Cashew Chicken For One, easy to make and so much better than takeout! Cooked chicken, broccoli, and cashews in a sweet garlic sauce. This single serving version of cashew chicken is filled with flavor, healthy, and ready in just 20 minutes!
One of my favorite takeout meals is cashew chicken. I love the tender bits of chicken served alongside crisp broccoli florets and buttery cashews in a sweet, slightly tangy sauce.
This small batch cashew chicken recipe is a lighter version that comes together quickly. It's better than any healthy takeout meal and it's a dish that I think you'll want to make over and over again.
Why This Recipe Works
- Our version of cashew chicken features crunchy buttery cashews and juicy pieces of tender chicken. The broccoli cooks quickly so it still has a nice crisp-tender bite and the sauce is incredibly delicious.
- This recipe yields the perfect amount to serve one or two people.
- It's so easy to make!
RELATED: Cooking For One - Simple Tips To Eat Healthy and Save Money
Ingredient Notes
See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.
- Soy sauce: I like to use low-sodium soy sauce.
- Honey: A touch of honey adds the perfect amount of sweetness. You may use sugar or a sugar substitute instead.
- Olive oil: I use extra virgin olive oil in this cashew chicken recipe as well as in every other recipe on One Dish Kitchen that calls for olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is the least processed form of olive oil. It is an unrefined oil and the highest-quality olive oil you can buy. Because of the way extra virgin olive oil is made, it retains more true olive taste. It also contains more of the vitamins and minerals found in olives. It's my favorite type of olive oil to use but you may use a lighter olive oil instead.
- Ginger: Use ¼ teaspoon fresh grated ginger or ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger.
- Water: A small amount of water is added to the sauce.
- Chicken: Use 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh.
- Salt and black pepper: For flavor.
- Vegetables: Onions, garlic, and broccoli.
- Cashews: If you want to make a nut-free version, leave out the cashews.
How To Make This Recipe
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Make the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, olive oil, ginger, and water. Set aside.
- Make the cashew chicken: Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sauté until cooked through, 4-5 minutes.
- In the same skillet, add the chopped onions, broccoli, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally for one minute, keeping them crisp-tender.
- Add the cashews to the skillet and pour in the sauce. Cook until the mixture comes to a light boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Serve with rice (optional).
You might like to use our single serving recipes for baked white rice or baked brown rice.
Cooking Rice For One Tip: Cook a large batch of brown or white rice and freeze it in individual portions using a muffin pan. Once frozen, pop the rice discs out of the muffin pan and freeze them in a zip-top bag. Whenever you need a single serving of rice, just heat up one of the frozen discs.
RELATED: The Best Cookie Recipes For One
Expert Tips
- Cut the chicken into similarly sized pieces so that the chicken cooks at the same rate.
- I use low sodium soy sauce in this recipe. If you use regular soy sauce, don't add salt to the chicken because you might find the dish to be too salty. I would suggest tasting it and adding salt if you feel it is necessary.
- If you like your cashew chicken to be a little more on the spicier side, add in a pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes. A little goes a long way.
- I use a 10-inch skillet when I make this mini cashew chicken. For best results, use a dish of similar size.
- For more information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this cashew chicken recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
- Soy sauce: Fried Rice, Sesame Chicken, Orange Chicken, Pork Stir Fry
- Honey: Honey Lemon Custard, Curried Butternut Squash Soup, Tomato Sauce, Roasted Carrots
- Olive oil: Baba Ganoush, Spinach and Orzo Salad, Creamy Vegetable Soup, Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Ginger: Healing Turmeric Tea, Soft Ginger Cookies, Thai Shrimp Soup, Green Smoothie
- Chicken: Chicken and Dumplings, Chicken Caprese, Chicken Margherita, Enchiladas Verde
- Onions: French Onion Soup, Rice Pilaf, Cornbread Dressing, Chicken Tagine
- Broccoli: Broccoli Cheese Soup, Italian Pasta Salad, Broccolini with Sausage, Vegetable Casserole
- Nuts: Chocolate Candies, Butter Pecan Granola, Brownies
Frequently Asked Questions
In a lot of Asian recipes, or recipes where there is a sauce involved, the sauce is thickened with flour or cornstarch. I wanted to lighten up this recipe by skipping the thickeners and letting the sauce thicken naturally by reduction.
Thickening a sauce by reduction is important to know how to do especially if you're on a low carb diet. The process is quite simple. You reduce the moisture content of the sauce by simmering over low heat and letting evaporation take over. As the water leaves, the flavors stay and will become richer.
When making this small cashew chicken, I use a 10-inch skillet. For best results, use a pan of a similar size.
For more information on the baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.
If you’ve tried this cashew chicken or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
If you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Cashew Chicken For One
See the post above for expert tips,
FAQs and ways to use leftover ingredients.
Equipment
Ingredients
FOR THE SAUCE
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon grated ginger (or use ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger)
- 1 tablespoon water
FOR THE CASHEW CHICKEN
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 (6 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast , cut into 1-inch cubes. (you can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- ½ cup chopped onions , thickly chopped
- ½ cup broccoli florets
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- ¼ cup unsalted cashews
Instructions
TO MAKE THE SAUCE
- In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, olive oil, ginger, and water. Set aside.
TO MAKE THE CASHEW CHICKEN
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sauté until cooked through, 4-5 minutes.
- In the same skillet, add the chopped onions, broccoli, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally for one minute, keeping them crisp-tender.
- Add the cashews to the skillet and pour in the sauce. Cook until the mixture comes to a light boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Serve with rice (optional).
Notes
- Cut the chicken into similarly sized pieces so that the chicken cooks at the same rate.
- I use low sodium soy sauce in this recipe. If you use regular soy sauce, don't add salt to the chicken because you might find the dish to be too salty. I would suggest tasting it and adding salt if you feel it is necessary.
- If you like your cashew chicken to be a little more on the spicier side, add in a pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes. A little goes a long way.
- I use a 10-inch skillet when I make Cashew Chicken For One. For best results, use a dish of similar size.
- For more information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Cathie Johnson says
Really easy & love the sauce! Will be making this again for sure.
LadyB says
I always double these recipes for my husband & me. We were particularly taken by this chicken & cashew stir-fry. The step-by-step instructions were easy to follow (used chicken thighs) and the flavor was spot-on. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thanks!
Janina says
This is amazing. I used red & green peppers instead of broccoli and it added a nice color to the recipe. The sauce is perfect "as is". One of my favorite recipes!
Liz M. says
Love this stir fry!! I used unsalted peanuts Instead of the cashews and it turned out fabulous!! Made Minute Rice with it, and everything reheated very well too. Easy to double the recipe.
Dena says
Don't anyone clutch their pearls BUT I don't like brocolli so I used celery instead. I'm going to buy low sodium soy sauce for the next batch .. yep .. there will definitely be a next batch!
Sue says
I’m allergic to cashews, but this sauce sounds delicious. Is the recipe ok without the nuts or could I substitute a veg like celery to give it some crunch? Or maybe almonds which I can eat?
Joanie Zisk says
Almonds are a good substitute and although I've never used celery as a substitute here, I love the idea.