Enjoy this healthy 30 Minute Cashew Chicken recipe for a quick weeknight dinner. It’s easy, keto-friendly, and the kids always love it! Serve perfectly over our Instant Pot Brown Rice or Coconut Rice!
Do you ever get overwhelmed with real food? I sure do, which is why I make SMALL goals and work on them one at a time.
A few years ago I made it a foodie goal to have soup for dinner once a week because it’s inexpensive and healthy (primarily when you use homemade chicken stock).
Then my goal was to quit sugar. With the exception of the occasional batch of cookies, the required Christmas sugar cookies, and homemade kombucha, we’ve done this too.
A recent goal was to incorporate more fast meals into our meal plan, like my 15 Minute Kung Pao chicken recipe, and now this 30-minute cashew chicken.
Don’t get me wrong – it’s not that I don’t love cooking. I wouldn’t be a FOOD BLOGGER if I didn’t. But there are some seasons and some nights that are just too full to spend hours upon hours in the kitchen.
Some nights I need something REALLY fast. Something that can be made with what I have, relatively quickly and without much fuss. There are bonus points if the recipe is easy enough for Mr. Crumbs to follow too, which is why I LOVE this cashew chicken!
30 Minute Cashew Chicken
Let’s talk about why this recipe is so great, shall we? I mean, beyond the fact that it’s a super easy dinner to make, it’s also…
- Ready in under 30 minutes. You literally toss everything together and bake! That’s it!
- Healthy. Lean chicken, mixed vegetables, and crunchy cashews are baked in a delicious sweet, and spicy sauce!
- Keto-friendly. Just substitute the cornstarch (thickener) for almond flour.
- Better than takeout! Not only is it quick, easy, and filled with fresh ingredients, you don’t have to worry about the fillers, preservatives, and sodium common in takeout food.
Ingredients for Cashew Chicken
With 4 main ingredients (and only a few ingredients for the sauce), this recipe is simply delicious!
- Chicken Breast
- Vegetables
- Cashews
- Sauce (including chicken stock. Here’s how to make your own).
The sauce is where the magic happens! Somehow a very ordinary list of pantry staples becomes delicious saucy goodness when you combine it all together with cornstarch.
How to Make 30-Minute Cashew Chicken
Once you have your chicken pounded out, sliced, and your sauce whisked, this recipe comes together so quickly…especially if you choose to use frozen veggies.
Step 1. Combine chicken, vegetables, and cashews in a greased 9×13 glass pan.
Step 2. Add onions.
Step 3. Whisk together the sauce mixture in a small bowl, and pour over chicken, vegetables, and cashews.
Step 4. Bake for 25-30 minutes until chicken is done and roasted cashews are golden brown.
Step 5. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
Serve warm over Instant Pot Brown Rice or Coconut Lime Rice! YUM!
Note: Keep leftovers stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
FAQs
As I mentioned, we’re using chicken breasts in this recipe. You’ll pound them out to thin little cutlets, so they cook evenly, and can be cut with a fork or poked with a chopstick.
Have you ever seen knives at a Chinese restaurant? Didn’t think so.
I used a combination of what I thought should go in a ‘stir-fry-ish’ recipe based on what I had in the kitchen. That turned out to be green bell peppers, carrots, frozen peas, and frozen green beans.
Next time I think I’d like to try cauliflower or red bell peppers, just to add more color besides green. Some recipes call for water chestnuts, which would be tasty as well! Really though, anything you have will work. You can use fresh or frozen or a mix of both like I did.
You bet! Cashews are filled with protein, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats! Nutritionists at Harvard say that nuts are great for our health and may even contribute to a longer life.
Can I Make Substitutions in the Sauce for Cashew Chicken?
This is a totally forgiving sauce. If you splash too much soy sauce or use up the last bit of homemade apple cider vinegar the previous week and it’s white distilled until payday…it’s all good!
Did the honey pour out too quickly, or do you have Frank’s rather than sriracha? No worries.
- Substitute away, my friends, and enjoy the differences. I’m 99% sure it won’t matter and you’ll love this dish anyway.
Note: I have seen some cashew chicken recipes call for store-bought hoisin sauce, oyster sauce and chili garlic sauce, even brown sugar rather than honey.
- If you have these flavors on hand and you’d like to experiment, I’m sure this recipe will still taste delicious. Just be sure to double-check that the sauces are free of preservatives. Let me know what flavor combinations you come up with!
More Simple Recipes
- Ridiculously Easy Potato Skins
- Soft Pretzel Recipe
- Simple Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Easy Spicy Salmon Tacos with Slaw
Chicken Meal Prep Plan
Sign up to get instant access to my Chicken Meal Prep Plan, complete with recipes and shopping list!30 Minute Cashew Chicken
Enjoy this healthy 30 Minute Cashew Chicken recipe for a quick weeknight dinner. It’s easy, keto-friendly, and the kids always love it! Serve perfectly over our Instant Pot Brown Rice or Coconut Rice!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Main Meals
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts, pounded out to ¼” thick and cut into 2” strips
- 4 cups vegetables, fresh and/or frozen (I used a combination of bell peppers, carrots, green beans, and peas)
- 2/3 cup cashews
- 3 green onions, white and green parts sliced
- ½ cup chicken stock (try my homemade recipe)
- 4 Tbsp soy sauce (I use liquid aminos)
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (try my homemade recipe)
- 1 Tbsp sriracha sauce
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 2 tsp sesame seed oil
- 1 tsp sesame seeds to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Spray a 9” x 13” glass pan with cooking spray or grease with a butter wrapper.
- Place the chicken pieces in a single layer in the pan.
- Top with the cashews and 4 cups of vegetables.
- Add all the white onions and about half the green onions on top. In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the sauce: stock, soy sauce (or liquid aminos), vinegar, sriracha, cornstarch, honey, garlic, and sesame seed oil.
- Pour over the vegetables and chicken.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the sauce, is bubbly and the chicken is cooked through.
- Let cool slightly for about 5 minutes for the sauce to thicken.
- Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Keep leftovers stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Nutrition
- Calories: 354
Jennifer Von Canon
The real recipe for Cashew Chicken is from Springfield, MO and is nothing like this. Basically it’s breaded (cornstarch) fried chicken bits and then sauced with a soy/oyster based gravy, roasted cashews and green onions. There is a brief explanation on the General Tso documentary on Netflix. You won’t find a Chinese restaurant in Springfield that does not serve this and it’s usually there number one seller. I’m not going to type out the recipe but I’m sure google has it. Yours looks yummy, but it’s different than cashew chicken. Sometimes Chinese restaurants serve “Chicken With Cashew Nuts” which is close to yours and different from Cashew Chicken. I’m from Springfield and we take our homegrown amazing Cashew Chicken recipe very serious.
Tiffany
Hi Jennifer! I’m sure there are “real” recipes for almost every recipe out there, and they’re from all over the world. This particular recipe has chicken and cashews and it’s from Georgia, and that works for me! 🙂
Linda Ferro
Jennifer, as a cook with 40 years of experience, I realize that I have to be open minded with all recipes. Meaning, that each recipe can be made a hundred different ways. Tiffany’s Cashew Chicken is a version to help busy mothers serve a quick, nutritious, and delicious meal. Tiffany titled her recipe “30 Minute Cashew Chicken “, not “The Real Cashew Chicken”. In fact, your Cashew Chicken that is served in Springfield, MO is not the real, original recipe! David Leong from China moved to Springfield in 1940. He had to adjust his homeland dishes to something the local folks might like. I would call your recipe in Springfield,Missouri , The 2nd Version of Cashew Chicken.
Laura
Chicken alfredo is a family favorite!
Samantha
Curry Chicken in the instant pot is under 30 mins….it’s our family favorite and on rotation on a monthly basis. Very quick and easy.
Kaitlin
A fast chicken meal for us is BBQ quesadillas. Grilled chicken with peppers, onions and jack cheese and we dip in BBQ sauce. I make up extras so kids have something to take for school lunch the next day.
Corrie M
Chicken & Dumplings are a favorite fast chicken dish in our home. I keep bags of frozen tenders on-hand; then if I need a super quick supper, I dump the tenders into simmering chicken broth (homemade or store-bought), with a bit of thyme, crushed red pepper, & garlic powder. Once the chicken’s cooked, I add in a bag of Mueller’s “Hearty Homestyle” flat noodles. They are cheap, and are a great stand-in for dumplings.
Done!
Heather
I like having pre-cooked chicken in my freezer. That’s the only way I do a 30 minute meal 🙂
Taylor Closet
Zest Italian chicken is super quick.
Ally
Chicken and vegetable Kabobs, mushrooms, onions, green and red peppers, grilled so their delish
Laura Anderson
Thanks for the recipe Tiffany! I made this today and really enjoyed it. I liked the option to bake so I wouldn’t miss my football game!
Jessica H
I love to make chicken pesto pasta with whatever frozen veggies I have in the freezer.
Gina M
I like to make roasted chicken drum sticks in the oven with a honey teriyake marinade. They really don’t take that long to cook!
Thanks for the chance to win!
Katherine
Well, it takes all day to cook, but crockpot orange chicken only takes a little bit to get going.
Tiffany
I’ll have to try that one sometime Katherine – it sounds good!
Dani McN.
I love adding precooked, shredded chicken to a simple fettuccine alfredo. Yummmm.
Tiffany
Me too!
Blair
Looks pretty good 🙂
Tiffany
Thanks Blair – it is! 😉
Femme Frugality
I love this goal—and this recipe! We definitely struggle with time constraints, especially in the spring. Finding quick meals to cook is way healthier and cheaper than eating out!
Tiffany
Thanks so much Femme! It’s good to “see” you again!!
M.
Cashews? Chicken? What’s NOT to love!?!
JoAnn C.
Oh, my this looks good. I’ve been making chicken pot pie using homemade biscuits as the top crust, makes it quick and delicious.
Carol
This looks delicious!
Tiffany
Thanks Carol!
Veronika Sprague
Baked Pesto Chicken!!
Traci Koenig
Looks yummy!
Tiffany
Thanks Traci!
Brooke
Soup (from scraps saved from previous meals)!