I love this Paleo cashew chicken recipe because it's so, so easy - and so fast. And so good. And it tastes good, no matter what diet you are on. I've made it for people that aren't on any diet and they love it.
This Clean Eating quick & easy cashew chicken recipe is all made in one pan and our whole family loves it. I mean who doesn't love cashews? I often make this easy cashew chicken recipe for my family of six. I love it because it's comforting, yet light and flavorful at the same time.
A few weeks ago my brother and sister were over and they were trying to figure out if they wanted to go out to eat or make dinner. They were in a hurry, so they just wanted to grab something fast. I told them I could have this recipe made before they could go to fast food and back.
They didn't believe me, but I proved them wrong. I totally had it ready for them in 20 minutes, from start to finish. And they loved it and even asked for the recipe.
My favorite part of this dish is the cashews. I often put way more than I'm supposed to. They are just so good and I love the crunch and saltiness from the cashews. I also love how the onions soak up the sauce and you get a really nice flavor-packed bite whenever you get an onion.
My children love it because it's a little sweet and I love that they eat their veggies when they eat this. I mean, I'm not going to lie and say every one of my children eats every one of the veggies in this dish, but most of them do - and the ones that don't are at least exposed to them and spend forever picking them out and give them to me so I'll have more veggies.
Just to warn you, this recipe doesn't taste exactly like what you will get at a Chinese restaurant. It's simplified and Americanized. I think you will be pleasantly surprised though at how delicious it actually is though.
Tips
- Some people are commenting it takes longer than 20 minutes to cook and I can tell by your photos than in general you are #1 - not heating up the pan for long enough before putting your chicken in it or #2 not heating it on high enough of a temperature.
- Remember that you are trying to get a nice, crunchy batter on your chicken like a chicken nugget or like they get in Chinese restaurants and you can't get that if you are sauteeing your chicken on low heat. It will also take a lot longer and the batter won't stick to the chicken.
- I often leave out the red and green bell peppers if I don't have them or don't feel like cutting them up or eating them and it tastes fine without them.
- I personally don't think the onions are optional. I LOVE how they soak up the sauce and the flavor they give the dish.
- This recipe goes faster and smoother if you pre-prep everything because it cooks up fast and if you don't have the next step ready, you could easily burn it. At a minimum, look ahead while cooking and make sure you have the next step prepped before you go off and put laundry in, or something like that. (Um. . . just a wee bit of personal experience with this advice. In fact, this is a good meal not to leave the kitchen at all while it's cooking. Trust me. This sauce when it's burnt is not the best . . .)
- Oh, another thing from personal experience is to make sure you use a non-stick skillet so the breading doesn't stick to the pan. I'm sure a Wok would be great too.
- The recipe calls for coconut aminos, which are the best for this recipe. But when I don't have those, I use balsamic vinegar and quite like it. If you aren't on any particular diet, soy sauce works well too.
Please let me know if you make this healthy cashew chicken recipe and if you make any changes or substitutions to the recipe.
Recipe
20-Minute Paleo Cashew Chicken Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Paleo
Description
This cashew chicken recipe only takes 20 minutes to make and is sweet and tangy with a crunch from the cashews. I love how it uses ingredients I already have. My children love this Paleo chicken!
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 tablespoons Coconut Oil (divided)
- 2 pounds Chicken Tenders (cut into cubes)
- 3 tablespoons Arrowroot Starch * (or cornstarch if you don't do Paleo)
Vegetables
- 2 Red Bell Peppers (cut into strips)
- 1 Green Bell Pepper (cut into strips)
- 1 Onion (cut into thick cubes)
Sauce
- ½ cup Coconut Aminos * (or balsamic vinegar or soy sauce if you don't want it to be Paleo or Clean)
- 2 tablespoons Coconut Vinegar * (or any white vinegar)
- 1 teaspoon Garlic
- 1 teaspoon Ginger (or ½ teaspoon ground ginger)
- ⅓ cup Maple Syrup *
- ¼ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- ½ teaspoon Real Salt *
Last Minute
- 1 cup Cashews (roasted and salted)
- ½ cup Green Onion
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the coconut oil or avocado oil in a large saute pan over medium/high heat.
- Place the chicken and arrowroot starch in a bowl and toss until chicken is generously coated.
- Once the pan is hot enough that when you put a drop of water in the pan it spits, add the chicken to the hot pan of oil and saute until the chicken is golden and crispy on all sides, turning over each piece every two minutes or so.
- Remove the chicken and set aside in a bowl (drain on a paper towel if you want). Place the pan back on the heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.
- Add the bell peppers and onion to the pan and saute for 4-5 minutes, or until onion is translucent and peppers have begun to soften. Add the chicken back in to the pan and mix in with the vegetables.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut aminos, vinegar, garlic, ginger, syrup, red pepper, and salt.
- Pour the sauce into the pan and toss with the chicken and vegetables. Bring sauce to a boil and cook for 1-2 more minutes, stirring constantly, until sauce has thickened. Stir in the cashews and ¾ of the green onions.
- Remove from heat. Sprinkle the remaining green onions over the top of the chicken and serve over cauliflower rice.
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Chelle
This will be in heavy rotation! For those who said it was too sweet: I subbed ~ 1/2 c honey for the 2/3 c of maple syrup, and it was divine. We had to sub some yellow and orange peppers for the red because they needed to be used up first, and we actually liked the added colors and tastes. We probably doubled the ginger and garlic, because we're those kinds of folks 😀
It took us way longer than 20 minutes, though. We don't use nonstick cookware because of the chemicals, so we struggled a bit with our AllClad plan. If anyone has made that work, please reply to this comment.
That being said, the prep took way longer than 5 minutes, too. We're simply not the super-fast knife-wielding chefs you see on TV.
It's all good, though, because this dish is fabulous!
PS It wouldn't let me upload a photo. I got this error:
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If you are the site owner (or you manage this site), please whitelist your IP or if you think this block is an error please open a support ticket and make sure to include the block details (displayed in the box below), so we can assist you in troubleshooting the issue.
Kristina
This is a delicious dish! I made it once already and am about to make it tonight again. So good! Thanks for posting it.
Carpenter
I like that food So much my dear
Charlotte
We loved it! The coconut oil and aminos add a sweetness to it. Also nice and healthy. We had to sub in the broccoli and celery because we’re out of peppers. Yum!😋
Melissa
This is on rotation at our house! Even the kids will eat it!
Rebecca Baron
I'm so glad you like this recipe. We love it in our house too - especially my children!
Charolette Ashey
Delish!
Gayle J. T.
Very easy and full of flavor.
Nicole A
Really tasty! Even my 2 year old liked it!
Kat
Yummy
Rae
Delicious!
Paige
Didn’t have red bell peppers so used yellow instead, but YUM!!
Koree
one of my favorite recipes! I make it all the time, it makes wonderful leftovers.
Hillary H.
We absolutely love this dish! We had to play around with how we like to cook the chicken but everything else stays the same! Just as good, if not better then what you get from a Chinese restaurant! 🤤😋
Lela O.
Yuum, thankful I tried this. I have made it twice since stumbling across the recipe
Lisa H.
This was excellent and quick!
Jamie Flanery
This was amazing! I will leave the salt out of the sauce next time and it definitely didn’t take me only twenty minutes lol will make it again!
Tasha Wang
Good and easy
Carli Blazek
Super delicious and easy recipe!
Mrs. Calcut
One of my favorite recipes! I doubled the sauce and served over rice. I also used regular corn starch, soy sauce, white wine vinegar and vegetable oil. 10/10 👍🏻
Crissy Scharringhausen
So easy and yummy!
Corina
Mmmmmm-mazing! A wonderful, complex combination of flavors. The whole family loved it! I followed the recipe as stated, using rice vinegar and coconut aminos, and served it over sweet potato noodles. I wouldn't change a thing!
Rebecca Baron
I'm so glad you like it. Sounds great on sweet potato noodles!
Charlotte Luna
Great alternative to takeout food and much tastier! Took me longer than 20 mins but imagine it will be quicker next time.
Katherine
Really good. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs, balsamic vinegar and white vinegar (per recipe’s suggestions for alternatives) and added 2-3x the ginger and garlic. I will definitely make it again.
Bethany Prewitt
Easy and healthy!
KayLeah
New favorite dinner recipe!
Caroline McCall
Fantastic! Yummy to add sliced pineapple and water chestnuts...
Marilyn
I didn’t have this coconut amino so I used soy sauce which turned out a little salty but all over very good and I will make this again
Alexis A.
Delicious!
Mary
I want you to know that I followed the recipe to the letter and it turned out delicious.
thank you for sharing your recipes.
Rebecca Baron
I'm glad you liked the recipe. Thanks for commenting!
Meghan Kittok
Sooo yummy!!! Who needs Chinese take out!?
Cassy
Soooo delicious. Thank you!!
Rebecca
You're welcome! I'm glad you could make it.
Colleen Unger
Amazing! Better than takeout.
Allison McCammon
Delicious!
Rose
Very good recipe I used soy sauce, I did not not and cornstarch or anything to chicken just sautéed with coconut oil and I also added baby corn and mushrooms!
Rebecca
Thanks for the suggestions that others may find useful!
Rachel
for All the whole 30ers - I made a date sweetner by adding 1 cup of dates and a cup of water to the food processor with a dash of salt and I used this in the sauce for this recipe. I Just put one spoonful but you can put to taste preference. You can also keep the date stuff in the fridge and use it as a natural sweetner for almost anything. This was AMAZINg! Thanks for the recipe!
Rebecca
I'm so glad you figured it out. This will be so helpful to others and is such a great idea. I may just have to try it myself!
Nicole Szabados
This was really good! I used beef broth in the sauce mixture to give more flavor! I also used chopped dried Thai Chile's to make it spicy. And fresh ginger is the way to go! Hubby loved it!
Maggie Reyes
Delicious! Took over 20 minutes. Made it over white rice because of my daughter. Next time I'll try it over cauliflower rice.
Rhawnie Mejia
Pretty good. A little too sweet for me, next time I will cut the honey down or even try omitting it. I doubled the sauce as suggested and it was very saucy. Will probably try again without doubling and see how that works out. Added mushrooms as well.
Catharine Krush
Delicious!
Jess M
Tasty! I added a little more arrowroot to make the sauce a tad thicker.
Grace Lau
Easy to make. We used whatever veggie we had. Cucumbers, Bell peppers, Onions. It turned out pretty good.
Emily McFadden
So yumm...can't wait to dive in...followed directions exactly.
Elizabeth Taylor
I'm not sure why mine looks so much different, I followed the recipe exactly. Either way, this is delicious and I make it often because the fam requests it by name!
Morgan Lee
We triple the vegetables and doubled the juice! Perfect
Keri M
Don’t pass this one up! This was everything i thought it would be and more! Didn’t have green onions or green peppers so used red, orange, and yellow peppers. Next time will double the sauce and prepare food earlier in the day. Will be a little more daring and add broccoli and zucchini next time. Such a great meal to fix and freeze!!!
Nicholas D.
Tried it, and it kicks ass! A few things I did differently: 1) used thighs instead of breasts, 2) added bok choy, 3) added orange zest to the sauce. Will make it a regular in my dinner rotation.
Rebecca
I'm glad you liked it - and thanks for the suggestions of things to try that worked out. I'm sure it will help other people with ideas of things that will work.
Lane Eberlin
Omitted honey to make it whole30- served in lettuce cups. Delish!!!
Katie Colson
Delish! I made it with soy sauce & extra ginger because I wanted it spicy!
Keri McGinn
Don’t pass this one up! This was everything i thought it would be and more! Didn’t have green onions or green peppers so used red, orange, and yellow peppers. Next time will double the sauce and prepare food earlier in the day. Will be a little more daring and add broccoli and zucchini next time. Such a great meal to fix and freeze!!!
Claire Landmesser
I️ tried this and it turned out amazing!! Defiantly will make this again.(in this picture their is no cashews because my dad is allergic to nuts)
Noah
Easy and quick paleo recipe perfect for lunches for the week.
Lena Naguit
Loved this recipe. Made it along with quinoa fried rice. I agree with the others, it took longer than 20-minutes, but it was worth it. Lots of good flavor.
Kourtney Price
I am doing Whole 30, so I cannot use honey or sugar. Does it taste okay without it? Does it NEED the sweetness?
Thanks!
Rebecca
Hum. I eat very little carbs/sugar myself and I definitely don't put the full 1/3 cup of maple syrup in when I make it. I have that on the recipe cause most people like things sweeter than I do, but I've gotten so used to no sweets, that 1-2 Tbl. is plenty of syrup for me. But without any sweetener, it just wouldn't be the same. It would just be chicken nuggets with a runny soy type of sauce. Just seems weird to me. Like imagine orange chicken not sweet. It just doesn't work. Maybe you could just make the chicken like chicken nuggets. They are actually quite good as chicken nuggets. My children love them. Or maybe another reader has another suggestion? Every Chinese-type sauce I know of is sweet.
Nicholas D.
What about fresh squeezed orange juice? Or stevia? Maybe extra arrowroot for thickening?
Rebecca
I haven't tried any of those things. Sounds like it would turn it into orange chicken though, which would be delish. If you do want to make orange chicken, I would probably use about half the coconut aminos/balsamic vinegar though.
Lara Richelle
We loved this. Made it over sprouted rice??
megan claire
So good and fast! Featured this recipe on my latest weekly meal plan. Check it out! https://www.mictomacro.com/blog/2018/2/26/weekly-meal-plan-rosemary-px2rc
Rebecca
Thanks for commenting - and I love your cashew meal plan cause I love cashews!
Cyndi
I am addicted to this recipe!! I have made this weekly for the last month and have no intention of stopping! Thanks!!!
Rebecca
I'm so glad you like it! I love it too and love how easy it is. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Stephanie Kurtz
Very, very good! I pre-chopped all my veggies and chicken earlier in the day so it took maybe 30 minutes to make otherwise. It was a hit and will be something we make over and over again!!!
aimee falavolito
Delicious Cashew Chicken! Tastes like it came from a restaurant. Definitely getting added to our favorite meals!
Victoria Adeniran
My hubby made this and we ate it over Brown rice. So warm and tasty. I only wish we had more cashews for more crunch! We hardly salted the rice because the entree was very flavorful. Garnished with parsley
Ryan Tallmon
This is perhaps the best paleo recipe I've ever had! And I've been eating paleo for two years! It's also quite easy to make. I think you are a magician for coming up with this. Thank you for the gift of amazing Asian stir fry after SO long without!!
Rebecca
You're so sweet! I guess necessity is the mother of invention on this one.
Serina Ritchie
My favorite Paleo dish...hands down!! Mmmm!