This Cashew Chicken and Broccoli is an easy stir-fry made with chicken, broccoli, and lots of crunchy cashews all tossed in a scrumptious salty-sweet, glazey sauce. A Chinese takeout inspired meal that is light and healthy yet packed with flavour. Definitely a must-try!
The mere mention of take-out cashew chicken immediately makes my mouth water. A long-time classic of Americanized Chinese restaurants, there is something about nuggets of tender chicken and vegetables with copious amounts of crunchy cashews coated in a sweet-salty sauce that I find completely irresistible.
Luckily, it’s a dish you can easily make at home and comes together in a flash. Serve it with white rice, or cauliflower rice for a meal that is healthy, filling, but not heavy. Hope you enjoy!
Cashew Chicken and Broccoli Recipe
This recipe comes together in the blink of an eye and is delicious. Essentially, this cashew chicken and broccoli recipe is a stir fry that I love making whenever I need to use up a lot of veggies from the market or from my fridge. It all cooks in one skillet and aside from a bit of chopping, it is pretty effortless.
Along with the chicken, this stir fry has lots of bright and crunchy broccoli, sweet red pepper, green onions, and toasted cashews. The addition of fresh garlic, shallots, and ginger is my holy trinity for making stir-fries taste super flavourful.
To complete the dish, the pan-seared chicken and veggies are then tossed in a very assertive, and quick to make sweet-salty sauce. Soy sauce, mirin, and sesame oil give us the craveable salty and tangy flavours, while a bit of sugar adds just enough sweetness to balance it all out. If you’d like a bit of heat, you can add a little chilli sauce or sambal oleck. So good!
Like all stir-fries, there is a bit of chopping involved. But like all stir-fries, once the chopping is done it all comes together in a flash. Perfect for any night of the week, or for when you’re craving a homemade meal that has all the delicious flavours of your favourite takeout. Serve this cashew chicken and broccoli with Jasmine rice, or this coconut rice, for a super satisfying and delicious complete meal.
Ingredients & Substitutions
If you don’t have all of the ingredients for this cashew chicken and broccoli recipe, don’t let that deter you. The beauty of stir-fries, is that they are highly customizable. In fact, I actually forgot to throw in the scallions when I was photographing this recipe. Still delicious. If you don’t like broccoli, use edamame. Just work within the general framework of this recipe, then substitute based on what you love, or have on hand.
For the stir-fry:
- Chicken – I used chicken breast but chicken thighs would be even tastier. If you’re looking for a little variation, the flavourful, salty-sweet marinade works well with beef, or tofu as well.
- Cornstarch – It helps the chicken brown, and the sauce thicken properly. You can also use tapioca flour, or arrowroot startch/flour.
- Broccoli florets – There is a lot of gorgeous broccoli at the Farmer’s market right now which inspired me to make this stir fry.
- Other vegetables – Sweet peppers are also abundant right now and they work beautifully in this cashew chicken and broccoli stir fry. That said, the recipe works fine with just broccoli, or feel free to use any other vegetable you like more, or have on hand. Snow peas would be nice. Carrots, edamame, green beans, sprouts, and mushrooms are among the many others you can use.
- Cashews – The star ingredient of this stir fry. I like to buy raw cashews and toast them myself with a little coconut oil and a tiny sprinkle of cayenne. I love this so much it’s a miracle any of them make it into the stir fry. If you buy roasted cashews, make sure they are unsalted or the stir fry will too salty.
- Shallot, garlic, and ginger – I’m not sure I’ve ever made a stir fry without garlic and ginger. I love the flavour of shallots here but regular onion also works just fine.
- Green onion – This is optional. I use it to garnish the dish and add a little more fresh flavour. (When photographing this recipe, I forgot to add them in).
- Cooking oil – To brown the chicken, I like to use avocado, or unrefined coconut oil. You can also use peanut oil.
For the sauce:
- Low-sodium soy sauce – Always try and buy a “naturally fermented” soy sauce. A naturally brewed, or naturally fermented soy sauce is made by a special fermentation process that typically takes about 2 years. A non-brewed soy sauce is produced in a matter of days by using mostly salt, water, and chemical colour. Fortunately you can find naturally brewed soy sauce at almost all supermarkets. Just check the label.
- Mirin – If you love Asian dishes, you should be stocking Mirin in your pantry. It’s a tangy rice wine that has been sweetened and adds a beautiful complex flavour to soy-based sauces. Most large supermarkets will carry it, and of course you can always find it at an Asian market. If you can’t find it, simply replace it with rice vinegar and a smidge more sweetener.
- Sesame oil – For adding more nutty, complex flavours to the dish.
- Sweetener – I used maple syrup but any sweetener will work.
- Sambal oleck, or garlic chili sauce – Optional if you like a bit of heat.
Cashew Chicken and Broccoli – Step by Step Instructions
Get the chopping out of the way, and this cashew chicken and broccoli dish is ready in 10 minutes or less. I never find there is enough time, or sauce, to cook the broccoli in the stir fry. Therefore, I like to steam it for just a minute or two in the same skillet that I use to make the stir fry.
Here is the step by step:
- Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside. Toast the cashews in a dry skillet (I use the same one I will be using for the stir fry) over medium heat until slightly golden for about 2 to 3 minutes. Watch them closely! Optional: Off the heat, add 1 teaspoon coconut oil and a few dashes of cayenne. Transfer the nuts to a plate or bowl, and set aside.
- Quickly steam the broccoli florets in the same skillet. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add the chicken mixture, and spread it evenly in a single layer. Cook the chicken, undisturbed, for 1 minute. Then stir-fry until the chicken is lightly browned but not quite cooked through, about 1 minute more. The important instruction here is to let the chicken sit undisturbed for a minute before starting to toss it. Do this and it will not stick. Note: When photographing this recipe, I accidentally over-browned the chicken and it was a little dry. The chicken needs only a little bit of colour so don’t overdo it.
- Shove the chicken to one side of the pan and add the shallot, red pepper, garlic, and ginger. Cook until slightly softened, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the steamed broccoli, cashews and sauce.
- Toss well to combine and allow sauce to thicken slightly. Serve with fluffy white rice, if desired.
Tips for Making This Recipe
- Use more oil. Depending on the pan you use, you may need a little more oil so the chicken doesn’t stick. A non-stick pan, for example will require a little less oil than a cast iron one, unless it is really well-seasoned.
- Don’t overcrowd the chicken. If you have a lot of chicken, you may need to brown in two batches. Otherwise the chicken will poach and not brown.
- Have all the ingredients prepped ahead. You’ve heard this before, I’m sure. But it’s important because stir fries need to come together fast or the ingredients get overcooked. Have all the veggies chopped, and sauce prepared before you start.
- Make some white rice, or other side, ahead. Again, the stir fry will come together fast so make sure whatever side you are serving it with has been made ahead of time.
More Delicious Stir Fry Recipes To Try
- Black Pepper Chicken Stir Fry
- Tofu and Bok Choy Stir Fry
- Soba Noodles with Shitake Mushroom Stir Fry
If you give this Cashew Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry recipe a try, please feel free to leave a comment and/or a star rating below. We appreciate and welcome all your feedback. Thank you!
Cashew Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, or thighs cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch or substitute arrowroot powder
- 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup, or sugar
- 1 tablespoon mirin, or rice vinegar
Sauce
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup, honey, or sugar
- 3 tablespoons mirin or unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup chicken broth, or water
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Cashews
- 2/3 cup raw cashews or unsalted roasted
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil optional
- pinch of cayenne pepper optional
Stir Fry
- 1 large head of broccoli cut into florets about 4 cups
- 1 1/2 tablespoons neutral oil (I use avocado)
- 1 medium shallot (or 1/4 of 1 small onion) thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated, or minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce, or sambal oleck optional
- 1 bunch green onions about 6 medium thinly sliced, optional
- Cooked Jasmine, or other rice for serving
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine chicken, cornstarch, soy sauce, maple syrup, and mirin (or rice vinegar). Let sit while preparing other ingredients.
- Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, lightly toast the cashews, tossing constantly, until fragrant and golden brown, about 3 minutes. If using, add the coconut oil and cayenne, toss to combine and transfer to small plate.
- To the same skillet, add 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli florets and cover. Cook until broccoli is just slightly tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Dry the skillet with a paper towel, if necessary. Heat the skillet over high heat and add 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Once oil is shimmering, add the chicken pieces to the pan, spreading them out in a single layer. Cook the chicken, undisturbed, for 2 minutes. Then stir-fry until the chicken is lightly browned but not quite cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Reduce heat to medium and shove the chicken to one side of the pan. Add the shallot, red pepper, garlic, and ginger and cook until they are fragrant and slightly softened, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the steamed broccoli, cashews, and sauce and toss to coat. Allow sauce to thicken slightly, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Immediately transfer everything to a large platter or bowl. Garnish with sliced green onions, if using, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Use more oil. Depending on the pan you use, you may need a little more oil so the chicken doesn't stick. A non-stick pan, for example will require a little less oil than a cast iron one, unless it is really well-seasoned.
- Don't overcrowd the chicken. If you have a lot of chicken, you may need to brown in two batches. Otherwise the chicken will poach and not brown.
- Have all the ingredients prepped ahead. You've heard this before, I'm sure. But it's important because stir fries need to come together fast or the ingredients get overcooked. Have all the veggies chopped, and sauce prepared before you start.
- Make some white rice, or other side, ahead. Again, the stir fry will come together fast so make sure whatever side you are serving it with has been made ahead of time.
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