Chicken With Cashew Nuts Thai recipe. You can prepare in a slow cooker, crockpot or in the oven. One of my favorite recipes is chicken and cashews in an orange sauce. I love the combination of juicy chicken, crunchy cashews and tangy orange sauce! Chicken With Cashew Nuts Thai is a delicious and easy one dish to prepare that takes 15 minutes to cook + 15 minutes prep time. It’s wonderful.
Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry – This incredibly fast dish for chicken stir fry is bursting with Thai flavors and has the crunch of properly roasted cashews. You can either serve it as an appetizer or as a full dinner with rice or noodles.
Like Chinese Cashew Chicken, this Thai Cashew Stir Fry is a traditional take-out dish that features strong Thai tastes. A salty, spicy, umami-rich sauce covered in crunchy roasted cashews, peppers, and juicy chicken pieces has just the right amount of heat from red chili peppers.
Asian stir-fries are popular at home every time. It is also one of the greatest methods for combining vegetables and protein in a single dish. When I want to use up leftover scraps of vegetables, I invariably end up creating a stir fry. One such recipe is this Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry recipe.
Popular stir-fry recipes come in a variety of forms with various components. If you enjoy shrimp, I also offer Sweet Chili Shrimp Stir Fry and Vegetable Shrimp Stir Fry as meal-prep options (Meal Prep). Chicken and green beans stir fry and Quick chicken cabbage stir fry are two variations that feature chicken as the primary element. Zucchini Stir Fry is a reader favorite and a highly popular all-vegetable variation.
Ingredients you need
Like most Asian-style stir-fry recipes, you need a few commonly used sauces.
Chicken – Chicken breast or Chicken Thighs cut into bite-size pieces. Using boneless chicken breast, you must work with it carefully and avoid overcooking.
Cornstarch- To coat chicken. You can also use all-purpose flour.
Cashew – Good quality Whole Raw Cashews. You can also use Roasted Cashews but it needs to be unsalted.
Red bell pepper – Use assorted colored peppers if you wish.
Green Onions– Cut and keep the white and green parts separate.
Garlic – minced
Dry red chilies and bird’s eye chilies– Dry red chilies are for a smokey flavor, it is not for the heat as we are using it whole. Bird’s eye chilies are for heat, but it is totally optional and you can skip it. For heat, you can also add a dash of sriracha.
Sauce for stir fry – Dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, Oyster sauce, fish sauce( it is not Thai if there is no Fish sauce in it).
Steps to make Thai Chicken Stir Fry
It’s crucial to keep track of all the components’ measurements and readings because the recipe will move quickly once you get started cooking.
Create the sauce by combining all of the sauce’s ingredients.
The next step is to thoroughly coat the chicken in cornstarch. Chicken that has been coated in cornstarch becomes crispy, and the sauce adheres well to the chicken.
Roast cashews in oil if you’re using raw cashews, which I highly recommend. To ensure consistent browning, keep stirring the cashews. Watch them toward the end; else, they will quickly overcook. We’re searching for cashews that are attractively golden brown and smell nutty. If using cashews that have previously been roasted, cook it for about a minute until it begins to smell nutty.
Cook Chicken: In the same pan, cook chicken in additional oil. Cook for two minutes without interruption, flip, and cook for another minute or so. Any chicken pieces that are clumped together should be separated so that they cook equally on all sides.
Making stir fry – After roasting the cashews and cooking the chicken, we will now saute the fragrant. Cook the white part of the green onion, ginger, garlic, and chilies until fragrant. Cook the red peppers quickly.
The chicken, cashews, and sauce are added as the final stage. Well, toss everything. Let the sauce slightly thicken and generously cover the chicken. Add some chopped green onion on top and combine.
Serving Suggestion For Thai Cashew Chicken
My favorite way to serve this is over-cooked rice such as Jasmine rice or White rice. You could also serve it over rice noodles.
Make ahead
The ideal way to serve a quick and simple recipe like this stir fry is hot and freshly made. The chopping and sauces can be prepared in advance and set away if you are short on time and would like to prepare this earlier. It only remains to combine the sauces. That’s how easy it is, indeed. They last for weeks in the refrigerator.
Storing Leftovers
To refrigerate
This Thai cashew chicken is best served fresh. However, leftovers will last in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can microwave for 1-2 minutes before serving.
Freeze
Once it has completely cooled, you may freeze this by placing it in an airtight container or freezer bag. For up to two months, keep it frozen. The night before, remove it from the freezer and put it in the refrigerator to thaw. The next day, reheat it in the microwave before adding it to a skillet or wok and stir-frying it until well hot.
Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
Chicken, crispy golden cashew nuts, and vegetables are all included in this simple classic Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry recipe. real Thai flavoring that is spicy, sweet, sour, and savory. It is quite simple to prepare at home, and the dish is best served with a serving of jasmine rice. The ideal dinner meal, loved by the whole family!
What is chicken with cashews?
One of the most well-known stir-fry dishes in Thailand is Thai Chicken Stir Fry, or Gai Pad Med Mamuang, which is adored by people everywhere. The main ingredients are succulent chunks of chicken, crispy cashew nuts, veggies, and mouthwatering stir fry sauce. Thai Cashew Chicken has a powerful flavor that is spicy, sweet, salty, savory, and similar to Chinese Cashew Chicken. Chinese cashew chicken has a gentle, sweet, and savory flavor.
In this article, I’ll reveal our method for making authentically flavorful Cashew Chicken in the style of a Thai restaurant. Exactly the same as what you would get at your favorite Thai restaurant!
What do we need
Protein: You can simply use tender boneless chicken breast or thigh meats. If you are bored of chicken, you can swap it with beef, lamb, pork prawns/shrimps, or any protein you wish. Tougher meat takes extra time to be tenderized.
For the vegetarian option: you can simply substitute meat with firm tofu or Quorn meat. For stir fry sauce mixture, use vegetarian oyster sauce instead of oyster sauce and use regular soy sauce instead of fish sauce.
Vegetables: Onion, bell pepper, mushroom, spring onions, dry or fresh chillies are ideal to use. Feel free to add other stir fry vegetables like carrots, mushrooms, snow peas, baby corn, bird eye chilli, etc.
Cashew Nut: Crunchy roasted cashew nuts brings a rich nutty taste, which makes this dish very unique. We usually use unsalted raw cashew nuts and pan-roast with a bit of oil. You can also add ready roasted cashew nuts, roasted peanuts or almonds.
Dried Chillies: I usually use hot dried red long chilies, deseeded and cut into small pieces. Dried chillies has a smokey, spicy, sweet flavour which is ideal for this dish. You can also any of your favourite mild or hot dried red chillies.
Thai Stir Fry Sauce: Classic Thai stir fry sauce are salty, sweet, and savoury taste. To create this umami sauce you will need, light soy sauce, dark sweet soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and sesame oil. Add a dash of corn starch to thicken the sauce.
Dark thick soy sauce – Thai thick sweet soy sauce is ideal for this recipe, available in Healthy Boy, ABC, Lee Kum Kee brands. You can also use regular dark soy sauce or Kecap Manis ( Indonesian sweet soy sauce ).
Fish Sauce – is a liquid condiment used widely in Burmese, Thai, Lao, Vietnamese cooking, made from fermented anchovies or fish. The taste is salty, savoury, earthy and umami at the same time. You can add in many Asian soups, noodles and stir fry dishes. You can either substitute with light soy sauce or salt to taste.
How to make it
- In a small bowl, first combine all the sauce ingredients. Mix thoroughly, then set it aside. After gathering and preparing all the ingredients, dice the chicken into small pieces.
- The chicken pieces should then be marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, baking soda, corn starch, and sugar. Wait at least 15 minutes before starting. You can leave for an hour if you have more time.
- Cook the cashew nuts for two to three minutes over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crispy and golden brown. Then take the wok out and place it aside.
- Add a little oil to the wok and turn the heat to medium-high. Stir-fry the chicken pieces with the marinade for two to three minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove and reserve the pan.
- If more oil is required, add it to the remaining pan and heat it to medium-high. Add the onions and stir-fry for a brief period of time before adding the dried chillies. Then include the mushrooms, red peppers, and garlic.
- Reintroduce the cooked chicken to the wok, then add the sauce mixture. Toss thoroughly to evenly distribute everything.
- Turn off the heat and top with cashew nuts and spring onions once the sauce has thickened and become glossy. Combine ingredients thoroughly. Serve hot and right away alongside some plain rice or noodles.
Top Tips
- Avoid skipping the marinating step; corn starch and baking soda keep the meat soft and juicy.
- Because this is a dish that cooks quite quickly, prepare all the ingredients before heating the wok.
- To distribute ample heat to all components, use a big wok or pan.
- If you are cooking for a large group, do not overfill the skillet; instead, fry in batches.
- To keep your stir-fry from becoming soggy and wet, make sure to cook it over medium-high heat.
- Use the mild chilli or cut back on the dried chiles to adjust the level of heat. Deseed the chilies by cutting off the top and throwing the seeds out if you can’t handle too much heat. Instead of chopping the chile into little pieces, add it whole. You can also add fresh Thai birdeye chilies if you want your food quite hot.
THAI CASHEW CHICKEN
This 30-minute Thai Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry is really simple to make, delicious, and far superior to takeout. A lip-smackingly delicious, umami-packed sauce is swirled with tender chicken pieces, fresh vegetables, and toasted cashews.
My God, my God!
I’m not kidding when I tell that the first time I made this Thai Cashew Chicken, I licked the plate clean. And every time I succeeded after that, I did so without hesitation.
We have here:
- Tender and flavorful chicken pieces
- Roasted crunchy cashews
- Crisp bell peppers, onion, and spring onion
- An irresistible, lip-smacking tasty garlicky sauce!
Friends, this stir-fry that just requires one wok is ideal for busy weeknights!
Thai Cashew Chicken, also known as Gai Pad Med Ma-Muang Himmapan in Thai, is available in a variety of forms. It’s a traditional Thai dish that may be found in restaurants all around the world. Depending on who is cooking, different foods have different levels of sweetness, sourness, spiciness, and saltiness.
My recipe is deliciously sweet, salty, spicy, and barely tangy. The best part is that it goes incredibly well with a bowl of steaming steamed rice!
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Stir-frying is quick and simple to do. With preparation time included, the total cooking time is only 30 minutes.
- A straightforward marinade of just 3 ingredients makes the chicken pieces incredibly soft and tasty.
- Because soy sauce, fish sauce, and oyster sauce brought their umami game to the wok, the sauce is DAMN DELICIOUS. Tamarind paste also gives the sauce the ideal amount of acidity and balances off the sweet and salty flavors.
- Compared to the typical cashew chicken from takeaway, it is slightly healthier. During the first stage of chicken cooking, I’ve chosen to stir-fry the chicken rather than deep-fry it.
- The soft chicken chunks and crunchy bell peppers are well contrasted by the crunchy, toasted, and creamy cashews.
- When compared to takeout, it tastes a BILLION GAZILLION times better!
INGREDIENTS
A couple of quick notes on some of the ingredients first. (Full ingredient list and amounts are in the recipe card below.)
- Chicken: I used boneless and skinless chicken breasts. But boneless and skinless thighs or fillets will work too.
- Tamarind Paste: This sour and sweet Thai paste is also known as tamarind concentrate or puree. You can find this at your local Asian or Thai grocery store or purchase it online. Note that different brands will have varying levels of acidity. If yours is very sour, use less than the amount I’ve indicated. I use Talad Thai Tamarind Paste, which is made up of 70% tamarind and 30% water.
- Thai Dried Red Chilies: These flavorful chilies are quite spicy. Use as many or as few as you like depending on your heat level preference. You’re also welcome to use large Thai dried red chilies (which are milder) instead of the small hot ones that I’ve used. While you can eat these if you like, I don’t normally and just use them to flavor the dish.
- Fresh Red Chilies: I’ve used Bird’s Eye, but any small hot red chilies you can get your hands on will work. Again, use as many or as few as you like. Or you can omit the chilies entirely to make this dish mild.
- Unsalted Roasted Cashews: If you only have raw cashews on hand, you can roast them in the oven. Place on a parchment paper lined baking tray and bake for 5 minutes in a preheated oven at 350°F/175°C. Alternatively, you can sauté them for 1-2 minutes in a bit of oil before you fry the Thai dried red chilies. Transfer them to a paper towel lined plate using a slotted spoon to drain.
- Oil: Feel free to use vegetable oil, or any other neutral flavored oil that has a high smoke point.
HOW TO MAKE THAI CASHEW CHICKEN
Here’s a quick overview of how to make this easy stir-fry. (Full detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Prep:
- Slice the chicken breasts thinly into bite-sized pieces before marinating. Then combine and blend in a big bowl with the sweet dark soy sauce. For 15 to 20 minutes, set aside to marinate.
- Creating the sauce
- In a measuring cup or small bowl (for easier pouring), combine all the sauce ingredients. Set aside after fully combining.
- Get the fresh ingredients ready:
- Chop the red chilies, red and yellow bell peppers, spring onions, onion, and garlic. Rinse the Thai dried red chilies thoroughly, pat them dry, and then trim the stems off.
For the Thai Cashew Chicken:
- The dried red chilies should only be briefly fried in oil until they become fragrant and crisp up. Drain onto a platter covered in paper towels.
- Cook the chicken by giving the all-purpose flour a quick stir-fry with the marinated chicken. Oil the wok with extra oil. When the pan is hot, add the chicken and immediately distribute the pieces all around. Cook the chicken pieces thoroughly on both sides by stirring often. (Note: The pieces will initially be a little sticky, but as you stir-fry in the oil, they will become less sticky.) Wipe out the wok after transferring with a slotted spoon to a clean bowl.
- Cook aromatics: In a wok over high heat, heat the remaining oil. Then stir-fry the red chilies, onion, and garlic.
- Bell peppers in a stir-fry: Add the red and yellow bell pepper chunks and mix.
- Add cashews and dried red chilies and stir-fry everything in the wok to incorporate.
- When the sauce has somewhat thickened, add the chicken and continue tossing until everything is thoroughly covered.
- Add the spring onion and stir just long enough to incorporate before turning off the heat.
- Serve!
- Serve heated with warm steamed rice after transferring to a serving bowl or platter.
COOK’S TIPS
- When cooking the chicken at first, stir-fry continuously. The chicken pieces will become quite sticky from the flour and sauce. However, when the pieces stir-fry in the oil, they will gradually “unstick” from one another.
- When stir-frying the marinated chicken, take care not to burn it.
- Because it contains molasses, the sweet, dark soy sauce might burn if prepared in insufficient oil. Before adding the chicken, make sure the wok has at least two tablespoons of oil. Stir-fry the chicken often to prevent scorching.
FAQS
Can I make this vegetarian or vegan?
Use mock chicken or other imitation meat such as Quorn, or crispy pan-fried tofu. Also, use a vegan fish sauce, and a vegetarian mushroom flavored oyster sauce.
Can I make this gluten-free?
Use corn starch instead of all-purpose flour for the chicken. Also use a gluten-free soy sauce, gluten-free oyster sauce (or gluten-free vegetarian oyster sauce if making this veg), and a gluten-free kecap manis in place of the sweet dark soy sauce. Double check that your fish sauce is GF certified.
Can I make this ahead?
You can make the sauce a day in advance. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. However, I recommend preparing everything else just before cooking.
How long will leftovers keep?
This dish tastes best when eaten immediately after (or at least on the day of) cooking. However, leftovers will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days in a sealed airtight container. To reheat, microwave on high for 1 minute, stir, then microwave for another 1-2 minutes until hot throughout.
What to serve with Thai Cashew Chicken?
I serve this with warm steamed white rice. But for a healthier option, you can serve it with brown rice, cauliflower rice, or quinoa if you like.
FAQ
What to serve with Thai Cashew Chicken?
This dish perfectly goes well with a simple bowl of plain jasmine rice, egg fried rice, or noodles. You can also pair it with Thai Tom Yum Soup, Crispy Fried Wonton, or Thai Drunken Noodles and make it a perfect Thai banquet dinner.
What is the difference of Thai Cashew Chicken and Chinese Cashew Chicken?
Both dishes are very similar in general. Chinese cashew chicken is sweet and savoury in taste is usually made with chicken, cashew nuts, and bell peppers. The sauce consists of sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and Shaoxing Chinese cooking rice wine.
Thai Cashew Chicken is originally is a Chinese dish but in Thailand, Thai recreated with a spicy version of it with extra chillies and a splash of fish sauce. If you wish to make it a less spicy or kid-friendly version, you can omit the chillies.