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Thai Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry

Elizabeth Chloe
January 7, 2021

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Thai cashew chicken is a super easy stir-fry recipe that is FULL of flavour! This cashew chicken stir-fry contains chicken breast, 5 different vegetables, toasted cashews and a combination of oyster and soy sauce that goes perfectly with rice or noodles. Thai cashew chicken stir-fry is ready in just 35 minutes making it an easy and quick weeknight dinner!

Two bowls of Thai Cashew Chicken served with white rice.

Elizabeth Chloe is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com 

  • Thai Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry Nutrition
  • Thai Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry Ingredients
  • Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry FAQ
  • How to store leftover Thai cashew chicken stir-fry:
  • How to reheat Thai cashew chicken stir-fry:
  • How to adapt this Thai cashew chicken recipe to make it vegan/vegetarian:
  • The best oils for stir-frying:
  • How to Stir-Fry: Tips for Stir-Frying
  • Watch the Video
  • If you love this Thai cashew chicken recipe you might also enjoy…
  • Thai Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry Recipe

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, I visited Thailand with a couple of pals. We travelled from Bangkok to Koh Samui and then up to Chang Mai and it was INCREDIBLE. Thailand is such a beautiful place with so many friendly people. Definitely go if you get the chance!

But, I digress. While in Chang Mai we attended a Thai cooking class taught by locals. We bought ingredients from the local market, which was a fabulous vision of brightly coloured fruits and vegetables – some I’d never even heard of. We were even shown how to make fresh coconut milk. It was pretty awesome. Back at base we got cooking and learnt how to cook Green Thai Curry, Pad Thai, Mango and sticky rice and this little dish, Thai Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry.

While my amazing tan may have faded and the blue elephant print trousers I bought (you know the ones, the ones every gap-year, travelling student has a pair of) developed holes, this recipe has stuck with me all those years. And for good reason! The dish is flavoured with oyster sauce, soy sauce and garlic. Mixed with the amazing flavours of the toasted cashews (literally the tastiest little things) this simple dish becomes the most flavoursome weeknight meal to add to your repertoire.


The original recipe calls for onion, baby corn and mushroom, but I’ve upped the veg game with some extra peppers and sugar snap peas because apparently veggies are meant to be pretty good for you?

Two white bowls filled with Thai cashew chicken and served with rice. Pairs of chopsticks rest on the edges of the bowls. New to the bowls is a grey linen napkin, a glass of water and a wooden bowl filled with cashews.

Thai Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry Nutrition

Protein is the key macronutrient in this recipe!  Coming predominantly from the chicken breast, protein is essential for making and repairing cells in the body.  

Cashews are also another nutrition-packed ingredient in this cashew chicken recipe! They are high in unsaturated fats, which are known to improve blood cholesterol levels and help reduce the risk of heart disease. Cashews are also a fantastic source of copper, a micronutrient required for the production of healthy blood cells and the utilisation of iron in the body. 

This recipe is a particularly great source of vitamin C, with bell peppers being particularly abundant in this micronutrient. Vitamin C is an antioxidant and is required for lots of bodily functions, including collagen synthesis, neurological function and the structure and function of blood vessels. It should be noted, however, that stir-frying can reduce the amount of vitamin C and other micronutrients in food. 

Magnesium is an essential mineral required for hundreds of different biochemical reactions within the body. Both the cashews and chicken breast contain good amounts of magnesium in this recipe. 

Phosphorus is another abundant mineral found in this recipe thanks to the chicken breast and cashews. Phosphorus is essential for healthy bones and teeth as well as an essential component in our cell membranes. 

Riboflavin is required to breakdown macronutrients (protein, fat and carbohydrates) to release energy into the body. It is also needed for healthy skin and mucous membranes in the body. In this Thai cashew chicken, the mushrooms and chicken breast both provide us with riboflavin.

Thai Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry Ingredients

Cashews – Cashews are the best part of this recipe! If you desperately needed a substitute, peanuts would also taste great, although you’d no longer be eating cashew nut chicken 😅 Make sure to get plain, raw cashews. 

Dried chilli – The original recipe calls for 1 whole dried chilli, stir-fried in the oil to add flavour. I have rarely been able to get whole dried chillis at the supermarket, so instead, I add dried chilli flakes to the wok when I stir-fry the chicken and garlic. If you can get whole chillis, I would highly recommend it! 

Chicken – For this recipe, I have gone for skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes. You could use died chicken thigh if you don’t have chicken breast. 

Onion – I’ve gone for white onion however red onion or shallots would work. 

Red Pepper – Any colour pepper you fancy works well in this recipe. Red, orange and yellow peppers have a sweeter flavour, while green peppers have a more bitter taste that contrasts nicely with the savour sauce.

Mushrooms – Button or chestnut mushrooms are great for this recipe, but oyster mushrooms are also great for stir-frying.

Baby sweetcorn – If you can’t get hold of baby sweetcorn, just omit it. Sweetcorn kernels are much sweeter and wouldn’t provide the same crunchy texture, but you can use them if you really want to. 

Sugar snap peas – substitute for mangetout if you can’t get sugar snaps! 

Oyster sauce – oyster sauce is a savoury sauce made from… you guessed it, oysters. It’s a little bit sweet and very salty sauce. There’s nothing quite like it on the supermarket shelves but as a substitute, Bon Appetit suggests mixing 1 part hoisin sauce to 1 part soy sauce. You’ll still get a sweet, savoury sauce, but with a kick of five spice in there too. 

Soy sauce – I use light soy sauce in this recipe, but dark would work just as well. Remember, if you’re avoiding gluten, substitute this for tamari or coconut aminos.

A piece of chicken and a cashed being held by wooden chopsticks.

Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry FAQ

How to store leftover Thai cashew chicken stir-fry:

Allow the stir-fry to cool to room temperature for no longer than two hours. Transfer to air-tight containers and store in the fridge for 2-4 days.

How to reheat Thai cashew chicken stir-fry:

It should be noted that stir-fries are best served freshly cooked. However they can be reheated, it will just affect the texture. The most important thing to ensure when reheating chicken stir-fry is that the chicken is heated through thoroughly. Add the stir-fry to a hot wok with a little oil and stir-fry for 3-5 minutes until everything is piping hot.

Alternatively, you could reheat in the microwave, although this will definitely mean the vegetables will lose their original crunchy texture. Transfer the stir fry to a microwave-safe container, covered, and heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring halfway through. Ensure everything is piping hot before serving.

How to adapt this Thai cashew chicken recipe to make it vegan/vegetarian:

The chicken can be replaced with any vegan protein substitute. Tofu works particularly well – coat it with a little cornflour first before stir-frying. There are also vegan and vegetarian versions of oyster sauce that you can buy.

The best oils for stir-frying:

Oils that can withstand a high heat are best used in this type of cooking, that includes oils such as groundnut and vegetable.

Cashew chicken in a white bowl with rice. A pair of chopsticks rest on the side of the bowl.

How to Stir-Fry: Tips for Stir-Frying

  • Firstly make sure all of your ingredients are prepared and ready to go. That means chopping any meat or veg, measuring out any sauces and having any accompaniments such as rice or noodles cooked. Stir-frying is a quick process and you don’t want to be caught out chopping up veg while you’ve got food cooking/burning on the stove. Preparation is key!
  • Woks were made for fast stir-fry cooking, but if you don’t have one a big frying pan would work just as well.
  • High heat is required when stir-frying – get your wok nice and hot before adding anything else in and allow it to come back up to temperature between cooking the different ingredients.
  • When stir-frying cook all of the ingredients in batches, then transfer the cooked ingredients to a bowl while you stir-fry the next. This ensures everything is cooked properly and the pan isn’t overcrowded.
  • Stir! But not for the entire time. Leave things to sit in the pan for around 30 seconds before stirring again – this allows things to develop a little caramelisation which adds additional flavour.
Cashew chicken in a white bowl with rice.

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Thai Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry Recipe

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Thai Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry

★★★★★ 4.8 from 6 reviews
  • Author: Elizabeth Chloe
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 2–3 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stir-Fry
  • Cuisine: Asian
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Description

This Thai Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry is ideal for a quick and simple weeknight meal, packed with veggies, cashews and chicken it’s also super tasty too!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 100 grams (3/4 cup) cashews
  • 1 tablespoon groundnut oil
  • 1 dried chilli or 1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 chicken breasts, cut into 1cm cubes
  • 1 white onion, chopped
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 150 grams (2 cup) mushrooms, sliced
  • 100 grams (1 cup) baby sweetcorn, cut in half
  • 100 grams (1 cup) sugar snap peas
  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Rice or noodles to serve


Instructions

  1. Heat a wok over a medium heat. Dry fry the cashews for 1-2 minutes until they are golden brown. Keep a close eye on them to make sure they don’t burn! Remove the cashews from the wok into a bowl.
  2. Add the groundnut oil to the wok. If using dried chilli stir-fry it for 1-2 minutes in the oil to flavour the oil. Remove the chilli from the wok and add to the bowl with the cashews while leaving the oil in the pan.
  3. Turn the heat up to medium-high. If using the dried chilli flakes add them to the wok now alongside the garlic and chicken. Stir-fry everything together for 3-5 minutes until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the wok into a bowl.
  4. Add the onion and pepper to the wok and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the wok to a bowl.
  5. Stir-fry the mushrooms in the wok for 3-4 minutes until they have released most of their liquid and begin to take on colour. Remove from the wok to a bowl.
  6. Finally, add the baby sweetcorn and sugar snap peas to the wok and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, before adding all of the vegetables, chicken, chilli and cashews back to the pan.
  7. Add the oyster sauce and soy sauce to the pan and mix everything together. Cook for a further 1-2 minutes until everything is piping hot. Serve on top of rice or noodles and enjoy!

Equipment

Wok

Wok

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A devil's kitchen knife

Kitchen Devils Cook’s Knife

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A bottle of oyster sauce

Oyster Sauce

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A bottle of kikkoman soy sauce

Soy Sauce

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Keywords: Stir Fry Recipes, Thai Recipes, Cashew Chicken Recipe, Asian Recipes, Quick Dinners

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Tag @elizabeth__chloe on Instagram and hashtag it #elizabethchloerecipes

Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes
Originally Published: January 7, 2021
Last Updated: January 8, 2021

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Comments

  1. Michael says

    March 25, 2019 at 6:40 pm

    This is so yummy! I much prefer it to the chinese style cashew chicken that i normally get from the takeaway.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Chloe says

      March 25, 2019 at 7:08 pm

      Thanks so much!

      Reply
  2. Emmeline says

    March 27, 2019 at 8:33 am

    This looks so yummy! As some who has lived in Bangkok, attended Thai cooking classes & travelled a lot around the country I really appreciate how authentic you kept it! Yummy!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Chloe says

      March 27, 2019 at 9:00 am

      Thanks so much, Emmerline 😊

      Reply
  3. Cathy says

    March 27, 2019 at 8:55 am

    Love absolutely everything about this recipe! So inviting and delicious looking! Can’t wait to make this chicken cashew!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Chloe says

      March 27, 2019 at 9:00 am

      Woo, thank you, Cathy!

      Reply
  4. Heidy L. McCallum says

    March 27, 2019 at 10:49 am

    Thai Cashew Chicken is one of my all time favorites. When I was away at college I was lucky enough to meet 2 wonderful ladies and become roommates with them ( Li Li and Su). Their mom made this frequently for us. I loved every bite of it. I cannot wait to try your version of this recipe.

    Have a wonderful day

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Chloe says

      March 27, 2019 at 10:55 am

      Oh that sounds fabulous Heidy! Thanks for your comment, you have a great day too 😊

      Reply
  5. Rosa says

    March 27, 2019 at 11:43 am

    Mmm this looks so yummy and totally doable! I love being able to make my favourite take out dishes at home!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Chloe says

      March 27, 2019 at 12:39 pm

      Totally Rosa – I absolutely love a fakeaway! Thanks 😊

      Reply
  6. Dannii says

    March 27, 2019 at 12:00 pm

    I love a chicken cashew stir fry and we make it every couple of weeks. The cashew adds so much texture.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Chloe says

      March 27, 2019 at 12:39 pm

      The cashews are my absolute favourite Dannii!

      Reply
  7. Elizabeth Franklin says

    March 22, 2021 at 2:46 pm

    Something was missing for me in the ingredients – freshy grated ginger – makes a huge difference. Tasty recipe though,

    ★★★★

    Reply

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