Sesame Cashew Chicken
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This Sesame Cashew Chicken recipe uses lean ground chicken and a 4-ingredient homemade sauce to unlock a flavorful meal. It takes just about 20 minutes and one skillet only. Paired with broccoli or edamame, rice, and plenty of extra sesame seeds, it’s one of my favorite easy lunches or dinners.
Quick, easy, delicious.
Cashew chicken is not exactly a revolutionary idea, but I love that this recipe makes it happen with quick-cooking ground chicken, veggies pan-fried in the same skillet, and a sauce made from just four ingredients. It’s quickly become a favorite both for family dinner — as is anything that prompts the children to request seconds — and for my own lunches, since the combo of chicken, cashews, and veggies keeps me satisfied all through the afternoon hustle.
This recipe follows a similar method as my popular ground beef and broccoli stir fry. Sauté broccoli, then whip up the sauce while the chicken browns for maximum kitchen efficiency. The sauce is relatively sweet, which certainly may explain why kids like it, but easy to adjust to taste. Let the sauce bubble around the chicken, toss everything together, and you have a delicious, semi-takeout-inspired meal ready in no time.
Ingredient & Substitution Notes
This is just an at-a-glance overview of the main things to grab. Find the complete list and amounts in the recipe card below.
- Broccoli. You can buy these pre-cut and washed, or a whole head; either way, just be sure the florets are chopped to a fairly small and even size for quick and even cooking. If you prefer for either timing or texture reasons, of course, you can use steam-in-bag broccoli and skip the step of cooking it in the pan.
- Ground chicken. You can use white meat or a mix. Freely substitute ground turkey for another option.
- Cashews. Our preference is roasted and lightly salted cashews, so as not to overwhelm, but use whatever you’ve got on hand.
- For the sauce: low-sodium soy sauce, brown sugar, toasted sesame oil, and Sriracha. We’re just using a hint of Sriracha for a shortcut to flavor and a tang; add more if you want real heat. Coconut aminos substitute well for the soy sauce. Coconut sugar substitutes well for the brown sugar, and you can replace up to half of either with honey or agave nectar.
Serving Suggestions with Cashew Chicken
Serve this simple chicken dish over rice, any kind, or alongside rice noodles. Sprinkle thinly-sliced green onions and a generous dash of toasted sesame seeds on top for extra flavor — the green onions give an extra crunch, too, on top of the bites with cashew.
I also love this dish with steamed, shelled edamame, which I most often buy frozen so it’s very easy to thaw and toss into bowls of this kind. All the usual veggies are also great additions to build an even more vibrant bowl: chopped bell peppers, shredded carrots, snap peas, etc. Any of these can be sautéed alongside the broccoli or just added to the bowls raw in the form of toppings.
How To Make Cashew Chicken with Ground Chicken
I’ve included a few step-by-step photos here to make this recipe extra easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Begin by giving the broccoli a quick pan fry in a drizzle of olive oil. If you plan to swap in edamame or a steamed vegetable, just skip this step.
Remove broccoli, then brown the ground chicken in the same skillet, together with a couple of cloves of minced garlic.
As the chicken browns, whisk together the sauce.
As soon as the chicken is fully cooked, pour the sauce on top and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until it’s as thick as you like.
Add cashews to the skillet and stir to coat with the sauce.
Return broccoli to the skillet if desired, and stir to coat the florets in sauce, as well. Of course, you also can just serve the broccoli on the side.
Pile generously over rice or noodles, with sprinkles of green onions for extra crunch and freshness, and toasted sesame seeds for a touch of warmth.
Tips & Tricks for Success
Sides first. If you’re making rice or noodles on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot, be sure to start it first.
Make enough. This recipe as written makes just enough to feed my family of 4, but note that one of my kids is a toddler and even my older son typically eats a light dinner. If you have hungrier mouths to feed, one pound of chicken might yield 3 or 2 generous servings only. Fortunately it’s very straightforward to double, and when in doubt, leftovers keep well.
Prep as you go. I realize a professional chef would approach this differently, but for the time-pressed home cook, I say: don’t worry about measuring out the sauce ingredients before you start cooking. In the case of this recipe, you will have time to do that as the chicken browns, and can save yourself a few valuable minutes by just getting the broccoli started, then prepping the rest.
Be flexible with the sauce. You can leave the sauce fairly thin, or let it bubble for a longer length of time to make it more syrup-y. Let your own preference be your guide. If you want it to really thicken up in a hurry, stir in a slurry of 1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 teaspoon cool water as the sauce bubbles around the chicken.
Storage & Reheating
This keeps and reheats very well. It’s ideal for meal prepping!
Storage: Extra portions keep very well for 3-4 days. Tuck everything together in any airtight container in the fridge. (The best glass meal prep boxes.)
Reheating: Warm in the microwave or over medium-low heat in a small saucepan. Add a very small splash of broth or water to loosen the mixture and minimize sticking, but only if really needed. You don’t want to dilute the sauce too much.
Related Recipes
- Ground Beef Bowls with Edamame
- Korean Ground Beef Lettuce Cups
- Honey Teriyaki Chicken
- Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry
- Sweet and Sticky Asian-Inspired Meatballs
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Sesame Cashew Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 3-4 cups broccoli florets see note
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce see note
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar see note
- 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2-3 teaspoons Sriracha
- 2/3 cup roasted cashews
- rice, edamame, green onions, sesame seeds serving options
Instructions
- Warm olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add broccoli and cook, tossing frequently, for 3-4 minutes, until it is vibrantly green with a tender-crisp texture. Remove to a plate and set aside.1 Tablespoon olive oil, 3-4 cups broccoli florets
- Add another small drizzle of olive oil if the skillet looks dry, then add ground chicken and garlic to the skillet. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until the chicken is browned, breaking it up into small pieces as you go.1 pound ground chicken, 2-3 cloves garlic
- While the chicken cooks, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, toasted sesame oil, and Sriracha in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. (I find that using just 2 teaspoons of Sriracha adds flavor but does not make it too spicy for my kids — use your best judgment here.) Whisk until smooth.1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce, 1/3 cup light brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 2-3 teaspoons Sriracha
- Pour sauce over the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes, until it thickens slightly. Season with salt to taste.
- Add cashews and toss to coat. Return broccoli to the pan, if desired, or just serve on the side.2/3 cup roasted cashews
- Serve right away over rice or noodles, with shelled edamame, thinly-sliced green onions, and sesame seeds as desired.rice, edamame, green onions, sesame seeds
Notes
- Broccoli: Chop into small, even florets so it cooks quickly and evenly.
- Brown Sugar: For a less-sweet sauce, scale back the sugar to 1/4 cup. You can also replace the brown sugar with coconut sugar, and/or replace up to half of the dry sugar with honey or agave nectar; I don’t find the sauce thickens as well with all liquid sweetener.
- Soy Sauce: I’ve successfully swapped up to half of the soy sauce with coconut aminos; there’s no reason substituting all of the soy sauce this way wouldn’t work, I just haven’t tried it yet personally.
- Timing: If you’re making rice on the stovetop or Instant Pot to accompany this meal, be sure to start it first, because the beef comes together extremely quickly and you don’t want to be waiting on the rice at the end.
- Yield: This recipe as written makes enough to feed my family of 4 with a tiny bit leftover, but note that one of my kids is a toddler and one typically eats a light dinner. If you have hungrier mouths to feed, this might yield 3 or 2 generous servings only.
