Description
This Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken is a flavorful and easy-to-make meal that beats takeout with its perfectly breaded chicken pieces and a deliciously tangy and slightly sweet sauce, enriched with tender cashews throughout. It’s perfect for a comforting dinner served over rice.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts boneless skinless, about 4 pieces, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
Sauce
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 4 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Add-ins
- 1 cup cashews
Instructions
- Coat the Chicken: Combine cornstarch and black pepper in a resealable food storage bag. Add chicken pieces and shake well to coat evenly with the cornstarch mixture.
- Brown the Chicken: Heat canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken pieces about 2 minutes on each side until lightly golden. Transfer the browned chicken to the slow cooker.
- Prepare the Sauce: In a small bowl, combine low sodium soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, sweet chili sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, grated fresh ginger, red pepper flakes, and cashews. Mix well and pour this sauce mixture over the chicken in the slow cooker. (Note: Adding cashews before cooking softens them; if you prefer crunchier cashews, add them just before serving.)
- Slow Cook: Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 4 hours, allowing the chicken to cook through and absorb the flavors.
- Serve: Once cooked, serve the cashew chicken hot over cooked rice. This recipe makes 6 servings.
Notes
- If the dish tastes too salty, ensure you're using low sodium soy sauce or reduce the soy sauce amount slightly.
- If you prefer more sauce, you can double the sauce ingredients or increase the sauce by 1.5 times for extra flavor and moisture.
- To keep cashews crunchy, add them just before serving rather than during cooking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
