Basil Cashew Chicken is an easy, healthy 30 minute dinner with veggies, chicken and roasted nuts in a savory-sweet sauce. It offers 32 grams of protein!
We love chicken skillets like chicken and mushrooms and chicken asparagus stir fry.
This cashew chicken recipe is a very simple weeknight dinner with no rare ingredients. It’s an easy skillet meal you can make for your family and serve over rice.
Everyone absolutely loved it at my house, and it’s healthy too!
Not sure how authentic it is, but that’s not the goal. It’s about getting a healthy dinner on the table in a way that fits my cooking style now. Busy people will appreciate it, no need to even chop garlic or onion.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple ingredients: You’ve got your meat, veggies, nuts, and an easy sauce made up of pantry staples.
- Quicker than delivery: A 30 minute, healthy chicken recipe with the flavor of Chinese takeout.
- Versatile: Serve over rice or noodles, or enjoy solo. You can also switch up the veggies if you’d like.
- Family favorite: Not entirely traditional, but everyone will love the flavors and crunch.
Ingredients for Basil Cashew Chicken
I kept the ingredient list short so cashew nut chicken can be an easy weeknight meal with a special weekend feel.
- Chicken: Cut boneless skinless chicken breast into 1 inch pieces for quick and even cooking. You can also use chicken thighs.
- Cashews: I roasted raw unsalted cashews for extra flavor and crunch.
- Flour: Coat the chicken in any flour to create a golden brown crust.
- Spices: Salt and black pepper to season the chicken.
- Vegetables: I added red bell peppers, green beans, and mushrooms.
- Stir fry sauce: A simple mix of low sodium chicken broth, soy sauce, maple syrup, and rice vinegar.
- Cornstarch: Needed to thicken the sauce. You can use cornstarch, arrowroot powder or tapioca flour.
- Fresh herbs: Basil of course!
- Oil: Any mild oil like olive oil, avocado oil, or grapeseed oil will work for sautéing.
How to Make Cashew Chicken
This recipe comes together in a few simple steps with 15 minutes of prep.
- Prep stir fry sauce and chicken: Whisk chicken broth, soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Add cubed chicken to a medium bowl and sprinkle with flour, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat and set aside.
- Roast cashews: Roast cashews in a large skillet until they’re nicely browned, stirring frequently. It should take about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
- Sear the chicken: Return skillet to heat and swirl in a tablespoon of oil to coat. Drop in the chicken and let it cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring only a few times to let it brown. Then, transfer chicken to a plate and set it aside.
- Saute veggies: Drizzle the remaining oil into the skillet and add the bell peppers, mushrooms, and green beans. Let them cook for 2-3 minutes, giving them 1 or 2 stirs.
- Final assembly: Add in the cooked chicken and cashews. Give the sauce another whisk then pour it in. Let it all cook together for another 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and sprinkle with basil.
Tips for Best Results
Here are a few tips for the best basil cashew chicken recipe!
- Use large skillet: It should be a 12 inch pan with tall walls, but don’t use a wok as it will steam the food. Non-stick skillet is the best.
- Have everything prepped: This isn’t a chop-as-you-go recipe. Prep everything beforehand because stir fry cooks quickly.
- Cut veggies in same size pieces: So they cook evenly and you get a perfect bite every time.
- Let chicken sear: Don’t stir too often. Let a golden crust form and keep the juices locked in.
- Don’t overcook the vegetables: Veggies should still have a little crunch to them for that perfect snap and burst of flavor.
- Stir sauce one more time: Cornstarch settles, so whisk the sauce before adding it to the pan.
What to Serve It with?
I kept it classic and served chicken with cashew nuts over Instant Pot white rice, but there’s room to customize with options like Instant Pot jasmine rice, Instant Pot brown rice, cauliflower rice, or even rice noodles if you’re feeling adventurous.
You can add a little extra with side dishes like sauteed bok choy or spinach, steamed broccoli, spring rolls, cauliflower fried rice, or zesty cilantro lime roasted cauliflower.
How to Store
Store: The leftovers are delicious! Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat in the microwave or on the stove with a splash of water or broth.
Freeze: Feel free to freeze the chicken, but the veggies don’t hold up well in the freezer.
FAQs
You can add other veggies like snap peas, water chestnuts, broccoli, or baby corn. Add a touch of hoisin sauce, or chili sauce to make it spicier. Or add fresh ginger, ginger powder, or red pepper flakes for extra depth of flavor.
Yes, you can use skinless boneless chicken thighs. Recipe stays the same.
I recommend green onions or parsley if you don’t have basil.
Yes. Chop the veggies and chicken and store them separately. Whisk sauce and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready, just follow the recipe as usual.
More Quick Chicken Recipes to Try
- Chicken and broccoli
- Tex Mex chicken and zucchini
- Lemon chicken and asparagus
- Chicken, zucchini and corn
- Mediterranean chicken skillet
Basil Cashew Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Stir Fry:
- 1 cup cashews raw and unsalted
- 3 chicken breasts cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons any flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 large red bell peppers cut into large pieces
- 2 cups brown mushrooms cut into quarters or halves
- 2 cups green beans cut into 1-2 inch pieces
- 1/4 cup basil chopped
- 2 tablespoons oil for frying
For the Sauce:
- 1 cup chicken broth low sodium
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add chicken stock, soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar and cornstarch. Whisk and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add chicken and sprinkle with flour, salt and pepper. Stir to coat and set aside.
- Preheat large skillet on medium-high heat, add cashews and cook until browned, for about 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Transfer to a bowl.
- Return skillet to heat and swirl 1 tablespoon of oil to coat. Add chicken and cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring only a few times and allowing to brown. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Swirl remaining oil and add bell peppers, mushrooms and green beans. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring once or twice.
- Add previously cooked chicken and cashews, whisk the sauce and pour it over. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until sauce has thickened, stirring a few times. Turn off heat and sprinkle with basil.
- Serve cashew chicken over rice, rice noodles or cauliflower rice.
Notes
- Store: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: Reheat in a microwave or on the stove with a bit of water or broth until heated through.
- Freeze: Chicken does freeze well but not the veggies.
This was really good. left out the mushrooms and added a little less maple syrup. lots of dishes but worth it!
Very good! I added water chestnuts as you suggested. Also I added more spice because we like it that way. I think the veggies needed a little more steaming so I deglazed the pan a bit and did that as well. Delicious! Thank you!
Sounds delicious, Joyce! I love hearing how you made this your own! Thank you for the rating!