How To Make Sticky Cashew Chicken (Step-by-Step Video)

Crispy chicken smothered in a sticky sweet and savoury sauce with crunchy cashews. I use the 'one bowl method' to coat the chicken (rather than dipping in separate bowls of egg, cornflour and seasoning) and it works brilliantly!
Serve this for Friday night dinner and you won't be disappointed.
It also reheats really well - so you can make ahead too!
Free printable recipe is available on our site: www.kitchensanctuary.com/stic...
Ingredients:
Chicken:
6 skinless boneless chicken thighs, chopped into bite size pieces
1 small egg
4 tbsp cornflour
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp white pepper
Oil for shallow frying about 120ml (½ cup)
For the sauce:
1 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
3 tbsp hoisin Sauce
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tbsp sesame oil
120 ml (½ cup) chicken stock
Also:
140 g (1 cup) cashew nuts
Small bunch spring onions (scallions) chopped on the diagonal
1 tsp sesame seeds
Pinch of chilli flakes
Instructions:
1. Place the chicken in a bowl with the egg and mix together to coat. Drain off any excess egg from the bowl and discard.
2. Add the cornflour, paprika, salt and white pepper to the bowl with the chicken and mix together. You should end up with a sticky coating on your chicken.
3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok, over a medium-high heat, until hot.
4. Add the chicken, and stir fry until golden. This should take about 7-8 minutes. You might need to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your pan.
While the chicken is cooking, make the sauce.
5. Place the cornflour, light and dark soy sauce, garlic and hoisin sauce in a bowl and mix together until the cornflour is absorbed.
6. Add the light brown sugar, sesame oil and chicken stock to the bowl and stir together until combined. Put to one side.
7. When the chicken is cooked through, remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.
8. Carefully discard the oil, then pour the sauce into the pan and heat through until bubbling.
Add the chicken into the pan, then add in the cashews and half of the chopped spring onions.
9. Stir together for 2 minutes, to heat through the cashews, then serve with rice. Sprinkle with the remaining spring onions, the sesame seeds and a pinch of chilli flakes.
Notes:
Can I make it ahead?
This recipe does taste best when cooked and served right away, but I've also made it ahead several times and it reheats really well. The chicken will retain some some crunch, but won't be quite a crunchy as if it was freshly cooked.
You can make ahead in two ways:
Method 1 - Make the whole recipe:
Make the cashew chicken, then cool, cover and refrigerate for up to a day.
Reheat in a pan over a medium heat, stirring regularly until the chicken is hot throughout. This should take about 10 minutes.
You may need to add a splash of stock or water to loosen the sauce when reheating.
Method 2 - Prep the sauce and cook the chicken, then assemble and heat:
Make the sauce ahead (no need to heat it) and cover.
Cook the chicken, then cool, cover and refrigerate for up to a day.
When ready to cook, fry the chicken in a tablespoon of oil over a medium heat for 5-6 minutes to heat through.
Turn up the heat to high and pour in the sauce. Stir together and allow to bubble, then add the cashews and spring onions and stir together to coat.
Ingredient swaps
Swap out the chicken for pork (use thin slices of pork tenderloin or fillet)
Add a splash of hot chilli sauce (such as sriracha) for a heat kick
Add veggies, such as green beans, small pieces of broccoli or peppers. Fry them in the pan in a drizzle of oil for a few minutes, then add the sauce, chicken and cashews.
How to scale up and scale down this recipe
You can scale up or down the recipe using the same ingredient ratios.If scaling up, you will likely need to cook the chicken in 2 or 3 batches, so the cooking time will take longer.
#CookingShow #Recipe #fakeaway

[@Kitchensanctuary]

Want to use your air fryer? 1. Instead of frying the chicken, you can cook the chicken in the air fryer. 2. Preheat the air fryer to 200C/400F and grease the basket of the air fryer. 3. Add the chicken - try to separate it a little with a set of tongs. 4. Fry the chicken for 12-14 minutes, shaking the air fryer basket half-way through cooking. Ensure the chicken is cooked by slicing open the largest piece you can find and ensuring it's hot and no longer pink in the middle. 5. Heat the sauce in a pan and add the cooked chicken, along with the cashews and spring onions, as per the rest of the recipe.

[@danielsutton5530]

Hi I love this meal i cooked it for the first time , what are the salts fats and proteins etc in this meal ?

[@voxpopjuli]

A small correction or clarification.??? You use cornstarch in your recipe; but in the video, you say you use cornstarch or corn flour. And in the ingredients of the recipe, it says "corn flour". Do you know that they are 2 completely different products.? You mean, we can use either one. Corn flour is not a powder; like cornstarch. Corn flour is granular and is used to make tortillas, arepas, pupusas, etc.

[@justus4685]

@@voxpopjuli in her country, cornflour IS cornstarch. Therefore, she's correct.

[@fostergrip]

I made this. It was really good! I'm going to make it again. Cheers everybody.

[@serenaburgdorf9543]

This is now a family staple. My husband loves this so much he requests it all the time!

[@crystallopez5803]

The best recipe!!! Instantly reminds of my childhood days when we used to order this for carry out!

[@peteredge3577]

This is now the second of your recipes I've cooked! I had a complaint when I cooked this tonight , there wasn't enough 😀 I'm happy with that. Thanks Nicky

[@archiemcberry7102]

Love your simple and delicious recipes. Easy for us senior citizens to follow along and surprise the grandkids with our skills.

[@Romafood]

Un piatto bellissimo 👍

[@ckhaas]

This was my first Kitchen Sanctuary recipe and it was superb. Thanks for posting.

[@getsmart99]

Thanks Nicki for your wonderful recipes they go down a treat with my family..always looking for the next video with anticipation..God bless

[@lizjohnson6324]

Have to say you are an inspiration I feel you are my go to girl for family meals . Thanks again and keep up the great work .It is very much appreciated,xxx

[@rowelle]

Your videos are so soothing and relaxing to watch! I could watch your stuff all day!

[@Kitchensanctuary]

Glad you like them!

[@clairedriscoll8628]

Wonderful, just made your lasagne, I always used to wing it, sometimes it was ok, sometimes not so good, I now have a foolproof recipe. I have also made the sticky pork which was delicious and I'm definitely going to add this one to my list - excited to make it. Thanks for your great vlogs and inspiration x

[@noahsmommytn23]

Now this is my kind of dinner. Simple easy and tasty!!!!

[@gucci_cooking]

This is my favourite! The chicken is looks crispy and so delicious!

[@gewargisa]

Delicious simplicity and authentic tasting too ! Thanks for sharing !!

[@markilott4475]

Looks amazing and tastes amazing … 😊Thank you for another great recipe

[@tuffty203]

I have to try that. It looks awesome. Thank you for another great way to cook chicken.

[@jasonandmint4312]

Just made this tonight I added red bell pepper it was amazing Thank you

[@cookingwithjonny2071]

Cooking with Jonny says Hello 👋! Your video is truly amazing and shows your passion and devotion towards beautiful food. I am so lucky to see your work through your channel. Thank you for sharing! 🤗🤗🤗

[@jakeb8856]

I just made this for my family and it was a universal hit. Thank you! I couldn’t find dark soy sauce in time to make the dish so I just substituted more light soy sauce and a bit more brown sugar to taste. I will definitely be making this on the regular.

[@gazzfoth]

Made this tonight. Absolutely delicious. Thanks Nicky 😊

[@sandrahamilton2521]

Wow this looks sooo tasty and I can’t wait to try it xx

[@hihi-vi7qs]

Mmmm will make this next week, thanks Nicky! Congratulations on your book, you really deserve it, fantastic food and my 3 boys love your recipes, although they think I’m just a great cook I haven’t told them about you LOL 😂 X

[@mattharveyy]

This was absolutely incredible!

[@judithsewell7027]

This is a winner , great to see you back Lancashire lass .

[@mariacummerson4735]

Delicious! Thank you Nicky. Love all your recipes. I will be cooking this again.

[@sidocious]

Thanks for the recipe, this one was our lunch today. Children "destroyed" it! :) Really easy to cook!

[@Kitchensanctuary]

Great to hear!

[@dave234545]

Looks very good. Thank you for the recipe.

[@aneta555]

All your recipes amazing!!! Thank you

[@RojamZane]

Another winning recipe... salivating at the intro when it was being served! This is going into my dinner rotation.

[@dougcorella9669]

Love your recipes! Thanks, Nicky! Keep it up!

[@jcwoods2311]

Love your recipes and videos Nicki! Always simple and delicious. If you want even crispier chicken fry them again for a bit before tossing the pieces in the sauce, my college roomie taught me this eons ago. Extra Extra Crispy!

[@Kitchensanctuary]

Sounds great!

[@michaeljohns9915]

Looks lovely……and so does the food.

[@Tierriita]

i enjoy watching you so much!!!! it makes me so happy and excited to cook

[@kevindodge477]

Two comments - First, I made this recipe, and it came out great! Loved it and will make it again. Second, my copy of your cookbook, It's All About Dinner, arrived yesterday and I am excited to look through it and cook. Thanks so much for sharing.

[@dianemcwilliams6705]

Just cooked this for supper. Absolutely wonderful and I will be cooking this regularly in the future. Thank you so much!

[@Kitchensanctuary]

You are so welcome!

[@marksimons8861]

I don't think one shouldn't really use the same recipe (or even variations thereof) more than once a year.

[@anjabemelen5004]

I've eaten at 19.00 hours. Now, 3 hours later, I'm hungry again😉. Thanks so much for a lovely receipy 👍💖!

[@roostaraver]

That looks soooo good

[@Lenci24]

Really great! Simple, but 😋

[@deb654]

Your Cook book is Amazing 🥰 x

[@clintspoon]

Brilliant. I cooked this last night with Quorn (chicken) pieces and it was delicious. Thank you.

[@user-rw5hk5nu3y]

Thank you! We loved it!

[@francisexperience]

another great recipe love your cooking style thanks😊

[@alanfaulkner6329]

That looks amazing!

[@kimitromp]

Definitely a must to try

[@DownButNotOutYet]

Morning Niki, chicken is usually a bit boring and bland, but cooking your style with all the various flavours and adding the cashew nuts will make it a perfect treat to eat. I agree serving it on a bed of freshly cooked rice is the better way to enjoy all the flavours and the sauce looks so lovely, just enough for the rice to soak it all up. Thank you for sharing kind regards.

[@river8760]

Looks delicious, thank you.

[@jimgardiner3476]

I look forward to trying this one Nicky. Would love a video on how you make chicken cacciatore please.

[@cupidslover3]

Yum yum! Chicken and cashew nuts is one of my all-time favourite dishes (especially with a nice cold glass of white wine). I'll definitely try this version thanks! I may roast the cashews in the oven beforehand for 10 minutes to make them even more nutty 😊

[@suzannestephens7822]

That looks absolutely delicious 🎉

[@mikewatson5281]

Looks really good I love cashew chicken

[@deeferry6520]

What a great recipe, thank you for sharing 😀

[@Kitchensanctuary]

My pleasure 😊

[@jackb2001]

Just made this delicious recipe. I follow a number of Chinese food KZbinrs and this hoisin chicken as to be my new number 1. 👍

[@Kitchensanctuary]

Great 👍

[@jeansuttling3256]

Fabulous. Can’t wait to try this x

[@Dascorpion_Belleza]

I'm going to make this tomorrow 💖

[@AnthonyWabo]

To die for recipe!! ❤️

[@mehitabel6564]

That looks so tempting, I'm making it tonight. I've been feeling a little below par, and this dish will just hit the spot.

[@juliemills8195]

Going Tesco soon to get ingredients Can’t wait to do for dinner tonight Can taste it already !

[@alexkaranja3443]

You never disappoint 😊

[@sisulou20]

This looks so yummy omggggg

[@michaelbradshaw1575]

Looks fantastic,

[@simonwhite3137]

Thanks for this Nicky, my 8yo niece and I made this for a family get together 😊

[@Kitchensanctuary]

Wonderful!

[@gm3454]

Amazing recipe. That's Wednesday's tea sorted.

[@Kitchensanctuary]

Hope you enjoy

[@mariedamon5655]

I think this looked so appetising even thou I just ate a big dinner .such a feast to my eyes x

[@marinokhourryyy1765]

Looks yummy thank you 🙏

[@popeyedish]

Yummyscrummydiddilyunctious....looks fantastic Nicky...🤗

[@vercingetorixwulf9298]

Looks great

[@wiganjim]

Great recipe; I had to substitute the Hoisin for Kicap Manis due to availability, but it went down a treat with the whole family :)

[@mrlight3746]

Hi Nicky, great recipe thank you, received you new cookbook a week or so ago, absolutely brilliant, I have many cookbooks (my Mothers fault she got me into cooking) but your book is I think the best, some recipe books you may do 2/3 recipes but your I'm already on 5, tonight Fajita's tomorrow smothered park. Keep up the great work.

[@mrlight3746]

Sorry pork

[@jjammy1007]

I make this dish (similar) quite often. A Filipino lady I know got me a kilo of potato starch so use that instead of cornstarch. The cashew nuts make this dish! Beaut

[@luke125]

Looks delicious

[@kellym8602]

Got to make this one! x

[@janettdelaney1292]

I made this for dinner, quick & easy 😋 Cheers Nat from Aus 😃

[@ginasmith9489]

This looks so yummy 😊 can’t wait to try this … I’m looking for an air fryer any recommendations please would really appreciate it thank you 💕

[@deborahwood4728]

You make everything look so east. No excuse not to try this an impress the family;-) yummy

[@Sambell3936]

Always such satisfying videos and Awsome recipes😍 💅🏼😁👏👏.

[@AlexandraAndStuff]

I made this today! Needed to bump up spices, but it is the case for me with basically all the recipes, but it was really great idea! I love having so much crunchy stuff in my food

[@yasmina7548]

Hi Aleksandra, I do order this in restaurants, however at times they do make it too sweet, which I don’t like. How sweet is this recipe? In your opinion should I cut down on the sugar etc. The reason why I ask is because you have cooked it and it seems like me, you do enjoy a spicy kick to your food. Thanks 🙏

[@AlexandraAndStuff]

@@yasmina7548 Hi there. I don't like overly sweet food, and I think it wasn't too sweet here. Also, when I multiplied other spices, I think they also helped with the balance.

[@yasmina7548]

@@AlexandraAndStuff thanks so much for your reply 👍

[@md.raisuddin8832]

Good food making chef

[@Diane-ue5mt]

Loved it❤❤❤❤

[@sahajiyaaudhi2533]

It’s delicious 🍗🍽️💞

[@Kitchensanctuary]

Thank you 😋

[@davidmbell]

Sounds delicious, if only the blinking supermarkets had any cornflour, tried Morrisons and Aldi on Saturday and both empty shelves.

[@brianburke396]

Another beautiful recipe and well presented video 👏👏👏

[@Kitchensanctuary]

Thank you so much

[@kevinwhite4893]

Hi Nicky, cooked this last evening for the second time! So easy to cook and the flavour is amazing. I'm guessing the one bowl method could work equally well with your other dishes, such as the crispy sesame chicken and sweet and sour chicken? Regards. Kevin

[@trishwfulton6981]

This recipe looks great! It reminds me to ask if General Tao chicken would be very different to make.

[@Shmoosan]

Looks scrumptious & I’d really like to know what frying pan you’re using. I’d like to invest in a good one.

[@Babbajune]

This looks delicious! I am not a lover of thighs or drumsticks but so many cooks use them these days. What changes would this need, if any, for using breast meat instead?

[@siobhan7798]

Fab recipe, thanks, what oil do you use for frying the chicken ?

[@legendarygary2744]

This looks amazing! I like to do some prep work the day before making a more involved meal like this, so I’m wondering, can the sauce be prepped a day in advance and still be fine or should that be done at the time of cooking?

[@Kitchensanctuary]

This recipe does taste best when cooked and served right away, but I've also made it ahead several times and it reheats really well. The chicken will retain some some crunch, but won't be quite a crunchy as if it was freshly cooked. You can make ahead in two ways: Method 1 - Make the whole recipe: Make the cashew chicken, then cool, cover and refrigerate for up to a day. Reheat in a pan over a medium heat, stirring regularly until the chicken is hot throughout. This should take about 10 minutes. You may need to add a splash of stock or water to loosen the sauce when reheating. Method 2 - Prep the sauce and cook the chicken, then assemble and heat: Make the sauce ahead (no need to heat it) and cover. Cook the chicken, then cool, cover and refrigerate for up to a day. When ready to cook, fry the chicken in a tablespoon of oil over a medium heat for 5-6 minutes to heat through. Turn up the heat to high and pour in the sauce. Stir together and allow to bubble, then add the cashews and spring onions and stir together to coat.

[@legendarygary2744]

@@Kitchensanctuary Thanks for giving such a detailed response!

[@matthewbanno3407]

Thanks Nicki, will it be as nice if I use chicken breast instead? Or maybe both?

[@carolharkness5023]

Hi Nicky, lve just joined your site, thank you. l always buy raw Cashew Nuts and fry them off myself when l need them. Not sure if this recipe uses raw of cooked Cashews ? Also, l'd be really interested to know which are your most popular recipes that your subscribers make ? Lots of thanks

[@tanyasmithmrs]

This looks great. Is there an alternative to the egg at all please?

[@tftlred5454]

Omg😋😍👍

[@kumaralok389]

Superb🙏🙏🙏

[@Juleru]

Would it be possible to pan-fry bigger pieces of chicken in just a little bit of oil? It looks like the dough sticks well enough that deep-/shallow-frying shouldn't be necessary and if you increase the heat at the end, then it should still get kind of crispy.

[@Juleru]

I made this recipe on the weekend. Yes, you can pan-fry the pieces and it'll still be delicious! Changes I made: I cut off the biggest pieces of fat and cut each chicken thigh into 3 pieces (not quite bite-sized but way easier to handle), then made the batter as shown in the video and just pan-fried them in a little bit of oil (maybe 1-2 tablespoons for a big pan) in batches. There's no need to add more oil for the second+ batch because chicken thighs are already a bit fatty! For the sauce I only used 1 Tbsp of sugar and it was plenty sweet, might even reduce it to 1 tsp to 0.5 Tbsp next time. Once the chicken was done, I browned the cashews in the same pan (don't add any extra oil) and only put them and the spring onions on top right at the end (without mixing them in), this way they stayed crunchy. If you double the amount of chicken used, definitely also double the sauce!

[@domhattonwoods]

How long does this one take roughly?

[@patriciaaldam1562]

What oil did you use to fry the chicken please

[@noeraldinkabam]

What vegetable dish would be good with that?

[@Arts13579]

Can I replace this with tofu or meat free alternative?

[@mahiskitchenfamilyvlogs]

Jajakallokhoiroo ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

[@sandykmalta]

Yummo