Description
This Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken is a deliciously tender, flavorful dish featuring bite-sized chicken breasts coated in a savory sauce made from low sodium soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, sweet chili sauce, and aromatic garlic and ginger. Cashews are added during cooking for a softer texture or before serving for a crunchier bite. Perfectly cooked in a slow cooker, this easy recipe makes a comforting meal served over rice and yields 4 to 6 servings.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 4 pieces)
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
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
- 1 cup cashews
Instructions
- Coat the Chicken: Combine cornstarch and black pepper in a resealable food storage bag. Add the chicken pieces, seal the bag, and shake to evenly coat each piece 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 into the slow cooker.
- Prepare the Sauce and Assemble: In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, sweet chili sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, grated ginger, red pepper flakes, and cashews. Pour this sauce mixture over the chicken in the slow cooker. For softer cashews, add them during cooking; for crunchier cashews, wait and add just before serving.
- Cook Slowly: Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW setting for 3 to 4 hours until the chicken is tender and fully cooked.
- Serve: Spoon the cashew chicken over cooked rice and enjoy your hearty, flavorful meal. The recipe yields 4 to 6 servings.
Notes
- If the dish tastes too salty, use low sodium soy sauce to reduce saltiness.
- If you prefer more sauce, you can increase the sauce quantity by 1 to 1.5 times.
- For softer cashews, add them before cooking; for a crunchier texture, add cashews right before serving.
Keywords: Slow cooker cashew chicken, cashew chicken recipe, slow cooked chicken, easy slow cooker dinner, Asian chicken dish