Thai Cashew Chicken
Thai Cashew Chicken is popular Thai dish that is super easy to make and a real delight to eat! This offers a sauce with so much depth of flavor that very little is needed to be done to the rest of the meal. It shines though as the star of the dish. Add some vegetables and Jasmine rice, and you have a meal that your will want you to make over and over!
Thai Restaurants Everywhere
Where I lived in New Jersey there were all kinds of ethnic restaurants everywhere. There were Portuguese, Cuban, Ethiopian, Indian, Thai, and so many more. I loved exploring the various cuisines and trying a variety of foods. There was no end to the different meals to try. I also lived right outside New York City, so the possibilities were endless.
When I had to relocate to Florida for family, the quality and variety of restaurants plummeted almost to oblivion in the area I landed in. Going form NYC to an extremely rural area was quite the change. So, I was shocked out of my head when I heard of this Thai restaurant just 15 minutes away. This place is amazing! It is just as good as the ones from NJ and NYC. No joke! Then I found a few more. I couldn’t believe there are good Thai restaurants everywhere!
Thai Cashew Chicken
Thai Cashew Chicken is a classic Thai dish with vegetable, floured chicken, and a soy/fish based sauce served with jasmine rice. The local Thai restaurant adds in a bunch of veggies like broccoli, snow peas, and red bell peppers along with water chestnuts. I like to keep mine a little more simple, but you can add a variety of vegetables if you’d like.
What Ingredients Go in Thai Cashew Chicken?
Chicken
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
- Canola Oil
- All- Purpose Flour
- Cashews
- Banana Peppers
- Carrots
- Sweet Onion
- Green Onions
- Fresh Garlic
- Thai Chilies
Sauce
- Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- Chicken Stock
- Oyster Sauce
- Fish Sauce
- Sesame Oil
- White Sugar
- White Pepper
Ingredient Notes
Thai Chilies – also known as Bird’s Eye Peppers, these chilies add flavor and heat. My simple heat meter is 2-4-6-8.
Mild – 2 minced chilies, seeds removed; Medium – 4; Hot – 6; Thai Hot – 8
Soy Sauce – I use low sodium soy sauce because a few of the other elements have a lot of salt in them.
Cooking Instructions
Important – There is one very important note to be sure to pay attention to. Cooking whole Thai chili peppers or any hot pepper gives off fumes that will take your breath away. So you can only cook them for a minute. So you have to pay attention to this.
They also have a tendency to burst open and fly off wildly. As the gasses build, the sides burst out.
So, toss them in, stir them around, and take them out after 1 minute. You have nothing to worry about if you follow this instruction.
Chicken
Heat 1/4 cup of canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. First, add the Thai chili peppers and cook for 1 minute only. *See Note Above!*
Add the cashews and toast for 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Next, put in the banana peppers, carrots, and onions. Saute for 3-5 minutes until soft. Remove and set aside.
While the vegetables are cooking, place the chicken in a mixing bowl and lightly season with salt and pepper. Add the flour and coat chicken well.
After removing the vegetables, add the remaining canola oil and the chicken. Cook until done, about 5-7 minutes, stirring often. While the chicken is cooking,
Add in the garlic, green onion tops, and minced Thai chilies. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
Return to the pan the cashews, the vegetables, and the chilies.
Pour the sauce over everything and cook until the sauce thickens and coats everything well.
Serve with jasmine rice. Garnish with the whites of the green onions.
Sauce
Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl – chicken stock, soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, white pepper, and sesame oil. Use a whisk to mix well and set aside until needed.
Pro Recommendations
Anolon Advanced skillets are my favorite skillets to use. They are not a sponsor, but I absolutely love them. To be honest, I use their 14 inch skillet pretty much everyday. It’s a workhorse! Most of the food I cook in it gets served right in the pan. It has an extra handle that makes it great for transporting to the table. If you have 4 or more in your family, I would say this is a must have! It’s been worth every penny!
Other Amazing Recipes That You’ll Love!
Thai Yellow Curry Chicken and Vegetables
Thai Red Curry Seasoning Blend & Paste
Thai Cashew Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1-1.5 pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, cut in bite size pieces
- 1/2 cup Canola Oil, divided
- 1/4 cup All- Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Cashews, unsalted
- 1/2 cup Banana Peppers, sliced thin
- 1/2 cup Carrots, sliced thin
- 1 medium Sweet Onion, sliced
- 4 Green Onions, cut green tops in 1-2 inch slices and cut white on a diagonal for garnish
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Garlic, minced (about 3-4 cloves)
- 2 Thai Chilies, deseeded and minced.
- 1/4 cup Thai Chilies (Bird's Eye Chilies)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Sauce
- 1/4 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 1/4 cup Chicken Stock
- 2 Tablespoons Oyster Sauce
- 2 teaspoons Fish Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
- 1 teaspoon White Sugar
- 1 teaspoon White Pepper
Instructions
Chicken
-
Heat 1/4 cup of canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. First, add the Thai chili peppers.
Important! - You can only heat them for about a minute. Otherwise, the fumes they give off will make you cough and the peppers will begin to pop and jump wildly. So, toss them in, stir them around, and take them out after 1 minute.
-
Add the cashews and toast for 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.
-
Next, put in the banana peppers, carrots, and onions. Saute for 3-5 minutes until soft. Remove and set aside.
-
While the vegetables are cooking, place the chicken in a mixing bowl and lightly season with salt and pepper. Add the flour and coat chicken well.
-
After removing the vegetables, add the remaining canola oil and the chicken. Cook until done, about 5-7 minutes, stirring often. While the chicken is cooking,
-
Add in the garlic, green onion tops, and minced Thai chilies. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
-
Return to the pan the cashews, the vegetables, and the chilies.
-
Pour the sauce over everything and cook until the sauce thickens and coats everything well.
-
Serve with jasmine rice. Garnish with the whites of the green onions.
Sauce
-
Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl - chicken stock, soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, white pepper, and sesame oil. Use a whisk to mix well and set aside until needed.
