Cashew Chicken and Vegetables makes a perfect fakeaway meal prep option or an easy weeknight dinner. This chicken stir-fry is easily customisable with your favourite vegetables and comes together in under 30 minutes. And the garlic sauce that sits over the cashews and chicken - NEXT LEVEL!
TL;DR
- 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.
Jump to:
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 your favorite - make sure to try my chicken pineapple fried rice and kung pao chicken next!
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
Chicken breast. 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.
Vegetables. Choose your favourites. A recommended must is onion and garlic as these are flavour bombs. My favourites include zucchini, 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.
Hoisin sauce. This will help enhance the overall dish, but if you don't want to buy a whole new bottle of sauce, extra soy will suffice.
Sweet chilli. This is optional, but it does add a nice amount of sweet and spicy heat to the dish.
Please check the recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantity. See below for substitutions and variations.
Substitutions and variations
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.
Serve over rice with the remainder of cashews
My 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 meal prep option because it includes a bunch of vegetables, a good amount of protein and carbohydrates from the 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 Cashew Chicken cool completely at room temperature for no more than 2 hours.
Transfer the portions to airtight containers or resealable bags. This prevents drying out and absorbing fridge odours. I recommend glass containers as this also prevents plastic leakage in the microwave.
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.
Microwave. Transfer a single serving to a microwave-safe bowl and heat on medium power on 1 minute intervals (for approx. 3 minutes), stirring each time. Be aware that microwaving can cause uneven heating.
Freezing
For optimal freezing and thawing, consider dividing the Cashew Chicken into individual serving sizes and keeping the rice and cashew chicken separate (this prevents the rice from going mushy from the sauce).
Although you can store with the rice on top and it will be almost as good (as shown above). Store for 3-6 months.
To thaw, place the cashew chicken with vegetables in the refrigerator overnight. If you freeze like I have above, you can put the rice on the bottom then add to the microwave on a defrost cycle and then reheat like normal.
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.
You can go with plain white rice, jasmine rice, brown rice or microwaveable rice pouches for convenience. If you're prepping ahead, keep rice separate until reheating to avoid it getting soggy from the sauce.
Other chicken breast recipes
Or, you can have a browse through my Chicken breast meal preps for more delicious eats.
Recipe
Stir Fry Chicken Cashew Nuts (with Rice and Vegetables)
Save Recipe?
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,
- 110 g (4 oz) cashews
- 10 g (2 teaspoon) sesame oil, (or other HIGH heat oil) (See Note 1)
- 5 g (1 tablespoon) cornflour
Ingredients (sauce)
- 45 g (3 tablespoon) soy sauce, (See Note 2)
- 45 g (3 tablespoon) hoisin sauce
- 20 g (2 tablespoon) sweet chilli sauce, optional, adjust to spice preferences
- 45 g (3 tablespoon) mirin or Chinese cooking wine , (subs Note 3)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced, (Subs Note 4)
- 10 g (2 teaspoon) sesame oil, optional, (subs Note 4)
Rice (cooked your way or see my top tips)
- 200 g (1 cups) jasmine rice , yields approx.3 cups
Instructions
Prepare ingredients
- Cook 200 g (1 cups) 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: 45 g (3 tablespoon) soy sauce, 45 g (3 tablespoon) hoisin sauce, 20 g (2 tablespoon) sweet chilli sauce, 45 g (3 tablespoon) mirin or Chinese cooking wine , 3 cloves garlic, 10 g (2 teaspoon) sesame oil.
- Add 1 tablespoon of sauce and the 5 g (1 tablespoon) 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 110 g (4 oz) cashews. Stir.
Serve
- Serve the stir fry with the rice, garnish with the rest of the cashews.
Leave a Reply