Easy Cashew Chicken

I used this recipe as a guide and used ingredients that I had in my cupboard…. Kikkoman’s low sodium soy sauce instead of Tamari; Canola oil and a little sesame oil instead of peanut oil; pickled sushi ginger; white granulated sugar instead of honey; a package of frozen broccoli instead of mushrooms; both yellow and red onions since I didn’t have quite enough yellow. I also chopped up a couple cloves of garlic and added it to the marinade. Toward the end (right before I threw the chicken and cashews back in the pan with the veggies), I added a little more chili powder and some crushed red pepper. Even substituting nearly everything except the cashews and the chicken, it was AMAZING. I AM looking forward to trying it again with honey though… I love honey, just didn’t have any!

This was delicious, and made a ton of leftovers. I didn’t have fresh ginger so I used powdered. I also added a few cloves of garlic and reduced the oil to 1/3 Cup. I could have probably used even less oil to lighten this otherwise calorie-dense meal up a bit. Served over brown rice, this was a flavorful comfort dish for a weeknight. Boyfriend also enjoyed it.

Tried this yesterday, lovely taste! Ginger definitively makes this recipe special…

thanks for helping me convince my parents, that at 24 I’ve finally learned how to cook! I make this recipe every time we have someone new over, and it continues to impress.

This was a great dish and really simple to make! I just tried it myself for the first time tonight and it was a hit with my other half. I decided to add 2 medium zucchini along with the mushrooms for more veggies. Thank you so much for putting this up!

This is a fantastic and easy recipe. There are two things I do different and in addition to this recipe.

I make up a batch of the marinade ahead of time because 1.) I fall into the do-not-reuse your marinade crowd and 2.) I like to play with the spiciness and sweetness each time. I also toss in some pineapple.

I am in love with cashew chicken! I had printed out the recipe some time ago and was waiting for the opportunity to make it. I am so glad I finally found the night to make it as it was perfect on a cold winter day. Sweet with a little spice and salt from the cashew and when reheated the next day it was even better. Thanks Elise and of course thanks to Marc for sharing….

Merry X-Mas and Happy New Year from snowy Cleveland, where I revcently moved.

And salutations to teh 40 commenters and fans of this recipe.

What Elise forgot to mention is that not only do I NOT measure, but I also do this recipe by ‘touch’.

The viscosity of the oil, tamari and honey – add up to a unique blend which (when done right) balances the pungent, sweet and spice of the chili powder.

To be honest I usually measure the chili powder by sight – each chicken chunk should have it’s own ‘schmear’ (coating) on it.

Made it with roasted cashews – it was delicious! Thank you for posting this recipe.

This is the most awesome recipe I’ve acquired in years. I ate it three days straight. I’m allergic to soy and substitute Bistro gravy powder whenever soy is called for and no one knows the difference. Used canola oil instead of peanut oil. Fresh ginger and green onions, a MUST in my book. Thank you for sharing Marc’s recipe.

This is a great recipe. I did make some adjustments though to suit my Latina and my husbands Filipino tastes. We love spice so before I cooked the chicken, I cooked about 1 tsp. of red pepper flakes in a little oil until the flakes got black, then I cooked the chicken in that. Also, you can use jarred/canned cashews. I just gave them a good rinse to take the salt out. I toasted the cashews instead of boiling them, and it does bring out the flavor and gives the meal a lot of crunch, which I think is much better than a soft nut texture. Instead of mushrooms, I added a can of cubed pineapple to compliment the spiciness. Oh my gosh, this came out soooo delicious. The mixture of flavors and textures is definitely a party in your mouth! We made white rice to go with it, but the next day, we still had some left, so I kept it cold, mixed in some mayo and turned it into an AWESOME chicken salad! :) Lastly, I wouldn’t marinate it for more than an hour or so. You don’t want the flavor of the chicken to take away from all the other great things you are putting in there. Happy Cooking!

I made this last night, and it came out awesome. It def. is a keeper. Variations were: Chicken thighs; and I added carrots and sweet pepper, plus a mix of shitake mushrooms with the crimini mushrooms. The only change for next time might be to use toasted cashews vs. boiled. I think the roasty crunch would be a nice textural contrast. I wasn’t too keen on the soft nuts.

I made this a couple of nights ago and it was delicious. I used canola oil instead of peanut, and also included the fresh ginger and green onions. These should not be optional in my opinion. I over cooked the chicken breasts a little bit but it was still great. The next time I will use thigh meat instead. I may also toast the cashews instead of boiling them. Anyway, I served it with steamed white rice and sauteed Swiss chard with garlic, red pepper flakes, and dark sesame oil. Yum!

I made this tonight, and it was delicious! We didn’t have any Tamari on hand, so we substituted Soy Sauce. I also added ginger, green onions, and some corn starch to thicken the sauce a bit. We let the chicken marinate overnight and didn’t think the marinade was too strong at all! We’ll definitely be making this again and again… thanks for sharing the recipe!

I made this last night for dinner and it was terrific. Just when I boiled the cashews, the water did not get frothy. But that was fine. Also can anyone tell me the difference between Tamari and Soy Sauce? Just curious. I did find Tamari at Whole Foods.

Tamari is more intense than soy sauce. You can find a discussion here on the Wikipedia. ~Elise