An Easy Homemade Cashew Chicken Recipe (with asparagus)
Packed with vibrant flavors that hit all of the right notes, this easy, classic Chinese style Cashew Chicken stir fry is simple to change up if you want to swap in different veggies. Feel free to tweak the amounts of anything in the sauce if you like – make it yours!
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Chinese
- Method: Stir Fry
Ingredients
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- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons + 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 3 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 to 1.5 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips (about 1/2”)
- 1/4 cup avocado or vegetable oil, divided
- 3/4 cup cashews
- 1 bunch of asparagus, sliced into 1-inch pieces, woodsy ends trimmed and discarded
- 1/2 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 bunch scallions, sliced, white and green parts separated
- 5 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- Cooked Jasmine rice, for serving
Instructions
- To make the sauce, combine the vinegar, oyster sauce, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, the sugar, garlic powder, and 2 teaspoons of the cornstarch in a bowl. Stir until the cornstarch is dissolved and set aside for now.
- In another bowl, toss the sliced chicken with the remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon cornstarch.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add a couple tablespoons of cooking oil and, when it’s hot, quickly toast the cashews, asparagus, and sliced onion in the oil until the nuts are golden brown and fragrant; takes about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer everything to a plate for now.
- Add a little more oil to the pan if needed (the remaining oil will look golden now, which is fine). Cook the chicken until just golden brown (don’t mess with it); takes a couple of minutes. Add the scallion whites and the sliced garlic and stir fry until the chicken is totally cooked through; about 2 to 3 minutes more.
- Give your sauce a stir in the bowl and add it to the pan. Cook for a minute or two until the sauce is glossy, thickened a bit and nicely coats everything. Add the toasted cashews and asparagus back into the pan, toss to coat and combine and serve piled over cooked white rice.
Notes
- This recipe is an adaptation from Bon Appetit.