Easy Cashew Chicken

Cashew Chicken was never easier than this take-out fake-out. Laden with cashews, snow peas, and green onion, this Cashew Chicken is hands-free in the preparation and baked in the oven, making it a great weeknight quick fix.

Serve it atop Baked Rice and Quick Potstickers with Dipping Sauce for a fun Chinese-American-inspired dinner. You can stop eating out when you make take-out at home.

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We used to go to Panda Express almost on a weekly basis. It’s not far from our home, and if we ordered the “Panda Feast” and a couple small entrees, we really could let the kids “feast”.

Between high prices and food allergies, it’s just not in the cards. Thankfully, I can make Cashew Chicken just as easily at home. And for a mere fraction of the cost!

Why Make This

It’s good. This Cashew Chicken tastes just like what you might get at a Chinese-American take-out place. Next time the craving hits, this is the dish to make! Serve it with lots of hot cooked rice to soak up the yummy sauce.

It’s cheap. For less than $10 to feed four, this is a supreme bargain. The aforementioned feast is currently $30 at my local, so I can feed more people for about half the price.

It’s easy! This dish comes together in about 10 minutes, quicker if you use chicken tenders instead of chopped chicken. Mix all the elements and let it bake in the oven while you cook the rice and fry up some potstickers.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy, Sheetpan Cashew Chicken:

boneless, skinless chicken – I like to buy chicken breast, but if you prefer you can use thigh meat. Chicken tenders are super convenient. If you don’t want to chop the chicken, you can use them whole. Just adjust the baking time to suit.

snow peas – You can swap out the snow peas for any number of veggies, including celery, water chestnuts, broccoli, snap peas, celery, green beans, or chopped zucchini.

cashews – I like to use roasted unsalted cashews for best texture.

green onion – Green onions add a bit of fresh bite to Cashew Chicken.

chicken broth – You can use purchased or homemade chicken stock. In a pinch, feel free to substitute vegetable broth if that’s what you have.

soy sauce – You can use regular soy sauce or gluten-free tamari if you need to avoid gluten.

dry sherry – Dry sherry is a great substitute for rice wine that is often used in traditional cooking. You can use regular cooking sherry or a fancier bottle if that’s what you have.

cornstarch – Cornstarch helps thicken the sauce nicely, don’t omit it.

honey – Honey adds just enough sweetness to offset the soy sauce and sherry in the cashew chicken sauce.

garlic – You can use fresh or jarred garlic.

sesame oil – Sesame oil brings a lot of flavor. It can be a pricy ingredient, but you just need a little.

red pepper flakes – Red pepper flakes bring just a hint of heat to the sauce. You may adjust them to suit your preferences.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here’s how to make Cashew Chicken:

• Preheat the oven to 425. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a small dish whisk together the chicken broth, soy sauce, sherry, cornstarch, honey, garlic, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes.
• Lay the chicken pieces in the prepared pan. Add the snow peas, cashews, and scallions to the pan.
• Pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables in the pan. Stir gently to combine.
• Place the pan in the oven and bake until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened and bubbles, about 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if you like.

FAQs & Recipe Costs

Recipe Costs

Knowing how much it costs you to prepare a recipe can help you decide if it’s the type of recipe to make regularly or one you might want to save for special occasions. Let’s crunch some numbers and see how this recipe pencils out.

• chicken breast – $2.69
• snow peas – $2.68
• cashews – $0.74
• green onion – $0.40
• chicken broth – $0.15
• soy sauce – $0.20
• dry sherry – $0.28
• cornstarch – $0.02
• honey – $0.21
• garlic – $0.05
• sesame oil – $0.36
• red pepper flakes – $0.01

While your costs may vary depending on where and how you shop, you can expect to pay about $7.79 for a big batch of Cashew Chicken, about $1.95/serving.

More Take-Out Fake-Outs

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Easy Cashew Chicken

Cashew Chicken was never easier than this take-out fake-out. It's hands free in the preparation, making it a great weeknight quick fix.

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 296kcal

Author: Jessica Fisher

Equipment

• 9×13-inch baking dish
• large mixing bowl

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into cubes
• 1 9-ounce package snow peas
• ½ cup roasted and unsalted cashews
• 4 green onion chopped
• ½ cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce use gluten-free tamari if desired
• 2 tablespoon dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• toasted sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• Lay the chicken pieces in the prepared pan. Add the snow peas, cashews, and scallions to the pan.
• In a small dish whisk together the chicken broth, soy sauce, sherry, cornstarch, honey, garlic, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes. Pour this over the chicken and vegetables in the pan.
• Place the pan in the oven and bake until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened and bubbles, about 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if you like.

Notes

Nutritional values are approximate and are based on ¼ of the recipe. Refrigerate leftovers promptly and use within 4 days.

Sauce: If you like lots of sauce, double the sauce ingredients.

Chicken: I like to buy chicken breast, but if you prefer you can use thigh meat. Chicken tenders are super convenient. If you don’t want to chop the chicken, you can use them whole. Just adjust the baking time to suit.

Veggies: You can swap out the snow peas for any number of veggies, including celery, water chestnuts, broccoli, snap peas, celery, green beans, or chopped zucchini.

Double batch: If you want to make a double batch, use two 9×13-inch pans. You don’t want to crowd the pan as it will increase the cook time.

Nutrition

Calories: 296kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 750mg | Potassium: 729mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 866IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 3mg

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This post was originally published September 3, 2015. It has been updated for content and clarity.