Thai Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry

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!

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• 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?

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.

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.

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.

Watch the Video

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Thai Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry Recipe

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Print Originally Published: January 7, 2021
Last Updated: January 8, 2021