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This 15 minute cashew chicken recipe will become a family favorite! It’s so delicious and so much better than take out cashew chicken. No MSG or other weird ingredients! You have full control of what goes in! 

cashew chicken with rice

Cashew chicken is so much better without all the unhealthy ingredients.

It’s tangy, salty and slightly sweet with a little kick at the end. It’s full of delicious flavors and each bite it a little bit of heaven.

This 15 minute cashew chicken dish is great for an easy, fast, family dinner any night of the week. Let’s get started making it! Here is what you will need to make this dish at home. 

Ingredients for cashew chicken:

Rice: You can use white or brown rice for this dish. The rice soaks up all that delicious sauce and is the perfect thing to serve with cashew chicken. 

Chicken Breast: I like to use boneless skinless chicken breast. You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs.

Vegetables of choice: I used broccoli and bell pepper but you can also use snap peas, carrots, really whatever veggies you like.

Cashews: I recommend using toasted whole cashews.

Braggs Liquid Aminos: I prefer this to soy sauce. It’s healthier and I actually prefer the taste. You can also substitute soy sauce if you can’t find it. 

Hoisin: Hoisin adds a delicious saucy texture to this dish. If you want to make this dish gluten free just switch out regular hoisin for a gluten free brand. 

Brown sugar: The brown sugar adds a little sweetness to the sauce. 

Sesame oil: Use toasted sesame oil for a more robust flavor. 

Garlic: I like to use the frozen minced garlic cubes just for convenience purposes. 

Red pepper flakes: This adds a little kick to the dish. You can leave it out if you prefer. 

15 minute cashew chicken

Can I use other meat?

You can definitely use other meat. Some of our favorites are thin slices beef, pork or shrimp.

If using shrimp I would skip the coating of cornstarch.

You can even make this recipe vegetarian by using tofu instead.

Gluten free cashew chicken: 

With some simple tweaks you can make this cashew chicken totally gluten free. Just substitute the hoisin sauce for gluten free hoisin! That’s it!

Bragg’s Aminos is already gluten free and I actually prefer it to soy sauce. 

What to serve with cashew chicken:

This dish is perfect on it’s on. I love serving it with some simple white or brown rice. Because you have all those veggies in the cashew chicken it makes it a complete meal! 

Storage, Freezing:

If you want to make this dish ahead of time you can cook some extra and freeze it for a later use.

I like to portion out individual servings and freeze it with the rice and chicken mixture in meal prep containers. 

This will last for up to three months. When you are ready to eat just pop them in the microwave and microwave for a couple of minutes. 

Other Delicious Take Out Fake Out Recipes:

I don’t know about you, but I love making my favorite take out dishes at home. I can control the quality of ingredients and know what is in my food. Here are some of my other favorites! 

Soy Paper Sushi Under 5 Minutes

Easy Air Fryer Orange Chicken

Thai Pineapple Fried Rice

Hibachi Chicken With Fried Rice And Vegetables

Instant Pot Butter Chicken

Thai Yellow Curry With Chicken and Potatoes

How To Make Cashew Chicken:

15 Cashew Chicken
Yield: 6

15 Minute Cashew Chicken

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

The best cashew chicken that only takes 15 minutes to make!

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups white rice

Sauce Ingredients:

  • 4 garlic gloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon hoisin
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/3 cup braggs aminos
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • pinch of red pepper flakes

Remaining Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds chicken breast, boneless, skinless, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1 cup broccoli
  • 1 cup bell pepper (red or yellow), sliced thin
  • 3/4 cup toasted and salted cashews
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water
  • 1 tablespoon green onion, sliced


Instructions

  1. Cook rice according to package directions.
  2. Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl.
  3. Combine the chicken with the 1/4 cup cornstarch in a ziplock bag. Seal and shake to coat chicken.
  4. Preheat a large non-stick saute pan over medium high heat. Add oil and with tongs grab the chicken from the bag and place in the hot pan.
  5. Cook the chicken for 3 minutes per side or until golden brown.
  6. Add broccoli, bell pepper, cashews and sauce and stir to combine. When sauce starts to simmer add the cornstarch mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute and then serve over the rice.
  7. Top with green onion.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 535Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 129mgSodium: 1049mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 54g

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