Thai Cashew Chicken

5 from 2 votes

If you love Thai food, then you'll definitely want to try this delicious Thai chicken cashew recipe! This dish is packed with crispy toasted cashews, tender chicken and vegetables, all tossed in a simple Thai inspired umami sauce.

Prep Time10

Cook Time8

Total Time18

Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: Asian American, Thai

Servings:

Calories: 395kcal

Author: Kelly Bloom

Equipment

Ingredients

For Thai Cashew Chicken

¾ cup cashews raw unsalted
2 lbs chicken thighs cut into 1 to 1½" chunks
1 onion dice
3 cloves garlic minced or sliced paper thin
3 green onions green tops only, cut into 2" lengths
1 red bell pepper chunked or sliced
2 cup broccoli florets only
1½ tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil reserve for tossing after cooking
2 tablespoon water if wok starts to get too dry

For Thai Cashew Chicken Sauce

3 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon chili sauce
2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon corn starch
½ cup water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the Thai Chicken Cashew Stir Fry

Prep all your ingredients ahead of time, because it only takes a few minutes from start to serving to make this Thai chicken cashew recipe!
Prepare the Thai chicken cashew sauce first by mixing all the sauce ingredients into a small bowl and set aside for later after stir frying. See recipe below.
Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat in a wok or deep skillet. Add the cashews and toast for 4 to 5 minutes until they become golden brown and crunchy. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside for later.
¾ cup cashews, 1½ tablespoon vegetable oil
Dice the chicken up in 1" to 1 ½" chunks. Add the minced garlic and onion to the hot wok or skillet that you used for the cashews. Saute for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the chicken chunks and continue to saute for 1 more minute.
2 lbs chicken thighs, 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic
Add the chunked red bell pepper, broccoli florets, green onion, and the optional fresh cayenne pepper to the chicken in the wok or skillet. Saute in the wok or skillet for 2 to 3 minutes, tops.
3 green onions, 1 red bell pepper, 2 cup broccoli
Give the small bowl of Thai cashew sauce a good stir, then pour into the hot wok or skillet of chicken and vegetables. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce has thickened and coats the Thai chicken cashew.
Remove from meat and stir in the toasted sesame oil and toasted cashews. Serve immediately while hot over hot steamed rice.
2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

For the Thai Cashew Sauce

Mix all the sauce ingredients into a small bowl and set aside. When ready to use, make sure to stir before adding to the Thai chicken cashew stir fry, as the cornstarch settles to the bottom.
3 tablespoon oyster sauce, 2 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 teaspoon chili sauce, 2 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon corn starch, ½ cup water

Notes

The biggest tip is to only cook the vegetables until they are bright green (broccoli) or bright red (bell peppers). The veggies will continue to cook during when the sauce is thickening.
If you want some flavor from the cayenne, but not the heat, look for fresh cayenne peppers that are wide and longer.
Use disposable gloves when cutting, seeding, slicing, or handling cut chili peppers of any variety.

Nutrition