Takeout-Style Cashew Chicken
Cashew chicken with velveted chicken, crunchy roasted cashews, and a glossy soy-hoisin sauce. This takeout-style stir fry is done in 30 minutes.
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Cashew chicken is the takeout order I stopped placing once I figured out what the restaurant was actually doing. Bites of chicken come out silky instead of dry. The sauce is glossy and clings to everything. The cashews stay crunchy right up until you eat them. All three of those things come down to technique, not a secret ingredient. The whole stir fry takes about 30 minutes.
The silky texture comes from velveting, which sounds fancy and takes two minutes. You toss the raw chicken with a little soy sauce and cornstarch until it turns into a thin paste. Then let it sit while you chop everything else. That starch coating shields the meat from the direct heat of the pan and holds onto its own moisture. So the chicken stays tender even in a screaming-hot skillet. It’s the single biggest difference between homemade stir fry and the restaurant version.
The cashews go in at the very end, off the heat or close to it. Stir them in early and they soak up sauce and go soft within a minute, which defeats the whole purpose. I keep the sauce whisked and ready in a measuring cup before the pan ever gets hot, because once you start a stir fry there’s no time to go looking for the hoisin.
Why You’ll Love This Cashew Chicken Recipe
- Silky chicken, every time. A two-minute cornstarch velvet keeps the meat tender instead of tough and dry.
- A sauce that actually clings. Soy, oyster sauce, and hoisin thickened with cornstarch coat every piece instead of pooling at the bottom of the pan.
- Cashews that stay crunchy. Stirring them in at the last second keeps them snappy against the soft chicken and peppers.
- Faster than delivery. Thirty minutes from cutting board to table, and you already know what’s in it.
Cashew Chicken Ingredients
Buy roasted unsalted cashews, not raw ones. Raw cashews taste chalky and won’t crisp up in the 30 seconds they spend in the pan, and salted ones push an already salty soy-and-oyster sauce over the edge.
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tbsp cornstarch, divided
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce, divided
- 3 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
- 1 yellow onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 cup roasted unsalted cashews
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 4 cups cooked white rice, for serving
Recipe Variations
- Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces if that’s what you have; velvet them the same way and pull them from the pan a minute sooner since they dry out faster than thighs.
- Add a cup of broccoli florets or snow peas with the bell pepper for more vegetables, and splash in 2 extra tablespoons of broth so nothing scorches.
- For heat, stir 1 to 2 teaspoons of chili garlic sauce into the sauce mixture, or drop 4 dried red chiles into the oil before the onion goes in.
How to Make Cashew Chicken
- Velvet the chicken: In a bowl, toss the chicken pieces with 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch until the coating turns into a thin, even paste with no dry spots. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes while you prep everything else.
- Whisk the sauce: In a measuring cup, whisk the remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce with the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch until smooth, then whisk in the oyster sauce, hoisin, rice vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, white pepper, and chicken broth. Set it right next to the stove.
- Sear the chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat until it shimmers. Add the chicken in a single layer and let it sit undisturbed for 2 minutes to brown, then stir and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until the pieces are golden and reach 165°F. Move the chicken to a plate.
- Stir fry the vegetables: Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the hot pan along with the onion and bell pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, until they’re charred in spots but still have snap. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Add the sauce: Whisk the sauce again to redistribute the cornstarch, then pour it into the pan. Bring it to a bubble and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, until it turns glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Return the chicken: Add the chicken and any juices from the plate back to the pan and toss for about 1 minute, until everything is coated and hot.
- Finish with cashews: Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cashews and most of the green onions. Serve right away over the cooked white rice, with the last of the green onions scattered on top.
Recipe FAQs
What Exactly Is Velveting, and Can I Skip It?
It’s coating raw meat in cornstarch before it hits the pan, so the starch shields it from direct heat and keeps it juicy. You can skip it, but the chicken comes out noticeably firmer and drier.
Can I Make This without Oyster Sauce?
Yes, though you’ll lose some depth. Use 2 extra tablespoons of hoisin plus 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, or swap in a vegetarian mushroom stir-fry sauce, which is close in body and savoriness.
Why Is My Sauce Thin and Watery?
The cornstarch settled to the bottom of the cup. Whisk the sauce right before it goes in the pan, and give it a full minute at a bubble; cornstarch needs actual heat to thicken.
My Cashews Went Soft. What Happened?
They went in too early. Stir them in off the heat as the very last step, and serve within a few minutes so they don’t sit in sauce.
Can I Double This?
Yes, but cook the chicken in two batches. A crowded pan drops in temperature and the chicken steams gray instead of browning.
Cooking Tips
- Start your rice before anything else. It takes about 20 minutes, and the stir fry itself is done in 10, so rice is always what holds dinner up.
- Cut the chicken, onion, and pepper to roughly the same size. Stir fry cooks in minutes, so there’s no time for big pieces to catch up with small ones.
- Get the pan genuinely hot before the oil goes in, and don’t stir the chicken for the first two minutes. That undisturbed contact is where browning happens.
Storage and Freezing
To store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The cashews soften overnight, so add a small handful of fresh ones when you reheat.
To freeze: Freeze the chicken and sauce for up to 2 months, without the cashews. Bell peppers go limp after thawing, so expect softer vegetables.
To reheat: Warm in a skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes with a splash of broth or water to loosen the sauce, or microwave in 1-minute bursts, stirring between each.
How to Serve Cashew Chicken
Cashew chicken belongs over steamed white rice, though brown rice, jasmine rice, or plain lo mein noodles all work. Add a side of steamed broccoli, garlicky green beans, or a simple cucumber salad dressed with rice vinegar to cut the richness. More easy weeknight dinners like this one are on the way.
Loved This Recipe?
Cashew chicken is the takeout dish that’s genuinely faster to make than to order, once velveting is in your back pocket.
Leave a star rating in the comments below, it helps other people find this recipe. Made it? Tag @allwellfed on Instagram, I love seeing this one in other people’s kitchens.
Takeout-Style Cashew Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs boneless, skinless, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tbsp cornstarch divided
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce divided
- 3 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil divided
- 1 yellow onion cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 red bell pepper cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger grated
- 1 cup roasted unsalted cashews
- 3 green onions sliced
- 4 cups cooked white rice for serving
Instructions
- Velvet the chicken: In a bowl, toss the chicken pieces with 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch until the coating turns into a thin, even paste with no dry spots. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes while you prep everything else.
- Whisk the sauce: In a measuring cup, whisk the remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce with the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch until smooth, then whisk in the oyster sauce, hoisin, rice vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, white pepper, and chicken broth. Set it right next to the stove.
- Sear the chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat until it shimmers. Add the chicken in a single layer and let it sit undisturbed for 2 minutes to brown, then stir and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until the pieces are golden and reach 165°F. Move the chicken to a plate.
- Stir fry the vegetables: Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the hot pan along with the onion and bell pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, until they’re charred in spots but still have snap. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Add the sauce: Whisk the sauce again to redistribute the cornstarch, then pour it into the pan. Bring it to a bubble and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, until it turns glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Return the chicken: Add the chicken and any juices from the plate back to the pan and toss for about 1 minute, until everything is coated and hot.
- Finish with cashews: Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cashews and most of the green onions. Serve right away over the cooked white rice, with the last of the green onions scattered on top.
Notes
If you made this, leave a star rating down in the comments. It takes about ten seconds, and it’s how other cooks decide whether a recipe is worth trying.
