Baked Cashew Chicken

Better than takeout and so simple, this Baked Easy Cashew Chicken Recipe is the perfect weeknight dinner. A favorite chicken stir fry recipe made in one pan with fresh veggies and a delicious sauce. Easy to make in advance and pop in the oven just before dinner, a dinner the whole family will love!

Getting dinner on the table for the family is always a challenge. I just don’t always have the energy to do it at the end of a hectic day.

I love prepping this super easy baked cashew chicken recipe in the morning and then just popping it right in the oven just before dinner. It’s a simple, flavorful meal that helps me manage my time in a better way and prep when I have the energy!

Homemade cashew chicken is not tricky at all with this recipe!

If you are up for a stir fry instead, try this Ground Turkey Teriyaki Stir Fry, Peanut Mango Chicken Stir Fry or Ground Beef Teriyaki!

Why You Will Love This Easy Cashew Chicken Bake:

• It’s so easy to make. The beauty of this recipe is how quick and simple it is to whip up. You just have to toss the sauce with the other ingredients and bake. In no time you have tender veggies, juicy chicken and crunchy cashews to spoon over minute rice (for another quick option!)
• Veggie packed. Broccoli and peppers, but you certainly don’t have to stop there! You could add some snap peas, mushrooms, and more! This is a great recipe for adding in vegetables and more goodness. Oh and water chestnuts are amazing in this recipe as well!
• A great option for meal prepping. If you are a Sunday or Monday meal prepper, this one is great to have on hand. You can bake this easy cashew chicken recipe up and then portion it out into meals for the week. Or you can prep it all in the morning and bake just before dinner for another easy meal prep option.
• Freezer friendly. I have frozen this as individual servings with rice to sort of make my own microwaveable frozen meal. As long as you put it in a freezer safe, airtight container, you should be good for 3 months!

What you will need to make this recipe:

• chicken: boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces. I considered using chicken thighs in this easy cashew chicken recipe, but opted for chicken breast because my husband isn’t a huge fan of thighs. You could use chicken thighs if preferred. Cooking time may vary slightly so check the internal temperature at 15 minutes and adjust from there.
• broccoli: a large head of broccoli or 2-3 broccoli crowns. You could technically use frozen broccoli florets if that’s what you have on hand, but I prefer the fresh broccoli.
• bell pepper: I use red bell peppers in this easy baked cashew chicken recipe. I like the sweetness and the extra pop of color. You could really opt for any bell pepper of choice.
• green onion: sliced green onions, whites included. You can adjust the amount of onion to your taste if 4 seems too much.
• cashews: For best results, use whole cashews, unsalted. They can be roasted or raw, I prefer to lightly toast them for extra flavor and crunch.
• rice for serving: it’s up to you how you serve this recipe. You can serve it over brown rice, white rice, cauliflower rice. It will also serve beautifully as lettuce wraps if desired!

For the sauce:

• soy sauce: only just now realizing it’s not pictured in this image. But also wanted to mention that if you need gluten free, opt for tamari instead. Coconut aminos work as well if you cannot have soy. I prefer low sodium soy sauce, but use what you have on hand!
• broth: low sodium chicken broth or you could also use stock if desired.
• sugar: I use brown sugar but also will sometimes use honey to add a different flavor to the sauce.
• hoisin sauce: a thick, sweet yet savory sauce that will help give some thickness to the sauce in this recipe as well as a nice tang.
• rice vinegar: adds a nice layer of flavor to the sauce. If you don’t have any, apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar can be substituted.
• sesame oil: another flavor enhancer as this is what stir fries are typically cooked in.
• ginger: use freshly minced ginger for the very best flavor. Ginger powder is just not the same. I have used the bottled minced ginger when the grocery delivery sent it and it was not nearly as flavorful.
• garlic: same as for the ginger, freshly minced is ideal
• corn starch: this is what will thicken the sauce up as it bakes. I add a tablespoon to the recently updated recipe with more sauce, but you can add a touch more if it doesn’t come out thick enough for your liking.
• red pepper: we like a slight spicy kick to this recipe, and sometimes I add 1/2 teaspoon instead of the 1/4 teaspoon. Add to your liking and you can always add more later when serving.
• black pepper: freshly cracked pepper
• salt: this is totally up to you, salt it to your liking. I usually just add a couple cranks of sea salt
• sriracha: another great way to give the baked cashew chicken a nice kick. Certainly optional if you don’t want the spiciness.

How to make this recipe:

1. Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Combine veggies, chicken and cashews in an oil sprayed 9×13 inch baking pan. I like to season my chicken with a bit of salt, pepper and garlic powder for extra flavor. This is optional!
3. Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken mixture. Toss well to allow sauce to coat chicken and veggies.
4. Pour ingredients into lightly greased 9×13 baking dish. Pop the easy cashew chicken in the oven and bake!

Possible Substitutions or Variations:

• Are you allergic to cashews? Don’t like them? Feel free to switch up the nut then. Lightly toasted almonds would be a delicious option to add in instead of the cashews.
• If you want to adjust the veggies, feel free to do so. Some zucchini, pea pods, maybe even some mukimame. The more the merrier!
• Arrowroot powder is a simple substitution for corn starch. I have used it several times in other recipes and works great to thicken sauces!

Is this Cashew Chicken Gluten free?

Most cashew chicken recipes have soy sauce which contains wheat, so it’s not always easy to have it at a restaurant as gluten free. Some restaurants are more accommodating than others.

If you make it at home, you can use Tamari instead of soy sauce and then your baked cashew chicken will be gluten free!

I know living with allergies can be difficult for so many, –hope this helps!

Other Recipes To Try:

• PARMESAN CRUSTED CHICKEN SHEET PAN DINNER
• MOZZARELLA STUFFED CHICKEN WITH TOMATO AND BASIL
• BAKED ORANGE CHICKEN SHEET PAN DINNER
• EASY CHICKEN STUFFED POBLANO PEPPERS
• CHICKEN WITH MANGO SALSA
• HONEY LIME BAKED CHICKEN FAJITAS
• PEANUT MANGO CHICKEN STIR FRY

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