This post Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry has been updated in 2022.
Although Thai Cashew Chicken may not be as saucy and delicious as Chinese Cashew Chicken it has big flavour. The chicken and cashews are coated in a bold Thai stir-fry sauce. You can add as much or as little fresh chili as you like.
This is a great Thai food favourite that’s incredibly quick to make.
Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
Stir fries with cashews are a favorite in Asia, and the Thai version is the best. The Thai version, unlike Chinese Cashew Chicken that is rich in sauce, is a more dry style stir fry. The sauce flavour is stronger. So you don’t need nor do you want Use a lot of sauce to soak your rice. There’s plenty of flavour coating the stir fry ingredients that stains and flavours the rice when you mix it through.
This is a truly amazing thing. You wouldn’t believe anyone would be able to see this kind of goodness. “It doesn’t look like there’s enough flavour in that,”… Right? 😂
What is Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry?
Here’s what you need for this Thai stir fry with chicken:
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Cashews – The nuts are actually the star ingredient in this stir fry! They provide texture, flavour, as well as nutty richness to this stir fry. It’s best to use raw so they get toasted freshly in the wok (or skillet) for maximum flavour development. It takes about 3 minutes. If you only have roasted cashews, that’s fine too. Just toast them lightly for around 90 seconds, they don’t need to be as fully cooked.
Be sure to use whatever you use unsalted cashews. Salted cashews can make this dish too salty.
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Chicken – Thigh is best, for the juiciest and most flavoursome chicken pieces. You can also tenderize breast in a Chinese restaurant, which will make it more tender and juicy. If you’ve never done it before, it will blow your mind – it’s a simple trick yet a total game-changer!
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Garlic and onion – Essential aromatics. It’s hard to find a stir fry in my world that doesn’t start with these two!
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Green onion – For freshness and colour;
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Chilli – For a hit of spiciness. 100% optional;
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The sauce – Here’s what you need:
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Oyster sauce – This packs a ton of umami as well as acting as a the thickener for this Thai Stir Fry Sauce. You can use vegetarian oyster sauce, if you prefer;
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Dark soy sauce – The most intensely-flavoured soy in the soy sauce family, and just a tiny amount packs a serious flavour punch. It can also stain foods with a beautiful mahogany color.
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Fish sauce – Fish sauce is used in Thai cooking like soy sauce is used in Chinese cooking, ie. It is used as a primary seasoning. Although it may have a strong smell, it can be very tasty. funky straight out of the bottle, once it’s cooked it is completely transformed. It brings out the best in flavour and complexity to any dish. The end result is free from any fishy flavours!
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How to make Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
Like all stir fries, you can start cooking quickly once the process begins. When making stir fries, it is important to have all ingredients ready and prepared. Also cook the jasmine rice beforehand – it takes longer to make than this stir fry!!
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Sauce – Mix the sauce in a small dish;
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Cashews – Start by cooking off the cashews. It will take approximately 3 minutes to cook the cashews if you use raw cashews, which I highly recommend for better flavor. They will change from a pale cream colour to deep golden brown, and they should be crunchy (yep, you’re gonna have to try one to check!🤷🏻♀️).
Cashews that have been roasted are ready to be toasted. You will only need to toast them for about 1 1/2 minutes to bring out the flavour.
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Remove the cashews in the skillet / wok. Reserve the oil – we will use that to cook the stir fry;
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Stir fry! – As with all stir fries, we add ingredients in the order it takes to cook.
The aromatics, garlic and onion are the best starting ingredients. Just tossed for 30 seconds is all that’s needed to get them started and to flavour the oil. Next, place the chicken in.
Once the chicken is cooked, add the white parts of the green onion (ie. The thicker section at the base is the stem. Add the chilli. Because it takes more time to cook, we prefer to add the white parts of the green onion before the softer part. Cook for a further minute, and by this time everything that’s currently in the wok should be almost cooked through.
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Sauce – Next, the sauce. Pour the sauce in and continue cooking for about 1 minute, or until it reduces to a syrupy consistency.
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Cashews and green onion – And finally, toss the green part of the green onions in, plus the cashews. Give it a toss for around 20 – 30 seconds which is all that’s needed for the green onion to wilt slightly.
And you’re done! You’re done! It took 8 minutes. It was quick, I said!!
Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry: What to Serve
Jasmine Rice, the traditional rice of Thailand, has a beautiful, subtle scent that makes it stand out from plain white rice. Though really, any kind of rice will work just fine here – brown, white, basmati, jasmine, and for those of you on a low-carb bender, Cauliflower Rice.
I’d also add a simple side salad just to up the vegetable quota. A quick Asian Side Salad is a staple for me (that’s code for “an easy dressing that goes with any vegetables”), Smashed Cucumbers is another personal favourite I obsessively inhale all year round, along with Chang’s Crunchy Noodle Salad (Australia’s favourite salad!).
There is my second choice, which works with almost anything: the classic Asian Sesame Dressing. Use this for any vegetables – raw, roasted, steamed, blanched. You just can’t go wrong with it! – Nagi x
How to make it
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Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
Thai Cashew Chicken can be prepared in a dry-style stir-fry, so you don’t need as much sauce as with Chinese Cashew Chicken. However, the flavor is more intense and you won’t need or want any more sauce.
SPICINESS: You get a nice buzz from 1/2 of a fresh chilli. It is not too spicy.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Peanut oil (or vegetable oil or canola)
- 1/2 Cup raw cashews , unsalted (Note 1, for roasted).
- 1 Clove of garlic Finely minced
- 1/2 Onion Cut into thin wedges (brown, yellow or white).
- 200g/7oz Chicken thighs Cut into thin 1cm strips (Note 2), skinless and without bones
- 2 Green onions , cut into 2.5cm / 1” lengths, white part separated from green part
- 1/2 red cayenne pepper Deseed and cut diagonally (omit or reduce if desired)
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:
- Red chilli Finely sliced (optional garnish).
- Jasmine rice Serve with other types of rice
Instructions
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Sauce: In a small bowl, combine all Sauce ingredients.
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Make cashews at home In a large skillet or wok, heat oil on medium heat. Cook cashews for 5 minutes, or until they turn a deep golden brown colour and become crunchy. You might need to try one! With a slotted teaspoon, remove the skillet from heat.
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Garlic & onion: Turn heat to high. Add garlic and onions. Cook for 30 seconds.
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Chicken: Add chicken. Cook for about 1 minute or until the chicken is cooked through.
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White part of green onion & chilli: Add the white portion of the green onions and chili. Cook the chicken until just cooked through.
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Add Sauce Allow the syrup to reduce for one minute and coat the chicken well.
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Green onion & cashews: Add the green portion of cashews and green onion greens. Mix for 30 seconds.
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Serve: Transfer to the serving dish. Serve with jasmine rice (or other rice choice) and garnish with extra red chilli (if necessary).).
Notes on Recipes
Salted cashews are not recommended as they can make the dish salty.
2. Chicken – Thighs will yield a juicier result than breast. Breast will work fine. Try tenderizing your breasts the Chinese way. It makes your breasts feel much more tender and delicious! It’s not necessary to do this for the thigh.
3. Chilli – A golden rule is the larger the chilli, the less spicy it is (usually!) I’ve used large red cayenne pepper here which is not that spicy but still has a decent kick to it. You can adjust the amount of chilli you use. If you want spicier, consider using Thai birds-eye chillis – BOOM! 🙂
4. Oyster sauce – This can be substituted with vegetarian oyster sauce, sold in some large grocery stores. It’s actually not bad (no offence to veggo’s)!
5. Dark soy sauce – This soy has a more intense colour and flavour than light soy and all-purpose soy. It gives chicken a mahogany-colored color. The dish’s colour and flavor will be less good if you use all-purpose or light soy. Here are some more details about soy sauces, including what to sub for them.
6. Fish sauce – Fish sauce is a traditional ingredient in Thai cooking, and has more complex flavours than soy sauce. Although the flavor will be stronger, you can substitute more soy sauce. (The oyster sauce still goes some way to compensate if you don’t use fish sauce, as it too is packed with umami!).
7. More rice options:
- Plain white rice
- Brown rice
- Cauliflower rice
- Thai Fried Rice
- Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
8. Storage – Leftover stir fry will keep for 4 days in the fridge. It’s good for a long time! It freezes well, too.
9. NutritionEach serving, non-refrigerated
Nutrition Information:
Thai Stir Fry & Noodle Favourites
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