Packed with tender breaded chicken, cashews, and a wonderful sauce, this Crock Pot Cashew Chicken recipe works in a small crock pot but is easy to scale to larger amounts.
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.
๐Ingredients
Chickenโbreasts or thighs
Cornstarch
Garlic
Cashew nuts
Pantry ingredientsโoil, pepper, low sodium soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, ground ginger, red pepper flakes
Optionalโwater chestnuts and other vegetables like a frozen stir-fry mix.
Jump To (scroll for more)
- ๐Ingredients
- ๐จโ๐ณHow to Make Cashew Chicken in a Crock PotโStep-by-Step
- โฒ๏ธHow long does it take to cook chicken in a crock pot
- โ๏ธTips to get it right every time
- Other Chinese Recipe
- Serving Cashew Chicken
- โ๏ธIncreasing or decreasing the recipe amount
- โFAQs
- ๐The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Featured Comment from Deborah:
"5 stars. 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."
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. It has enough sauce to cook, added vegetables and rice for a complete meal.
๐จโ๐ณHow to Make Cashew Chicken in a Crock PotโStep-by-Step
1. Chop 1 ยฝ to 2 pounds of chicken into 1-inch chunks. Use skinless boneless chicken breasts or thighs.
2. To a 1-gallon food storage bag, add 3 tablespoons cornstarch and ยฝ teaspoon pepper. Add chicken and shake well to coat.
3. Heat 2 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat and add chicken. Gently stir every few minutes until browning nicelyโabout 6 minutes.
4. Combine ยฝ cup low sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 4 tablespoons ketchup, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 4 cloves minced garlic, ยผ teaspoon dry ginger, and ยผ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional.)
5. 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. If you want more crunch, add the nuts near the end of cooking.
6. Cook on low for 2 ยฝ to 3 hours or more until the chicken is 165ยฐ for breasts or 185ยฐ for thighs. Try to stir it about halfway through.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
โฒ๏ธHow long does it take to cook chicken in a crock pot
The chicken will usually reach 165ยฐ in about 2 ยฝ hours on low, give or take a bit, depending on your crock pot and other ingredients. Frozen vegetables will extend the time. So, grab the internal temperature of the chicken before stopping.
I don't suggest cooking on high. It is easy to overcook chicken in a crock pot and yield poor results.
โ๏ธTips to get it right every time
- 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.
- 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.
- Ginger and vinegar are slightly lower in this recipe than in similar recipes. Increase if you want.
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Other Chinese Recipe
Check out some other take-out at-home recipes. Start with my favorite General Tso Chicken. Or try Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli, Easy Chicken Stir Fry.
Serving Cashew Chicken
Serve with Baked Rice or Egg Fried Rice. It also goes well with stir-fried vegetables.
โ๏ธIncreasing 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 instructionsโthose 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 overfill 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.
โFAQs
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 note that no salt is added to this recipe.
No, the chicken does not need to be coated.
Tamari is great for soy sauce in recipes; similar 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 for gluten are the ketchup and even the rice vinegar. Again, read all labels if you want gluten-free.
๐The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Crock Pot Cashew Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 ยฝ to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs - Thighs would be fine
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons oil
- ยฝ teaspoon pepper
- ยฝ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 4 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 4 cloves garlic - crushed
- ยผ teaspoon ground ginger
- ยผ teaspoon red pepper flakes - to taste
- 8 oz sliced water chestnuts - drained-optional
- 1 cup cashews - not salted
- other vegetables - optional
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Chop 1 ยฝ to 2 pounds of chicken into 1-inch chunks. Use skinless boneless chicken breasts or thighs.
- To a 1-gallonย food storage bag, add 3 tablespoons cornstarch and ยฝ teaspoon pepper. Add chicken and shake well to coat.
- Heat 2 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat and add chicken. Gently stirย every few minutes until browning nicelyโabout 6 minutes.
- Combine ยฝ cup low sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 4 tablespoons ketchup, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 4 cloves minced garlic, ยผ teaspoon dry ginger, and ยผ 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 ยฝ to 3 hours or a bit more until chicken is 165ยฐ if breasts or 185ยฐ if thighs. Try to stir it about halfway through.
- Serve over rice and trim as you wish.
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 185ยฐ.
- 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.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Editors Note: Originally Published October 2, 2016. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Deborah L says
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 againโฆ (maybe). I will be doubling this next time and hiding half in the freezer. Thanks for your yummy, easy recipes.
Deb Lein
Deborah L says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 theyโre always a hit.
Regards, Catherine
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
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 says
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 says
Hi Eileen,
I have not had that issue. Sorry it didn't work well for you.
Dan