Cashew Chicken and Broccoli

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. 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.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Family friendly:  Tasty chicken, broccoli and veggies served over hot steaming rice is a wonderful, healthy meal the whole family will love.
• Pantry friendly ingredients:  This recipe calls for simple ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry.
• Customizable: You can swap the chicken for another protein such as shrimp, pork or beef and use whatever veggies you have on hand.
• So flavorful! This dish is bursting with aromatic garlic and ginger along with a salty-sweet sauce that is addictive.
• QUICK and easy: Once you chop your chicken and veggies, your dinner will go from stove to table in 10 minutes!  

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 – The recipe will work fine with just broccoli but sweet bell peppers are abundant right now and add a lot of flavor to the dish. I used red bell peppers but you could use green bell peppers instead, or as well. 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 cashew nuts 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 fresh 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.
• 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.

How To Make Cashew Chicken and Broccoli

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.

Serving Suggestions

Our favorite way to serve this cashew chicken and broccoli is over white rice. Brown rice, or cauliflower rice would also make wonderful sides.

This stir fry is also delicious with ramen or rice noodles, or lettuce wraps if you’d like to keep the meal low-carb.

How To Store And Reheat

• To store: Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.

• To reheat in microwave: Place small portion in a microwave safe dish with a cover. Heat on high for one minute, stir then continue to heat at 30 second intervals for 1 to 2 more minutes. 
• To reheat on the stove: Reheat the cashew chicken and broccoli in a skillet over medium heat, stirring often until heated through.

Can I Freeze Cashew Chicken And Broccoli?

Yes, just keep in mind the broccoli and cashews will get a little soft. To freeze:

• Cool completely.
• Transfer to a freezer-safe container and an airtight container and freeze for 2 to 3 months. 
• Thaw in the refrigerator overnight then follow reheating instructions above.

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!