This Spicy Chinese Cashew Chicken recipe is my homemade version of our favorite Chinese take-out dish from our local neighborhood Chinese restaurant.
My Mother-in-Law is a HUGE fan of cashews. She loves that buttery, nutty flavor of the cashews, so much so that we can’t keep them in the house because she will eat the whole container of cashews if we let her.
However, she told me she was not a fan of Chinese food. She would eat it, but it was not her favorite. However, I knew I could make a Chinese dish that she would love. All I had to do was add cashews. Of course, I decided to make this awesomely delicious Spicy Chinese Cashew Chicken! She had to love it because it was loaded with cashews!! Whoot Whoot!
This Spicy Chinese Cashew Chicken is also quick and easy to make. You can have dinner on the table in 30 minutes, and that is probably about how long it would take for the Chinese take out. It actually may be faster than the Chinese take out.
All you need to make this Spicy Chinese Cashew Chicken is a pound of chicken breast tenders cut into bite-sized cubes, some cornstarch, plus salt and pepper, chopped red and green bell peppers, cashews, and green onions.
Coat the chicken with the seasoned cornstarch and cook the chicken in a skillet or wok with oil. Add the red and green bell peppers and cook for a few minutes until the peppers are softened.
What really makes this Spicy Chinese Cashew Chicken pop is the sauce. Just as my Mother-in-Law is a huge fan of cashews, I am just as big a fan of hoisin sauce. I love it. I could put it on everything. I think it was the best condiment ever made! OK, it may be a toss up between hoisin and Sriracha. Thank goodness, I don’t have to choose because they pair so nicely together.
The sauce for this Spicy Chinese Cashew Chicken is made with soy sauce, hoisin, sesame oil, brown sugar, minced garlic and ginger and crushed red pepper. Since I was out of Sriracha, I added crushed red pepper flakes instead.
Just pour the sauce over the Spicy Chinese Cashew Chicken and cook for about 5 minutes. Add chopped green onions and sesame seeds to garnish and you are ready to serve! Voila!
Serve this Spicy Chinese Cashew Chicken over your favorite type of rice, whether it is white rice, brown rice or fried rice, any will do. I predict this will become a regular recipe in your meal rotation. Give it a whirl, and come back and tell me how you liked it.
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- 1 pound chicken breast tenders, cut into bite-size cubes
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 Tablespoons oil
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- ¼ cup chopped green onions
- ½ cup chopped cashews
- 2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
- ⅔ cup soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Heat oil in a wok or skillet over medium-high heat.
- Place the cubed chicken in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl stir together cornstarch, salt pepper, and garlic powder.
- Add the seasoned cornstarch to the bowl with the chicken and toss until all pieces of chicken are evenly coated with the seasoned cornstarch.
- Add the chicken to the hot wok or skillet and cook until lightly browned.
- Add the red and green bell peppers and cook for about 5 minutes or until peppers are softened.
- Add cashews and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Meanwhile, stir together all sauce ingredients in a small bow. Pour the sauce over the cashew chicken in the wok or skillet and cook for about 5 minutes. The sauce should thicken.
- Garnish with chopped green onions and sesame seeds.
- Serve the Spicy Chinese Cashew Chicken over rice. Enjoy!
If you like this, be sure to try my other Asian recipes:
Spicy Orange Chicken
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