Authentic Thai Cashew Chicken

What! No peanut sauce?

I was skeptical of adding ketchup, but was glad I did. It add just the right amount of vinegar to the dish. Overall I liked it and will probably make it again some day. Note: I did leave out the sugar and didn’t miss it at all.

OK. It’s taken me awhile to review this, so, here goes.The 4 stars are for the original recipe. I made it the first time, as directed, with the exception of stir frying the chicken first. Everything else in the recipe I strictly adhered to. The first attempt I thought was not hot enough, so I added more chili paste the next time. I also increased the amount of oyster sauce, ketchup, etc. as suggested my the other “chefs.” Much better. NOW it’s 5 stars!

This Thai cashew chicken recipe was a big hit with the wife and kids. In fact, she said it was just as good as what she gets at our favorite Thai restaurant! I had to cut way back on the salt and made some other changes due to family needs. Changes that I made for a lower glycemic, heart healthier version: No ketchup… No soy sauce… 1 tbsp oyster sauce instead of 2 tbsp… 1/2 tsp chili paste instead of 1 tsp… brown sugar instead of white sugar… Sesame oil instead of canola oil… Basmati rice instead of jasmine rice… Hope you guys like it as well as my family!

i used this very versatile recipe as a base.. i used the veggies i had on hand like others did (zucchini, carrots, celery, bell pepper, mushrooms).. cooked the chicken (thighs) first in some leftover bacon fat from breakfast.. removed the chicken with a slotted spoon.. added the ketchup (2 tbsp), oyster sauce (1 tbsp), and soy sauce (light) .. also added 1 tbsp of fish sauce.. probably doubed if not tripled the garlic chile paste and left out the sugar.. cooked the veggies in that.. stirred in the chicken once they were done and topped off with chopped green onion and cilantro.. i toasted the cashews (almost burned them..oops!) and they were a nice little addition to the dish but it didn’t make the dish.. i could have gone without.. so much for cashew chicken, right? i tried squeezing some lime over this as others did.. dont know if i like it w/ or w/o better.. either way this was just asian tasting enough for us.. ty for the recipe

I thought it was OK but my partner loved it. I did as suggested and added peanut butter and lime juice and decreased the ketchup and sugar. Also as suggested, I added snow peas and cooked the chicken first. I used raw cashews and roasted them ahead of time. Served over basmati rice.

This was awesome. I admit that I always read the reviews and incorporate the suggestions. Some people find that annoying, but that’s the best part about this site – the pooled knowledge of so many cooks! The base recipe is an excellent base recipe. I made this spicier by first cooking 2 sliced habaneros in oil, then I dumped in the onion and other dry spices. I used roasted red thai chili sauce instead of chili garlic paste. I also tossed in some fresh chopped basil and red pepper flakes. I cooked the chicken in this mix and waited until it was cooked through before adding the veggies. Per other reviewer recommendations, I omitted the ketchup but used peanut butter and doubled the wet ingredients (broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, peanut butter). At the end I mixed in some cornstarch to thicken the sauce and added the lime juice. This recipe totally blew away my Korean boyfriend who likes spicy food and also got rave reviews from a co-worker with whom i shared the leftovers. Oh and instead of toasting the cashews and cooking them whole, I ground them up with a mortar and pestle – about half a cup worth. I cooked with half the cashew crumbles and reserved the rest to top the finished product.

The recipe was delicious! I made it pretty exact except for using Tofu instead of chicken. Also, I didn’t use any Oyster Sauce since it’s not vegetarian, but didn’t affect the taste at all. Next time I’ll try a vegetarian oyster sauce to see if it makes a difference.

This was pretty good. I pretty much followed the recipe plus the additions that elizabeth101 mentioned. Also I cooked the chicken separately and used vegetable broth since my husband is a vegetarian. I just cooked everything else, then left a little sauce in the skillet and cooked the chicken in that, and added it on top of my portion. I think it would have been a little bland without the changes.

doubled sauce ingredients and omitted ketchup and added juice out of 1 lime. was not impressed with this recipe. needs more…of something..

This is a really good recipe that could be made wonderful by using a different cooking method. Next time I make this, I’ll stir fry the veggies first, set them aside then cook the chicken, add the sauce and then add the veggies back in. At lot of reviewers added peanut butter as well, I’ll probably do that, too.

Would add chicken earlier during onions & peppers. 2 T of sriracha. Needs a bit of corn starch. Add celery, maybe mango? Yum, though!

Super easy and delicious! I did add minced garlic, a dash more of soy sauce and extra chili paste : )

This is great. I did modify slightly to add vegetables. I used fresh organic veggies and organic free range chicken from Trader Joes and this definitely tasted like a healthy meal. The veggies I used included broccoli, snow peas, one yellow squash, one red bell pepper, one yellow bell pepper, shredded carrots, crimini mushrooms, and an onion. I did things in a slightly different order than listed in the recipe. I heated the chili paste and then also minced some fresh garlic in the vegetable oil. Then I added the chicken. I cooked it until no longer pink and then added the broccoli and onion. I let those sautee for a few minutes before adding all the other vegetables. In addition to the sauce ingredients listed, I also added a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter, the juice from one lime, and some fresh cilantro. I omitted the sugar entirely as I did not think it was necessary. This was fresh and tasty. I accompanied it with jasmine rice. Thank you for the recipe.

I am glad so many peope like it but this is not authentic. I’ve lived in Thailand for 6 years, never seen ketchup as a cooking ingredient. Whole Dried chilis should first be fried, til they darken, then removed from pan. Then loads of chopped garlic is cooked with the chicken, some onon and a bell pepper if you like. Ths sauce is dark soy plus “nam prik pao” chili paste, maybe some cornstarch and water to thicken, chicken broth if u like…Toast or fry the cashews before adding them in, stir in some green onion , sprinkle with some coriander too if you like. FYI – Thais usually dont throw veggies in the dish, but serve a separate veggie dish… but hey, whatever you like 🙂

I made this last night for the first time and it was Excellent! The only thing I did different was to add some soy sauce like some of the other reviewers. I tried it today for lunch and it was even better. I especially liked that I can control the sodium myself. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!!

I thought this was excellent. Easy to make, and allows for a little ‘personalization’ in terms of heat, veggies, etc. I agree with other reviewers that you should cook the chicken first, and then add back in when the vegetables are done.

I started out making this following the recipe pretty closely and enjoyed it! However, I found the original recipe a bit fishy tasting so went with the others and added some fresh lime juice and a Tb of peanut butter. I thought it was fabulous! Not quite the recipe I was hoping to replicate from my favorite restaurant but a winner none the less!

I subbed in asparagus for the broccoli and used more cashews. This was OK for a quick weeknight dinner.

This recipe was so amazing! My husband was like in love with it, I made the whole recipe for just 2 of us and he ate the leftovers for days. (We’re usually really bad at leftovers.) I used red, yellow, and green peppers (an attempt to put some color in it, but the sauce just covers it up anyway), and added the peanut butter.

This is great! The sause for this recipe is a great base for any Thai recipe.