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Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry

Thai cashew chicken stir fry, a glorious 20-minute recipe that rocks the whole hot, sweet, sour & salty vibe often typical of Thai food.

We get hot from Thai Chillies and sweet from brown sugar, the sour comes courtesy of lime juice & lemongrass and finally wonderfully salty fish sauce!

Thai cashew chicken stir fry served on steamed rice.

Spicy Chicken Stir Fry with Cashew Nuts

I adore Thai and Southeast Asian flavours, my site is littered with recipes playing with Thai ideas in my own way. Everything from Thai duck curry and Prawn Massaman curry through to more “trad” recipes like a Thai beef salad and Thai minced pork.

This recipe is kinda a bit made up I think, there are many Thai cashew chicken recipes knocking around on the web.

I’m not entirely sure it is a Thai dish but my version is loaded with Thai flavours.

Fish sauce, birds eye chilli, lime, garlic, sugar, lemongrass and lime leaves all feature in this super quick recipe. It joins a delicious Thai-influenced prawn stir fry with noodles!

And when I say quick, I mean 10 minutes of cooking time at the most. Prep probably takes another 10 if you are organised.

The main vibe of this dish is hot and sour which helps keep it nice and light. Fish sauce gives just the perfect amount of salt.

You can then add as much or as little chilli as you like.

Overhead Thai cashew chicken stir fry served on steamed rice.

Frequently Asked Questions.

Can I use fresh lemongrass?

Yes, of course. It is hard to find for me and I always keep lemongrass paste in the fridge for quick Thai meals.

Use one or two sticks of lemongrass, strip the tough outer leaves and then bash them with the blunt end of the knife to bruise them.

Then slice it as finely as you can! Add this to the stir fry at the same time as the chilli.

Can I use chicken breast?

Yes, slice it so that it is around 4-5cm long and 4-5mm thick and continue with the recipe as instructed. Chicken breast does not have as much flavour but does yield more uniformly shaped chicken.

How hot should my wok be to stir fry?

It needs to be fiercely hot! You should be able to see the air in the base shimmer before you add the oil and it needs to stay this hot.

For this reason, keep to wok still and use a metal or wooden spoon to toss the ingredients. You can see the technique in the videos on my Szechuan chicken and chicken with black bean sauce recipes.

Any final hints?

Yes. The most important thing with this Thai cashew chicken recipe, in fact, any stir fry dish is to do your prep!

Get everything in bowls, get everything mixed and chopped. I even arrange the bowls in the order they get thrown into the wok.

Then go and don’t stop until it is ready to go on the plate!

Close up Thai cashew chicken stir fry served on steamed rice.

Serving Suggestions.

The obvious side for this dish is some simply cooked white rice, jasmine or basmati will be just about peachy.

It is the perfect vehicle for the hot and sour sauce that coats this Thai cashew chicken.

If you want to go that extra step then it is also particularly good with egg-fried rice or even coconut rice.

It also works well with a nice noodle salad.

Thai cashew chicken stir fry with red peppers and thai basil served on steamed rice.

Equipment Used

I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

  • Stovetop.
  • Wok.
  • Stirring and serving spoons.
  • Chopping board.
  • Kitchen knife.
  • Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
Thai cashew chicken stir fry with red peppers and thai basil served on steamed rice.
Yield: 2 Servings

Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

This Thai Chicken Stir Fry with Cashew Nuts is a super quick and delicious alternative to those Friday night takeaway indulgences.

Ingredients

  • 300g (10oz) Chicken Thighs
  • 100g (⅔ Cup) Onion
  • 1 Small Red Pepper
  • 3 Spring Onions
  • 2 Garlic Cloves
  • 15g (Half of a thumb sized piece) Ginger
  • 3 Thai Birds Eye Chilli Peppers
  • 6 Kaffir Lime Leaves
  • 75g (½ Cup) Unsalted Cashew Nuts
  • 1 Tbsp Lemongrass Paste
  • 1 Tbsp Fish Sauce
  • 2 Tsp Light Brown Sugar
  • 1 Lime
  • 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

Instructions

  1. Thinly slice the chicken thighs into lengths 4-5cm (1½-2") long and 5-6mm (¼") thick.
  2. Cut the onion in half lengthways then top, tail and peel, finally slice lengthways into strips 5-6mm (¼") wide.
  3. Deseed the red pepper and cut it into a 1½cm (½") dice.
  4. Slice the white part of the spring onions as finely as you can and then cut the green part into 1½cm (½") lengths.
  5. Slice the garlic as finely as you can.
  6. Peel and cut the ginger into batons.
  7. Slice the chilli peppers as finely as you can.
  8. Tear the kaffir lime leaves into rough pieces ensuring you remove the centre vein.
  9. Mix the lemongrass paste with the fish sauce, brown sugar and the juice of the lime.
  10. Heat a wok over a fiercely high heat and when it is shimmering add the oil.
  11. Throw in the onion and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
  12. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and stir fry for 30 seconds.
  13. Throw in the chicken, red pepper, kaffir lime leaves and cashew nuts and stir fry for 3-4 minutes.
  14. Pout over the sauce and cook tossing to coat everything for a minute.
  15. Finally, toss through the spring onions and serve.

Notes

Garnish with some Thai basil if you can get it. Other options that work well are coriander, mint or even better peppermint.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 692Total Fat: 45gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 34gCholesterol: 192mgSodium: 985mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 5gSugar: 13gProtein: 44g

Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.

Did you make this recipe?

If you made this recipe, I'd love to see what you did and what I can do better, share a picture with me on Instagram and tag me @krumplibrian and tell me how it went!

Susan

Monday 18th of September 2023

What can I use instead of fish sauce please

Brian Jones

Sunday 1st of October 2023

Fish sauce is very difficult to replace and retain the same flavour, their are a few vegan options that I have tried and generally speaking I have been disappointed. You could use light soy sauce, this will replace the saltiness that fish sauce offers, but it will very much change the flavour profile.

Emily

Tuesday 2nd of November 2021

Just made this, me and my partner loved it!

Brian Jones

Friday 5th of November 2021

Glad to hear it Emily.

Thanks

Brian

sheanne

Saturday 13th of May 2017

Made this last night and loved it ... thank you

Brian Jones

Monday 15th of May 2017

Glad you enjoyed it Sheanne :)

Meaghan | Cook. Craft. Love.

Friday 18th of November 2016

I've been craving Thai food for a few days now so this recipe has perfect timing. Love the crunch from the cashews here!

Brian Jones

Tuesday 22nd of November 2016

This recipe is superb and so simple, tuck in and enjoy :)

Christie

Friday 28th of October 2016

I can rarely find lemongrass either but luckily we can find the lemongrass plant and we grow it ourselves! You have made a delicious Thai stir fry. I could eat Thai food everyday

Brian Jones

Monday 31st of October 2016

Me too, I have tried to grow lemon grass but fail on a spectacular level :(

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