This 20 minute cashew chicken and broccoli is made with chicken mince, tender broccoli and cashew nuts coated in a rich and savoury sauce and served over rice. It’s the perfect quick and easy weeknight dinner that is so satisfying. Skip the takeaway and make this instead!
For more easy takeaway style stir fry’s, make sure to also try this hoisin chicken stir fry or these satay chicken noodles!
I love creating recipes that I can cook quickly at home that will satisfy me enough that I wont want to order takeaway. With the cost of eating out so high, I think we can all agree that having a few recipes in our back pocket that will mean more cooking meals at home is a big win for both our health and our bank accounts!
When I order Chinese takeaway, I usually order some version of cashew chicken. I just love the crunch of the cashews! So this recipe is inspired by that, but made simple and affordable by using chicken mince. Chicken mince is under-rated I think, as it’s a super versatile protein. Whether you’re using it in stir fries like this or making Thai red curry chicken meatballs (a favourite of mine!).
But like any stir fry recipe, it all comes down to the sauce! This sauce is the perfect balance of sweet and savoury and is so good you’ll be coming back to it again and again, making sure you always have the ingredients stocked in your pantry. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I do!
For more quick and easy takeaway style meals at home, then try this beef and broccoli, hoisin pork stir fry or this reader favourite honey soy chicken.
Key Ingredients
This cashew chicken recipe uses simple, everyday ingredients to create a super flavourful meal that you’ll have on the table in no time!
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Chicken mince – you can use chicken breast that has been finely diced if you prefer, but I think the chicken mince is so much easier and when stir fried, it creates these delicious, flavourful and caramelised pieces that are so good!
- Garlic and ginger – add so much depth of flavour to the sauce. You can use fresh or substitute with jarred if you prefer.
- Spring onions – also known as green onions or scallions. The whites get cooked with the mince to add flavour, and the greens can be sprinkled on top at the end.
- Broccoli – as the name suggests, broccoli is our veg of choice for this recipe, but you can use any veggies you like.
- Cashews – you want to use raw, natural cashews for this recipe.
- Soy sauce – adds essential saltiness and umami taste, that is the base of our stir fry sauce.
- Hoisin sauce – I am obsessed with the flavour of hoisin sauce, but you could also use oyster sauce if that’s all you had.
- Rice wine vinegar – adds a tang to the sauce balancing out the sweetness.
- Honey – adds necessary sweetness to the sauce. You could also use brown sugar.
- Sesame oil – a little bit goes a long way to add a depth of flavour to the sauce, I recommend not skipping this!
- Cornflour – also known as corn starch in the US. This helps thicken the sauce.
Ingredient Variations
While I love the classic chicken, broccoli and cashew combo, this is a flexible recipe so feel free to adjust as needed based on what you have on hand or prefer.
- Protein – swap the chicken for turkey mince, beef mince, or crumbled firm tofu. You can also use prawns, just add them after the aromatics as they will cook quickly.
- Vegetables – instead of broccoli, try capsicum, snow peas or sugar snap peas, zucchini, carrots, or green beans.
Step-By-Step Instructions
To get started, I know I want to serve this cashew chicken and broccoli with rice, so I like to put my rice on in my rice cooker so it’s all done by the time I’m finished with the chicken.
Next, make the sauce. You can whisk together the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, sesame oil, and cornflour slurry in a small bowl, or shake it to combine in a jar. Once it’s all mixed, set aside. Just be aware you may need to mix again before using as the cornflour may settle.
Next, in your large frying pan or wok, heat the peanut oil and add in the chicken mince. Cook, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon until it’s browned and cooked through.
Add in just the white part of the spring onion, along with the garlic and ginger and saute for a few minutes until fragrant.
Add in the broccoli and cook for a few more minutes or until tender. You can add a splash of water and place the lid on for a minute to help speed up the cooking if you like.
Finally, pour in the prepared sauce and mix through, along with the cashews. Mix everything together and once the sauce has thickened, you’re done.
Serve the chicken and broccoli over the rice and garnish with the greens from the spring onion, along with some sesame seeds.
Meal Prep and Storage Tips
This recipe is perfect for meal prep! Simply divide the cooked cashew chicken and broccoli into 4 airtight containers with about ½ cup of cooked rice each. Let everything cool completely before sealing and storing.
Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave until steaming hot.
You can also freeze individual portions in airtight containers for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can easily swap the chicken mince for thinly sliced chicken breast or thigh fillets. Stir fry the chicken pieces until golden and cooked through before adding the broccoli.
Yes! Just use a gluten free soy sauce (like tamari) and check that your hoisin sauce is also gluten free.
Not as written, but you want a little spice, you can add chilli flakes, sriracha, or a drizzle of chilli oil to finish (I recommend this, it’s so good!).
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More quick and easy weeknight meals:
15 Minute Garlic Prawn Noodles
20 Minute Chilli Beef Noodles
Quick and Easy Spicy Prawn Rice Bowls
Teriyaki Salmon and Avocado Rice Bowls
20 Minute Cashew Chicken and Broccoli
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 500 grams chicken mince
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
- Whites of 2 spring onions finely chopped
- 1 medium head of broccoli cut into florets
- ½ cup natural cashews
Sauce:
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon cornflour/cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
To serve:
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- Sesame seeds for garnish
- Greens of 2 spring onions sliced
Instructions
- Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, sesame oil, and cornflour slurry. Set aside.
- Heat the peanut oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken mince and cook for 5-6 minutes, breaking it up with a spoon, until golden and cooked through.
- Add the spring onion whites, garlic, and ginger. Sauté for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Stir in the broccoli florets and cook for 3-4 minutes, tossing frequently, until just tender. You can add a splash of water and cover the pan for 1 minute to help it steam if needed.
- Pour the sauce over the stir fry and toss to coat. Stir through the cashews and cook for 1-2 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and everything is well coated.
- Spoon over cooked rice to serve and garnish with sesame seeds and spring onion greens. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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