Cashew Chicken Stir Fry with Green Beans and Mushrooms
Looking for a simple weeknight dinner idea? Check out this delicious cashew chicken and green bean recipe that comes cooks in one skillet and only takes about 20 minutes to prepare!
I love quick and easy stir fry recipes.
They generally take little time to prepare and are easily customizable.
And once you have your stir fry sauce ingredients, it is easy to make over and over again!
This Cashew Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry is a hit with my whole family.
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Ingredients for Cashew Chicken with Green Beans
- Boneless chicken thighs or breast – Either work here – it’s just personal preference on what cut you choose. Just make sure they are boneless and skinless.
- Low Sodium Soy Sauce or Soy Sauce Alternative – When it comes to soy sauce alternatives, I have used Braggs Liquid Aminos and coconut aminos. Depending on your choice, you may or may not need to add additional salt – see note below.
- Sesame Oil
- Cornstarch
- Green Beans – fresh green beans work best in this recipe
- Mushrooms (optional) – We also like to add in fresh sliced mushrooms – but feel free to omit.
- Diced Onions
- Rice Vinegar
- Minced Garlic
- Ground Ginger
- Honey or Brown Sugar
- Cashew Pieces – You can use whole cashews too, but I prefer the smaller pieces.
- Black Pepper
- Rice for serving (optional)
Note about salt: You may need to add a little salt once you get everything combined in the skillet. I suggest waiting until the end because soy sauce or alternatives have quite a salty flavor, and you may end up with an overly salted dish.
Cooking Cashew Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry
Start by cutting your chicken breasts into small pieces (about 1 inch cubes).
Add the cut-up chicken to a medium sized bowl.
Toss with a little black pepper, cornstarch, and about 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce alternative.
Set the chicken to the side to marinade for a few minutes while preparing the green beans.
In a large skillet that has a lid, heat 1-2 tbsp of sesame oil over medium heat.
Add in the fresh green beans that have been cut in half, diced onion, and optional mushroom slices.
Cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring every so often. Once done, you can remove from the skillet.
While your green beans are cooking, you can start to prepare the soy sauce mixture.
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In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, honey (or brown sugar), rice vinegar, garlic, and ground ginger.
At this time, you’ll need to add another drizzle of sesame oil to the skillet.
Add the chicken in and cook for about 4 minutes (chicken will continue cooking with other ingredients).
Return the green beans and mushrooms to the skillet. Pour in the sour sauce mixture and stir. Add crushed cashew pieces in with the stir-fried chicken and vegetables.
Cover with lid and continue to cook until the chicken is cooked through – about 10 minutes.
Personally, I’ve found that the soy sauce is salty enough and needs no additional salt during cooking – but you may want to taste at this point to see if any additional salt is preferred.
Serve alone, or over cooked white rice (or cauliflower rice)!
Oil Substitutes for Cashew Chicken
You can also use avocado or olive oil to cook in – but sesame oil definitely increases the flavor of this dish.
Vegetable Substitutes for Cashew chicken
If you’re not a fan of green beans or mushrooms, you can experiment with other stir fry vegetables.
Broccoli, bell pepper, snap peas and carrots are other vegetables that I’ve made in this dish with good results.
Cornstarch Substitutes Cashew Chicken
You can use arrowroot starch or tapioca starch in place of the cornstarch.
Simple Cashew Chicken with Green Beans
Equipment
- Large Skillet with Lid
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- black pepper
- sesame oil for cooking meat and veggies in
- 1 cup mushrooms sliced
- 1/2 medium onion diced
- 1 lb fresh green beans ends removed, cut in half
- 1/4 cup soy sauce or alternative plus 1 tbsp for chicken "marinade"
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp honey or brown sugar
- 1 cup cashews pieces
- rice optional for serving
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine bite sized chicken pieces, cornstarch, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, and black pepper. Stir to combine and set to the side.
- In a large skillet with a lid, add a drizzle of sesame oil. Add in green bean pieces, sliced mushrooms, and diced onion. Allow to cook over medium-high heat for about 3-4 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- In another small bowl, whisk together remaining soy sauce, honey/brown sugar, ginger, minced garlic, and rice vinegar.
- Remove vegetables from skillet. Add another drizzle of oil and add in prepared chicken. Cook for 4 minutes, until outside is browned (will continue cooking in later steps).
- Return green bean mixture to the skillet. Pour in soy sauce mixture and cashew pieces and stir.
- Cover the skillet and allow to cook for another 10 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center.
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