No need for take out when you can have this easy chicken stir fry on the table in under 30 minutes!
Chicken, broccoli, red bell peppers all in a spicy garlic ginger sauce served with rice and topped with cashews!
This stir fry is your answer to what's for dinner tonight. I love how quickly it comes together and all the vibrant, healthy vegetables in it!
It's similar to our Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry, but that one has hoisin sauce, this recipe does not.
Add some steamed rice and you have an easy and complete dinner! You can use plain rice or Coconut Cilantro Rice would also be yummy!
Ingredients.
- Chicken thighs - boneless, skinless. You can use boneless, skinless breasts, but thighs stay so juicy and so much more flavor.
- Broccoli - florets. Save the stems for another use or dice them fine.
- Red bell pepper - yellow or orange will also work. Green bell peppers will work, but they aren't as sweet.
- Basil, lime and cashews - for serving. They add that extra hit of flavor and the cashews add some lovely crunch.
- Sesame oil - you want the toasted kind. You can find it at most grocery stores. I buy a larger bottle at the Asian market because I use it all the time.
- Garlic and ginger - fresh. You can buy those tubes at the store if you want to save time, but fresh is so good. I keep my ginger in the freezer and then just grate it using a microplane, right from the freezer, no need to thaw.
- Chicken broth and corn starch - for plenty of sauce.
- Red pepper flakes - to add a little heat. Could also use your favorite sriracha sauce or chili garlic paste.
- Oil - a lot of recipes call for canola oil because of it's high smoke point. However, canola oil is highly processed. I usually use avocado oil, which also has a high smoke point. You can use canola, avocado or peanut oil.
Why this recipe works.
The chicken is tossed with all of the aromatics before stir frying to really give it loads of flavor. For even more flavor, you can let it sit in the bowl with the aromatics, while you chop the broccoli and the bell peppers.
The broccoli and bell peppers are cooked until just crisp tender.
The chicken finishes cooking in the broth and sauce, creating even more flavor.
At the end you stir in basil and lime juice for a bright burst of fresh flavor.
Topping the stir fry with more basil and cashews at the end really adds a lot with hardly any extra work!
This recipe is a family favorite and one I make over and over again. It's so easy to change it up.
Sometimes instead of (or in addition to) I top it with some toasted sesame seeds.
You can add some hoisin sauce or oyster sauce when adding the chicken broth for a little more depth of flavor.
Change up the basil, Thai basil is especially nice, gives it a little anise flavor.
More easy stir fry recipes.
Recipe.
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Cashew Chicken with Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken thighs cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 red bell pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
- ⅔ cup chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ¾ cup fresh basil torn into pieces
- 2 tablespoons lime juice fresh squeezed
- 2 tablespoons cashews chopped
Instructions
- Combine the chicken, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, garlic, ginger and crushed red pepper flakes in a bowl and stir to combine. Let sit, while you chop the broccoli and red bell pepper.
- Add 1 ½ teaspoons of the canola oil and sesame oil to a wok. Heat over medium high heat (or high heat depending on the power of your stove.) When the oil is hot, add the chicken and stir fry for about 6 minutes, until chicken is beginning to brown.
- Remove the chicken to a plate or bowl and add 1 ½ teaspoons of canola oil into the wok. Add the broccoli and bell pepper and stir fry for about 3 minutes until crisp tender.
- In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, chicken broth and cornstarch and stir to dissolve. Add the chicken back to the wok along with the broth mixture. Bring to a boil and cook for about 2 minutes, or until thickened.
- Add ½ cup of the basil to the wok and stir until it softens and wilts.
- Remove pan from the heat and stir in the lime juice.
- Serve over rice, topped with the rest of the basil and the cashews.
Veronika says
We made this the other day and it was a huge hit! The garlic and ginger give it a ton of flavor and it pairs well with rice. Definitely making it soon again!
Amy Liu Dong says
Such a delicious, easy, and healthy dish to make for the family.
I am sure they will love this!
Cathleen says
This is beautiful! I love a great cashew chicken recipe, and this one might be my new favourite. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe 🙂
Jamie says
Wow! This chicken dish looks great and is very delicious! The combination of chicken, broccoli, and red bell peppers is perfect making this a flavorful dish that everybody would definitely love!
Veronika says
Love this recipe! Made it yesterday and my whole family loved it! Was very easy to prep and very delicious 😉
Tammy says
A simple but delicious dish. Takeout at home is the best...perfect weeknight meal option.
Linda says
This saved dinner last night as I didn't have anything ready to go. It was easy to throw together and I love the fact that the veggies still had some crunch to them. It was so good that I know I'll be making it again very soon.
Mikayla says
This is a go to instead of ordering out. So much better and fresh, I can say I will never be sorry to make this instead of ordering in.
Colleen says
I love chicken & broccoli stir fry, and the cashews made this recipe even better. Delicious.
Marta says
Chicken and broccoli is my favorite dish to order when we get Chinese take-out, but I've never had it with cashews (my favorite nut). I loved how easy you made the recipe. I'll be adding this to my monthly meal plans from now on, for sure.