Packed with tender breaded chicken, cashews, and a wonderful sauce this Crock Pot Cashew Chicken recipe works in a small crock pot but easy to scale to a larger amounts.
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A great "take-out at home" crock pot cashew chicken recipe has tender breaded chicken with crunchy cashews and vegetables cooked in a wonderful sauce.
An easy crock pot version of this popular Chinese-American restaurant dish fits in a 3 quart crock pot but is simple to double for larger households.
This simple recipe with step-by-step photo instructions uses common pantry ingredients most people will have at home. And has enough sauce to cook added vegetables and for rice for a complete meal
Serve with Oven Baked Rice or Fried Rice. And don't for get to check out these other easy homemade Chinese recipe, like General Tso Chicken, Honey Garlic Chicken Breast, and Easy Chicken Stir Fry.
The inspiration recipe is from Epicurious, but I did several nips and tucks. Cornstarch for the flour and some adjustments and doubling to the sauce.
🐓Ingredients
- Chicken—boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs would be fine
- Cornstarch
- Garlic
- Cashew nuts
- Pantry ingredients—oil, pepper, low sodium soy saucf, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, ground ginger, red pepper flakes
- Optional—water chestnuts, other vegetables like a frozen stir fry mix.
👨🍳How to Make Cashew Chicken in a Crock Pot
- Trim and cube chicken, then coat with cornstarch and brown in a skillet for a few minutes.
- Mix sauce of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, dry ginger, and red pepper flakes (optional.)
- Add chicken, one 8 oz sliced water chestnuts drained (optional) and the sauce to the crock pot. If you like softer cashews, add them now. Other vegetables can be added at this point also. If you like more crunch, then add the nuts near the end of cooking.
- Cook on low for 2½-3 hours or a bit more until chicken is 165°. Try to stir it about halfway through.
- Serve over rice and trim as you wish.
⏲️How long to cook chicken in a crock pot
The chicken will usually reach 165° in about 2 ½ hours on low, give or take a bit, depending on your crock pot and other ingredients. Frozen vegetables will extend the time. So grab an internal temperature on the chicken before stopping.
I don't suggest cooking on high. It is easy to overcook chicken in a crock pot and will give poor results.
✔️Tips
- For a coating, cornstarch works well but needs a short browning before going in the crock pot. You can also make this without the cornstarch coating and skip the browning, but it is much better with it.
- You can add other vegetables like broccoli, bell peppers, celery, or carrots. Add them at the start of cooking.
- If you add a lot of vegetables, double the sauce for the current level. You may want to thicken more with a slurry of 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in some cold water.
- The cashews can be raw or already roasted but try to use unsalted or low-salt nuts. If you want your cashews firm and crunchy, add them near the end of cooking, but at the beginning works well for me since I like a softer texture.
- Both the ginger and vinegar are a little lower in this recipe than other simular recipes. Increase if you want.
↕️Increasing or decreasing the recipe amount
- The full recipe makes about 8 cups which fits nicely in a 3 quart crock pot.
- Use the recipe card and adjust the number of servings to half or double.
- Use the amount of ingredients in the ingredient list, not the instructions—those do not adjust.
- The half recipe will fit in a 2-quart mini crock pot.
- A double recipe fits in a 6-quart or larger crock pot.
- Don't over fill a crock pot. They cook best if less than 75% full.
- You can cook a smaller amount in a larger crock pot but it may cook a little faster.
- Cook for the same amount of time.
- Remember, all crock pots do not cook the same, so watch the endpoint.
❓FAQs
Like most Chinese cooking, there is a lot of sodium. Use low sodium soy sauce. And the cashews should be unsalted or only lightly salted. Low sodium ketchup is also available. Please not, no salt is added in this recipe.
No, the chicken does not need to be coated.
Tamari is a great for soy sauce in recipes, simular in taste and usage, it is made with different ingredients. It is commonly available and even comes in a low sodium variety. But always read all labels, there is a rare brand of tamari that will not be gluten free.
Other possible points of gluten the ketchup and even the rice vinegar. Again, read all labels if you want gluten free.
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Chop 1 ½ to 2 pounds of chicken into 1-inch chunks. Use skinless boneless chicken breasts or thighs.
To a 1-gallon food storage bag, add 3 tablespoons cornstarch and ½ teaspoon pepper. Add chicken and shake well to coat.
Heat 2 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat and add chicken. Gently stir every few minutes until browning nicely—about 6 minutes.
Combine ½ cup low sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 4 tablespoons ketchup, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 4 cloves minced garlic, ¼ teaspoon dry ginger, and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional.)
Add chicken, one 8 oz sliced water chestnuts drained, and the sauce to the crock pot. If you like softer cashews, add them now. Other vegetables can be added at this point also. If you want more crunch, add the nuts near the end of cooking.
Cook on low for 2 ½ to 3 hours or a bit more until chicken is 165° if breasts or 185° if thighs. Try to stir it about halfway through.
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📖 Recipe
Crock Pot Cashew Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 ½ to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs - Thighs would be fine
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons oil
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 4 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 4 cloves garlic - crushed
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes - to taste
- 8 oz sliced water chestnuts - drained-optional
- 1 cup cashews - not salted
- other vegetables - optional
Instructions
- Chop 1 ½ to 2 pounds of chicken into 1-inch chunks. Use skinless boneless chicken breasts or thighs.
- To a 1-gallon food storage bag, add 3 tablespoons cornstarch and ½ teaspoon pepper. Add chicken and shake well to coat.
- Heat 2 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat and add chicken. Gently stir every few minutes until browning nicely—about 6 minutes.
- Combine ½ cup low sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 4 tablespoons ketchup, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 4 cloves minced garlic, ¼ teaspoon dry ginger, and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional.
- Add chicken, one 8 oz sliced water chestnuts drained, and the sauce to the crock pot. If you like softer cashews, add them now. Other vegetables can be added at this point also. If you want more crunch, add the nuts near the end of cooking.
- Cook on low for 2 ½ to 3 hours or a bit more until chicken is 165° if breasts or 185° if thighs. Try to stir it about halfway through.
- Serve over rice and trim as you wish.
Your Own Private Notes
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- This fits in a 3-quart crock pot. You can use bigger if you want. I try to fill a crock pot between 25% to 66% full, but I do occasionally push to 75%, but cooking takes longer.
- You can use chicken thigh meat but then use the cooking endpoint of 185°.
- You can also make this without the cornstarch coating and skip the browning, but it is much better with it.
- Use low-sodium soy sauce and avoid adding anything with salt if possible.
- The cashews can be raw or already roasted. Use salt-free or low-salt.
- The size of your cut-up chicken pieces will partly determine the cooking time. But it also varies by your crock pot.
- Good refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for 3 months.
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editors Note: Originally Published October 2, 2016. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Deborah L
Dear Dr Dan, This one of our family Favorites! So easy and delicious. The only problem is the are seldom any leftovers. My husband can eat the whole thing himself. For dinner. For lunch. For dinner again… (maybe). I will be doubling this next time and hiding half in the freezer. Thanks for your yummy, easy recipes.
Deb Lein
Deborah L
Dr. Dan, very tasty easy crockpot supper for the two of us. Made a very generous 4 servings. Next time I will cut back the garlic to 2 or 3 minced cloves even though we like garlic. I had no water chestnuts and used two ribs of celery chopped in narrow cross cuts. Put them on top of chicken and that worked Very well for Crunch. The spiciness was a little 'hot' for my taste. The ingredient list shows 1/2 teaspoon dry ginger. After I had combined and added everything for the sauce, I noticed the directions mentioned only 1/4 tsp ginger. Next time I will definitely cut back on ginger. That may be the culprit. With 30 minutes to go, added cashews and frozen broccoli and they stayed crunchy. Plenty fo sauce.
Inge Kohl
Looking at the recipe and reading the comment about the liquid not being enough I was wondering..
You mention at the beginning that you doubled the sauce. Does it mean that your recipe already account for that or should I go ahead and double it?
The amounts for the sauce do seem pretty small.
Thanks
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Inge,
Welcome to the blog.
The recipe is as I originally published it and is double the amount of sauce in the original model recipes. It will produce about 1 cup of sauce - a bit variable due to the release of fluid from the chicken.
So you can increase more if you want, but remember if put on rice, it will go a long way and it is very flavorful.
But one of the advantages of home cooking is to change things the way you want. So just increase it and you will be fine.
Dan
Catherine Smith
Dr Dan, this sounds delicious and if I wanted to cook it in the oven, would you recommend degrees and length of time please? Thank you. By the way, I have made your Parmesan baked potatoes numerous times and they’re always a hit.
Regards, Catherine
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Catherine,
Welcome to the blog.
I'm afraid I'm not going to be much help. I have never done this. It would cook significantly faster.
You could try stovetop. Cook the chicken to 165 then remove and cook any vegetables until tender. Then combine the chicken, nuts, veggies and sauce and simmer for a while. If you want more tender nuts then cook them with the veggies. I can't be more specific, sorry.
Dan
Eileen
Can't image what went wrong but this was a disaster. Wasn't near enough liquid in the recipe and it went dry in the slow cooker. Did anyone else have this problem? What in the world could I have done wrong?
DrDan
Hi Eileen,
I have not had that issue. Sorry it didn't work well for you.
Dan