This Thai Cashew Chicken recipe is a little time-consuming at first and seems to have a ton of ingredients… but once you’ve made in a few times, it’ll become much easier to make. And it’s so worth it!
I notice that restaurants tend to skimp on the protein in a Thai Cashew Chicken dish – am I right? When you make this Thai Cashew Chicken recipe at home, you can add as much chicken and cashews as you like! As you can guess, I like a lot of chicken chunks with plenty of savour sauce and cashews for that texture and crunch. This recipe takes a bit of prep work but it’s simple enough for any aspiring cook to make at home.
Here’s my recipe for gluten and soy free Thai Cashew Chicken.
Thai Cashew Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks
- 1 medium red onion, diced into chunks
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 1/2 bell pepper, diced into chunks
- 1 cup mushrooms, diced
- 2-3 green onions, chopped
- 1/2 cup cashews, dry roasted, unsalted
- 4 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks
Thai Cashew Chicken Marinade:
- 2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce – or Coconut Secret Organic Raw Coconut Aminos Soy-Free Seasoning Sauce for a soy-free option
- 3 tbsp cup chicken broth – I use a gluten free Organic Chicken Bouillon Cubes
- 3 tbsp Fish Sauce (available in tall bottles at Asian grocery stores)
Thai Cashew Chicken Savoury Sauce:
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 tbsp white cooking wine (or red wine vinegar)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or Coconut Secret Organic Raw Coconut Aminos Soy-Free Seasoning Sauce for a soy-free option
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 heaping tbsp brown sugar (or coconut palm sugar)
- 1 tbsp Sambal – Sambal Oelek Ground Fresh Chili Paste
- 1 tbsp cornstarch powder, dissolved in 3 tbsp water
- 1-2 tbsp oil for stir-frying
Method
1. Stir together marinade and place in a medium-size bowl. Add chicken pieces and stir well to combine. Set aside.
2. Combine all Sauce ingredients in a bowl or large cup, stirring well. Set aside.
3. In a large wok, fry the cashews in oil for a few minutes and then put in a bowl and set aside.
4. In the same pan, sautée the marinated chicken until well-cooked. You may need to cook the chicken in two batches so the chicken is thoroughly cooked. See note below if you have more time** If the pan becomes dry, add a little of the broth or cooking wine, 1 tbsp at a time as the chicken is cooking.
Note: While you are frying up the chicken, get the rice started in a rice cooker. I make about 3 cups of rice for this dish.
5. Add the vegetables and cook over medium-high heat until nice and crispy.
6. Add the prepared sauce and the roasted cashews. Stir in cornstarch dissolved in water, stirring until the sauce thickens (1-2 minutes).
7. Add more salt or sugar or fish sauce to taste
8. Serve on a bed of Thai jasmine rice.
**NOTE: For super tender chicken, after the chicken has marinated, remove excess liquid. Then, coat chicken breast pieces into arrowroot powder before frying (and I do this in a deep frying pan, not the wok). I’ve tried it this way and the chicken is so tender and once coated with the savoury sauce, is so delicious!
Enjoy!
Thai Cashew Chicken
This gluten and soy free Thai Cashew Chicken recipe is worth the time and effort to make at home - savoury sauce with lots of cashews and chunks of chicken.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks
- 1 medium red onion, diced into chunks
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 1/2 bell pepper, diced into chunks
- 1 cup mushrooms, diced
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1/2 cup cashews, dry roasted, unsalted
- 1 tbsp cornstarch powder, dissolved in 3 tbsp water
- 1-2 tbsp oil for stir-frying
- Marinade:
- 2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce - or Coconut Secret Organic Raw Coconut Aminos Soy-Free Seasoning Sauce for a soy-free option
- 3 tbsp cup chicken broth - I use a gluten free Organic Chicken Bouillon Cubes
- 3 tbsp Fish Sauce (available in tall bottles at Asian grocery stores)
- Sauce:
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 tbsp white cooking wine (or red wine vinegar)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce - again I use the coconut aminos instead
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 heaping tbsp brown sugar (or coconut palm sugar)
- 1 tbsp Sambal - Sambal Oelek Ground Fresh Chili Paste
Instructions
1. Stir together marinade and place in a medium-size bowl. Add chicken pieces and stir well to combine. Set aside.
2. Combine all Sauce ingredients in a bowl or large cup, stirring well. Set aside.
3. In a large wok or frying pan, fry the cashews in oil for a few minutes and then put in a bowl and set aside.
4. In the same pan, sautee the marinated chicken until well-cooked. If the pan becomes dry, add a little of the broth or cooking wine, 1 tbsp at a time as the chicken is cooking.
5. Add the vegetables and cook over medium-high heat until nice and crispy.
6. Add the prepared Sauce and the roasted cashews. Stir in cornstarch dissolved in water, stirring until the sauce thickens (1-2 minutes).
7. Add more salt or sugar or fish sauce to taste
8. Serve on a bed of Thai jasmine rice.
Notes
For super tender chicken, after the chicken has marinated, remove excess liquid. Then, coat chicken breast pieces into arrowroot powder before frying (and I do this in a deep frying pan, not the wok). I've tried it this way and the chicken is so tender and once coated with the savoury sauce, is so delicious!
While you are frying up the chicken, get the rice started in a rice cooker. I make about 3 cups of rice for this dish.