I make some sort of chicken dish at least once every 2 weeks. This time around I made Cashew Chicken in my Slow Cooker.
I realize there are many different ways to make this dish but this one has become a family favorite.
Like most slow cooker recipes this is one simple to make. You probably already have all the ingredients you need on hand if you cook often.
If anything, you might not have cashews or sweet chili sauce on hand. It’s really not a big deal as you can buy a small bag of cashews and sweet chili sauce can be used for a bunch of things like dipping egg rolls and wontons.
If you prefer your cashews to have a little more crunch to them (like I do) add them right before serving or the last 30 minutes of cooking. Either way, you will love this dish!
Gather your Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this Cashew Chicken recipe in a slow cooker. For ingredient amounts please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Chicken Breasts – Boneless and Skinless cut into 1-inch cubes
- Cornstarch – To help brown the chicken. You may need more to ensure all the chicken cubes are coated
- Ground Black Pepper – A must in any recipe
- Canola Oil – You can also use Vegetable Oil or Olive Oil
- Low Sodium Soy Sauce – Make sure you use the low sodium version
- Rice Wine Vinegar – If you don’t have any on hand you can use Apple Cider Vinegar or as a second choice White Vinegar
- Ketchup – I only use the Heinz brand but you can use whatever brand you prefer
- Sweet Chili Sauce – I use Mae Ploy but you can use your favorite brand
- Light Brown Sugar – Dark Brown sugar is ok to use or a Splenda brown sugar alternative
- Garlic Cloves – You can use a bit of Garlic Powder instead
- Fresh Ginger – If you don’t have any fresh ginger on hand you can use a bit of ground ginger
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes – You can adjust the amount to taste
- Cashews – The most important ingredient for this recipe
How to Make Cashew Chicken
- Add the cornstarch and black pepper to a large freezer bag. Add the cubed chicken and shake to coat the chicken.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and brown for about 2 minutes on each side. Place chicken in the slow cooker.
- In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, sweet chili sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper flakes, and cashews. Pour the sauce over the chicken.
- Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours.
- Optionally serve over rice.
Printable Recipe Card
Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken
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Ingredients
- 2 lbs Chicken Breasts, About 4 pieces, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3 Tbsp Cornstarch, or more as needed
- ½ tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Canola Oil
- ½ cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 4 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
- 4 Tbsp Ketchup
- 2 Tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Light Brown Sugar
- 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 tsp Fresh Ginger
- ¼ tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 cup Cashews
Instructions
- Add the cornstarch and black pepper to a large freezer bag. Add the cubed chicken and shake to coat the chicken.
- Heat the oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and brown for about 2 minutes on each side. Place chicken in the slow cooker.
- In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, sweet chili sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper flakes, and cashews. Pour the sauce over the chicken.
- Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours.
- Optionally serve over rice.
Notes
