Description
A flavorful and easy Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken recipe featuring tender, browned chicken breasts in a savory sauce with soy, vinegar, garlic, and ginger, slow-cooked to perfection with cashews for a deliciously comforting meal served over rice.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Coating
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 4 pieces)
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Sauce
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 4 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 4 Tablespoons ketchup
- 2 Tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Other
- 1 Tablespoon canola oil
- 1 cup cashews
Instructions
- Coat the Chicken: In a resealable food storage bag, combine cornstarch and black pepper. Add the chicken pieces and shake the bag to coat them evenly with the cornstarch mixture.
- Brown the Chicken: Heat canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the coated chicken pieces for about 2 minutes on each side until lightly golden. Transfer the browned chicken pieces to the slow cooker.
- Prepare the Sauce: In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, sweet chili sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, grated ginger, red pepper flakes, and cashews. Pour this sauce mixture evenly over the chicken in the slow cooker. For softer cashews, add them during cooking; for crunchier cashews, add just before serving.
- Slow Cook: Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Serve: Serve the cashew chicken hot over rice. This recipe yields 4 to 6 servings.
Notes
- For a crunchier cashew texture, add cashews just before serving instead of during cooking.
- Use low sodium soy sauce to control salt levels.
- Canola oil is preferred for its neutral flavor and high smoke point.
- Adjust red pepper flakes according to your preferred spice level.
- Serve over steamed white or brown rice for a complete meal.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (about 1/5 of recipe)
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 650mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 32g
- Cholesterol: 85mg
