Orange Cashew Chicken is a yummy twist on a Chinese classic! Chicken, veggies and cashews are cooked in a thick, Asian-inspired orange sauce.
Many, many years ago… long before I ever even had the remotest thought of starting a blog, I jotted down a recipe on an index card and filed it away in an old wooden recipe box of mine. Back in the days before Pinterest… and before I even had a computer! Recently I stumbled upon this old recipe, and decided to share it here on the blog, because it is soooo good! I don’t even know who to properly credit for the old original recipe, but this orange cashew chicken sure tastes great!
The recipe is INCREDIBLY EASY to make, and it’s not an understatement to say I LOVE IT! When I make it, I do the prep work ahead of time (cut the veggies/chicken, and make the sauce (easy peasy). Then when I’m ready to cook our meal all that is needed is to stir-fry the chicken and veggies for about 8 minutes, add the sauce, and cook 2 more minutes to let the sauce thicken. That’s it!
If you enjoy traditional cashew chicken, you can check out my recipe for that, too. But… you’ve just got to try this one for orange cashew chicken. I truly think you will love it! Here’s how easy it is to make:
Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page
Prepping First Is The Key!
If you prep the ingredients first, this dish is a cinch to cook in only about 10 minutes! Pat boneless, skinless chicken breasts dry with paper towels. TIP: The reason you want to dry them this way is so that when they hit the hot skillet, the extra moisture doesn’t “steam” the chicken. You want the chicken to “sear” and brown slightly.
Cut the chicken breasts into 1″ cubes. Thinly slice two medium carrots, and roughly chop up the celery until you have 1/2 cup. Set aside (or refrigerate, if saving for later in the day) until ready to prepare this dish.
In a small bowl, combine the orange sauce ingredients, and whisk or stir together until fully combined. The sauce ingredients are orange juice (fresh or commercially prepared work well), cornstarch, soy sauce, honey, and ginger (fresh or dried). Set aside.
Stir-Fry The Chicken And Veggies
When ready to cook, heat 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet. Let the oil get really hot (but not smoking) before adding anything to the skillet. This will allow the chicken to brown nice and quick.
Add the chicken, carrots and celery to the hot oil. Cook the chicken and veggies for about 8-9 minutes, stirring often. When done, the chicken will be lightly browned, and the veggies will be tender. Once done, reduce the heat to medium-low.
Add The Orange Sauce
Give the orange sauce a good stir, then add it to the skillet with the chicken mixture. Stir to combine, and bring the sauce to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly as the sauce will quickly thicken in the skillet.
Once the sauce has cooked for 2 minutes, add the cashews to the skillet. Stir, to coat everything very well with the thickened sauce.
At this point, the chicken, veggies and cashews should be hot, and the sauce will be nice and thick. That means the orange cashew chicken is ready to serve! See how easy that was?
Time To Serve The Orange Cashew Chicken!
Orange Cashew Chicken is best when served on top of a bed of steamed rice. I highly recommend serving this dish with rice (a perfect pairing)! Sprinkling the chicken with sliced green onions and sesame seeds is a nice garnish and pop of color for this dish as well, but that is optional.
The chicken and veggies are tender, and the thick orange sauce is… wonderfully scrumptious! All the flavors of this orange cashew chicken “play well together”. I truly feel you and your friends or family will love this dish, too!
Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog today. I hope you have a great day, and trust you will come back soon for more great recipes like this one! Take care, and may God Bless You.
Looking For More “Asian-Inspired” Recipes?
You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have quite a few recipes for Asian-inspired foods, including:
- Sweet and Sour Pork
- P.F. Chang’s Chicken with Broccoli
- Sweet Fire Chicken (Panda Express copycat)
- P.F. Chang’s Spicy Green Beans
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Original recipe source: unknown (found my handwritten recipe card in an old recipe box from many years ago-no source noted)
Orange Cashew Chicken is a yummy twist on a Chinese classic! Chicken, veggies and cashews are cooked in a thick, Asian-inspired orange sauce.
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I use 2 LARGE breasts)
- 2 medium carrots peeled
- ½ cup chopped celery
- 2 Tablespoons Vegetable oil
- ½ cup roasted cashews
- ¾ cup orange juice fresh or commercially prepared
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 Tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium, if available)
- 2 Tablespoons corn starch
- ¼ teaspoon dried ginger (or 1 tsp. fresh, finely grated ginger)
- ½ teaspoon orange zest (finely grated peel) OPTIONAL
Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Cut chicken into 1" cubes. Thinly slice carrots, and roughly chop celery. Set aside (or refrigerate, if saving for later in the day) until ready to cook.
Make Sauce: In small bowl, whisk or stir sauce ingredients together until combined. Set aside.
Heat oil on medium-high heat in large skillet until really hot (but not smoking). Add chicken, carrots and celery to hot oil. Stir-fry for 8-9 minutes, stirring often. When done, chicken will be lightly browned on all sides, and veggies will be tender. Once done, reduce heat to medium-low.
Stir sauce, then add it to chicken mixture. Stir to combine; bring sauce to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Once sauce has thickened, add the cashews,; stir to combine with chicken, veggies and sauce.
Serve orange cashew chicken on top of hot, steamed rice. If desired (optional), sprinkle the top of each serving with sesame seeds, and a few sliced green onions. Serve hot... and enjoy!
NOTE: The caloric calculation does not include rice (optional for serving with this dish).
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!