Thai cashew chicken is a small stir fry made with thin chicken thigh strips, onion, toasted cashews, and a concentrated savory sauce. Two hundred grams of chicken and half a cup of nuts make two servings with rice, rather than four full chicken portions. Prepare the sauce and every chopped ingredient before heating the pan. The final sauce should coat the food lightly, not form a large pool underneath it.
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Why This Recipe Works
Cooking the cashews first gives them color and lets you remove them before the hotter chicken stage. Thai cashew chicken then comes together quickly, with the nuts returned near the end to keep more of their texture. Separate white and green onion sections because they need different amounts of cooking.
Oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, and fish sauce provide a concentrated base. The three tablespoons water spread it around the pan before it reduces. Adding a large extra splash of soy to create more sauce would also add more salt, so follow the measured mixture first.
Ingredients for Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
Use two hundred grams, about seven ounces, boneless skinless chicken thigh sliced about one-third inch thick. Half a cup raw unsalted cashews is the specified starting point. Already roasted nuts need only a shorter warming stage, not the full raw-nut toast.
Thai cashew chicken uses a tablespoon oyster sauce, teaspoon dark soy sauce, two teaspoons fish sauce, teaspoon sugar, and three tablespoons water. The optional half red cayenne pepper is a fresh chile, not half a cup of ground cayenne. Rice is an accompaniment; prepare enough cooked rice for two plates separately, with its own cooking time.
Stir-fry base
- 2 tbsp peanut oil (or canola or vegetable oil)
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, unsalted (Note 1 for roasted)
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 onion brown, yellow, or white, cut into thin wedges
- 200 g chicken thighs, skinless and boneless, sliced into thin strips (about 7 ounces; slice into 1/3-inch strips)
- 2 green onions cut into lengths, white part separated from green part
- 1/2 pepper red cayenne, deseeded and finely sliced (fresh chile, not powdered cayenne; optional)
Sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce (Note 4)
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce (Note 5)
- 2 tsp fish sauce (Note 6)
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 3 tbsp water
Serving
- as needed cooked jasmine rice (for two servings; cooking time is separate)
- Red chili, finely sliced (optional garnish)
How to Make Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
Mix the oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and water in a small bowl. Slice the onion, chicken, and optional fresh chile, and keep the green onion whites apart from their green tops. Place a clean plate ready for the finished nuts.
Heat the oil in a wok or roomy skillet over medium heat. Toast the raw cashews for about three to five minutes, stirring and watching closely, then lift them out when golden. Raise the heat and briefly stir-fry garlic and onion until fragrant, taking care not to scorch the garlic.
Add the chicken strips and spread them across the cooking surface. Turn and stir until nearly cooked, then add green onion whites and optional chile. Keep cooking until the thickest chicken strips reach 165°F; surface color alone is not a reliable endpoint. Thin strips may cook quickly, but their actual thickness and pan heat matter more than a fixed two-minute promise.
Pour the sauce into thai cashew chicken and toss until it lightly coats the pieces and reduces, usually about a minute. Return cashews and green onion tops for a brief final toss. Serve immediately over separately prepared rice. If garlic or nuts start darkening too quickly, reduce the heat before continuing.
How to Serve
Serve thai cashew chicken as two plates with cooked jasmine rice or another accompaniment. This is a dry-style stir fry, so the bowl is not intended to supply a cup of sauce for the rice. Optional sliced fresh chile can be passed separately. Identify the nuts and seafood-based sauces when sharing the dish with others.
Storage
Refrigerate thai cashew chicken promptly in a covered shallow container and use within three to four days. Keep cooked rice in its own container and cool it promptly too. Reheat the stir fry gently to 165°F throughout; a small splash of water can loosen the coating. The cashews become softer after refrigeration and will not retain their original freshly toasted texture.
This version is adapted from RecipeTin Eats. Follow FoodSafety.gov cooking temperatures.
Tips and Variations
Prepare the ingredients first because opening sauce bottles while garlic is frying makes it easy to scorch the pan. Slice chicken evenly and give it room, using a larger skillet rather than piling the small batch into a narrow saucepan.
Thai cashew chicken made with already roasted nuts needs only a brief warm-through, about a minute or so. Taste the finished sauce before adjusting it; oyster and fish sauces differ in saltiness. A larger batch should be cooked in portions so the chicken can brown instead of releasing liquid into a crowded pan.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many portions does thai cashew chicken make?
This measured batch makes two servings with rice, using 200 grams chicken and half a cup cashews.
Can I use roasted cashews?
Yes. Warm them briefly instead of applying the full raw-cashew toast.
Is the cayenne ingredient powdered?
No. The half pepper is a fresh red chile, seeded and sliced, and can be omitted.
How do I check the chicken?
Use a thermometer in the thicker strips and confirm 165°F before serving.
Is rice cooking included?
No. Rice is a serving accompaniment prepared separately; the card time covers the stir fry.
More Recipes to Try
- Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
- Easy Sheet Pan Cashew Chicken Recipe
- Quick Cucumber Kimchi
- Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad
Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients
Stir-fry base
- 2 tbsp peanut oil (or canola or vegetable oil)
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, unsalted Note 1 for roasted
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 onion brown, yellow, or white, cut into thin wedges
- 200 g chicken thighs, skinless and boneless, sliced into thin strips about 7 ounces; slice into 1/3-inch strips
- 2 green onions cut into lengths, white part separated from green part
- 1/2 pepper red cayenne, deseeded and finely sliced fresh chile, not powdered cayenne; optional
Sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce Note 4
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce Note 5
- 2 tsp fish sauce Note 6
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 3 tbsp water
Serving
- as needed cooked jasmine rice for two servings; cooking time is separate
- Red chili, finely sliced optional garnish
Instructions
- Combine the five sauce ingredients. Prepare thin chicken strips, onion, optional fresh chile, and separated green onion whites and tops.
- Toast raw cashews in the cooking oil at moderate heat until golden, about 3–5 minutes, then remove. Roasted cashews need a much shorter warm-through.
- Briefly cook garlic and onion at higher heat, then stir-fry chicken. Add onion whites and optional chile as the meat cooks.
- Continue until thicker chicken strips reach 165°F. Add the prepared sauce and toss as it reduces to a coating.
- Return nuts and green tops for a final brief toss. Serve two portions with separately cooked rice.
