or avocado oil, divided
- kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 1–1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
- 1 tablespoon (or more) garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
- 1 sweet yellow onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- (optional) 1 pint mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4–1/2 cup cashews, roughly chopped
Sauce:
- 1/2–3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3/4 teaspoon arrowroot or tapioca flour
Instructions
- Cook chicken: Bring large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and swirl the pan to coat. Add chicken pieces and sprinkle with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Flip and stir chicken, as needed, allowing it to fully cook (turn down heat, as needed), about 7-10 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
- Sauté vegetables: In the same skillet, add another tablespoon of olive oil and swirl to coat. Add garlic and ginger, letting cook and become aromatic, about 1-2 minutes. Add broccoli, red bell pepper, celery, onions, and mushrooms (if using). Sprinkle with a little kosher salt and ground black pepper. Let cook, stirring occasionally, about 2-3 minutes. Remove vegetables from the pan and set aside.
- Make the sauce: Meanwhile, combine chicken broth, coconut aminos, garlic, rice vinegar, and sesame oil in a medium bowl, whisk to combine.
- Heat the sauce: In the same cast iron skillet, add the sauce mixture and bring to a light simmer. Add arrowroot and whisk constantly until the sauce begins to thicken, about 2-4 minutes.
- Toss: Once sauce begins to thicken, add back in the cooked veggies and chicken. Stir to combine. Toss in cashews and stir.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Whole30/Paleo: Serve with cauliflower rice if Whole30/Paleo.
- Other serving suggestions: Serve with regular rice otherwise!
- Veggies: feel free to add any other veggies you like, frozen work too!
- Storage: place in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- Nutrition info: has been calculated for the stir fry only, not the rice.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 391
- Sugar: 6.8 g
- Sodium: 541.2 mg
- Fat: 18.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 26.4 g
- Protein: 32.8 g
- Cholesterol: 83.4 mg
Keywords: cashew chicken stir fry
Mary says
Quick. Easy. DELICIOUS.
★★★★★
Corie says
I made this with tofu instead of chicken. Also, added carrots. It was delicious!
★★★★★
Erin says
So happy to hear that! Love the tofu swap -I am going to have to try that! 🙂