Cashew Chicken with rice and vegetables makes a perfect fakeaway meal prep option or an easy weeknight dinner. It's ready in under 30 minutes, easily customisable with your favourite vegetables and has this amazing savoury, very lightly spicey sauce that coats the whole dish. Plus you have some roasted cashews mixed in to give it a great crunch!
This is one of those meal prep recipes that I always go back to making when I don't know what to make. The sauce ingredients are pantry staples and you can easily mix-and-match the vegetables depending on what you have on hand.
I've also made this a couple of times for my gym's meal prep. One time was for 40+ people and I didn't even need marketing for it because one of the girls just sat next to me constantly recommending the dish. And she's one that doesn't like veggies so I'd say it's pretty good!
TL;DR
- Serves: 4
- Prep time: 10 Cook time: 20
- Meal prep: Balanced with chicken breast, rice and veggies!
- Fridge storage: 4 days in airtight containers
- Freezer storage: 3 months
- Reheating: microwave (2-3 minutes); stovetop (5-10 minutes)
- Customise: adjust the protein, use different vegetables and adjust sauce ingredients to your taste-buds.
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Why you'll love this recipe
Batch-friendly. I once made this for 40 people and it was hands-down the most requested dish!
Better than takeout. This stir fry is a fakeaway version of the Chinese favourite with lots of sauce (but with extra veg to make it meal prep friendly).
Chicken breast stir fry. I have lots of chicken breast stir fry recipes because they're easy and great for meal prepping like my black pepper chicken stir fry.
Ingredients
Vegetables. Choose your favourites. A recommended must is onion and garlic as these are flavour bombs. My favourites include zucchini, capsicum / bell pepper and carrot.
Corn flour / Corn starch. This is what will help the breast remain tender - plus, it helps thicken the sauce.
Mirin/Chinese cooking wine. This ingredient enhances the umami flavour in the dish. If you don't have either, a splash of dry sherry or vinegar can be used as a substitute.
Sesame oil. This adds to the nutty-ness of the dish, but you could use another oil as a substitute.
Sweet chilli. This is optional, but it does add a nice amount of sweet and spicy heat to the dish.
Unsalted roasted cashews. I use readily unsalted roasted cashews (unsalted because there's already lots of salt in this dish with the soy) because I'm lazy and don't want to roast raw cashews myself. If you do choose raw cashews, give them a little roast in the pan before the rest of the ingredients, remove and then add them in again later.
Please check the recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantity. See below for substitutions and variations.
Is this a Chinese or Thai cashew chicken?
Mine is not authentic to either cuisine as it's a bit of a cheats version, however it is inspired more by Chinese cashew chicken. Chinese-style typically has a generous savoury sauce while Thai cashew chicken tends to be a little drier and spicier with added chilli (I use sweet chilli with mine, rather than fresh chilli which adds to the sauciness).
This recipe is not intended to be traditional or restaurant-authentic - rather, it's my practical, meal-prep friendly take using ingredients that are easier to find in supermarkets.
Substitutions and variations
Chicken thigh. I have used both chicken breast and thigh previously and both work really well. The thighs are juicier, but contain additional fats; while the breast can dry out (I've given you tips to make it better) but are higher in protein. Adjust to your preferences.
Hoisin. This is a Chinese dipping sauce primarily but adds to the depth and intensity of flavours. If you don't have it or don't want to purchase ANOTHER Asian sauce, you can sub for soy sauce (it just will be slightly less flavourful).
Mirin/Vinegars. I've used mirin, Chinese cooking wine, white wine vinegar and white vinegar for this - I think I've even used lemon as well for something different. All have a similar purpose to balance the intensity of the soy and hoisin.
How to make cashew chicken
Step 1: Add chicken to a large bowl and add 1 tablespoon of the sauce and cornflour to the diced chicken.
Toss and let it marinade for 10 minutes.
The cornflour on the chicken creates a barrier that can help retain moisture during cooking, leading to a juicier and more tender chicken.
Step 2: Mix together sauce ingredients
Step 3: Heat up the oil in a large wok or large and deep pan on medium heat. Add onions and cook until fragrant (this will take approximately 3 minutes).
Step 4: Add the chicken and let the outside turn white (approx. 5 minutes)
Step 5: Then add the rest of the vegetables and give it a good mix for a couple of minutes until they have softened
Step 6: Add the sauce to the pan with the rest of the ingredients and allow it to come to a simmer. Then, reduce the heat and add ½ the cashews nuts into the chicken wok stir fry and stir.
Step 7: Serve over rice with the remainder of cashews
Lauren's Top Tips
Prep everything first. Getting the chicken sliced, veggies chopped and sauce ready means once the wok heats up, things move fast - this reduces mistakes and ensures the chicken stays juicy.
Don't overcrowd the pan. If you dump too much chicken or veg into the wok at once, you'll steam instead of stir-fry, and neither the chicken nor the veggies will get that desirable texture.
Meal prepping stir fry cashew chicken
Cashew chicken stir fry is a fantastic balanced Asian meal prep option because it includes a bunch of vegetables, a good amount of protein and carbohydrates from the rice. If you're looking to mix-and-match with other flavour-packed Chinese-inspired dishes, try my kung pao chicken or lemon honey chicken and rice.
If you're after a full Meal Prep with Cashew Chicken Stir Fry, I did it for Week 5, 2025 which includes a Downloadable PDF with 2 other recipes, a grocery list, and 4 options for an easy dinner.
Storing
After cooking, let the dish cool completely at room temperature for no more than 2 hours. If you pop the lid on when it's steaming hot, the veggies will go mush and the chicken can dry out.
I recommend placing the cashew chicken and rice next to each other, rather than on top, so the rice doesn't absorb all the sauce (see pictured above).
Store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheating
Stove. For the best texture and warmed-through consistency, reheat individual portions in a skillet over medium heat. Add a splash of water or broth to prevent drying out, stirring occasionally until heated through. You can do the rice this way too which will give them a bit of a crisp, or you can do this in the microwave.
Microwave. Before microwaving, add a drizzle of water over the sauce and rice. This will help it steam and loosen the sauce. Microwave on 1 minute intervals (for approx. 3 minutes) stirring each time to prevent uneven heating.
Freezing
I recommend freezing the cashew chicken and rice separately if possible, or at the very least with the rice on top. This will help prevent the rice from becoming mushy with the saucy sauce. For best texture, store for 3 months. It'll last up to 6 months though but some of the textures will diminish.
You can thaw in the fridge overnight and then reheat as normal above. Or you can pop the 2 cup souper cube (as pictured above) rice side down with a drizzle of water or ice cubes on a defrost cycle first, then once loosened, reheat normally.
Why I keep making this recipe
I originally developed this cashew chicken as a practical meal prep, but it has also been tested on a much larger scale. I made more than 40 serves for a local weightlifting competition and it sold out. One of the comments that stuck with me was that the sauce had completely changed someone's view of eating vegetables-which is a pretty good result from a tray of stir fry.
For home meal prep, you obviously do not need to make 40 servings. The recipe scales well, though, and the combination of chicken, rice and vegetables makes it particularly useful when you want several complete lunches from one cook.
If you want more meal prep information, check out my Meal Prep for Beginners post and my Meal Prep Basics E-Book.
FAQs
There are a few reasons: Overcooking - chicken cooks quickly so aim for golden outside and slightly opaque inside. Marinating or coating - using cornflour or a quick marinade helps keep the breast tender. Improper slicing - always slice chicken breast against the grain (shorter fibres?=?more tender).
Absolutely! Frozen vegetables are a convenient option for stir-fries. Just thaw or partially thaw them, drain excess water to avoid a watery sauce, and add them a little later in the cook time since frozen veggies tend to cook faster.
The cornflour may have settled at the bottom of the sauce mixture. Stir it again immediately before adding it to the pan, then allow the sauce to simmer briefly. It will thicken as it reaches a gentle boil.
Other chicken breast recipes
Or, you can have a browse through my Chicken breast meal preps for more delicious eats.
Recipe
Cashew Chicken Stir Fry with Rice
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Equipment
- wok, or large and deep pan
- Rice Cooker, optional
Ingredients
Ingredients (stir fry)
- 500 g (1 lb) chicken breast,
- 1 onion,
- 1 small zucchini,
- 1 bell pepper / capsicum,
- 1 carrots,
- 1 cup cashews
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil, (or other HIGH heat oil) (See Note 1)
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
Ingredients (sauce)
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce, (See Note 2)
- 3 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce, optional, adjust to spice preferences
- 3 tablespoon mirin or Chinese cooking wine , (subs Note 3)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced, (Subs Note 4)
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil, optional, (subs Note 4)
Rice (cooked your way or see my top tips)
- 1 cup jasmine rice , yields approx.3 cups
Instructions
Prepare ingredients
- Cook 1 cup jasmine rice as you desire or follow my instructions below or there's more in a specific post which includes different methods.
- Dice: 1 onion1 onionlice: 1 small zucchini, 1 bell pepper / capsicum, 1 carrots
- Dice: 500 g (1 lb) chicken breast (bite sized)
- Mix sauce ingredients together: 3 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp hoisin sauce, 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce, 3 tbsp mirin or Chinese cooking wine , 3 cloves garlic, 2 tsp sesame oil.
- Add 1 tablespoon of sauce and the 1 tbsp cornflour to the diced chicken. Toss and let it marinade for 10 minutes.
Cook stir fry
- Heat up ½ the oil in a wok or large pan on medium heat. Add 1 onion and cook until fragrant (approx. 5 minutes).
- Add the remainder of the oil and then the 500 g (1 lb) chicken breast. Allow the outside to turn white (approx. 5 minutes).
- Add the rest of the vegetables: 1 small zucchini, 1 bell pepper / capsicum, 1 carrots. Mix and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the sauce and allow it to come to a simmer (small bubbles), reduce heat to low and add half of 1 cup cashews. Stir.
Serve
- Serve the stir fry with the rice, garnish with the rest of the cashews.
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