Paleo Cashew Chicken (2024)

By: Sarah NevinsPosted: 1/4/21Updated: 8/12/23

Make your own ‘healthified’ Chinese inspired takeout dish at home with this Paleo Cashew Chicken! Tender, juicy chicken pieces are lightly coated in a sweet and sticky date-sweetened sauce then cooked with red bell peppers, spring onions and toasted cashew nuts.Make sure to check the recipe notes on how to make this dish low FODMAP friendly with a few easy tweaks! | Gluten Free + Whole30 + Low FODMAP friendly

Paleo Cashew Chicken (1)

Originally posted 22 June 2015 – Updated with improved photos, recipe and instructions 4 January 2021

Today I’m dusting off an old reader favourite with this paleo cashew chicken. While the original recipe has been fairly popular over the years, it’s been awhile since I last made this dish. I just wanted to take the time to re vist and update some of the pics and methods in the original post for a better, easier and more streamlined recipe.

What’s changed?

  • The sauce is prepped first so that it’s ready to be quickly added to the chicken when the time comes.
  • There are less pots & pans required – everything cooks in one pan, just at a different times.
  • I’ve add more notes, tips and substitutions to the recipe.
  • My original recipe was supposed to be low FODMAP but as I was new to FODMAP cooking at the time I didn’t realise that cashews were high FODMAP. That being said, you can easily make this FODMAP friendly with a few tweaks (like using peanuts instead of cashews) and the recipe more clearly reflects those necessary adaptations.

Now – on to the food!

How to Make this Paleo Cashew Chicken

  1. Prepare the sauce – add all of the ingredients needs for the sauce to a blender and process until smooth. Once blended, set aside until closer to the end.
  2. Coat and cook the chicken – Lightly coat your chicken pieces in starch, then fry in coconut or avocado oil until a golden crust forms. Try not to move your chicken pieces too much as they cook so a decent crust has the chance to form. After all the chicken has cooked, remove everything from the pan and set aside. Wipe down the pan to remove any burnt on bits of chicken and starch.
  3. Sauté the aromatics – Add a little more oil to the pan along with your pepper, ginger, garlic and spring onions and cook 2-3 minutes until the peppers begin to soften.
  4. Add the sauce & bring it all together – Bring the sauce up to a boil then simmer a few minutes before adding the chicken and cashew nuts to the pan. Mix and cook until everything is well coated in a sticky sauce and that’s it. Taste and season as needed then serve.
Paleo Cashew Chicken (2)

How to Make this FODMAP friendly

  • Cashews >>> Peanuts – Not exactly a cashew chicken dish, but still delicious and low fodmap.
  • Garlic >>> Garlic Infused Oil – Many grocery stores now sell garlic infused olive oil. If high FODMAP foods are an issue for you, garlic infused oil is a great way to get hints of garlic flavour without actually eating garlic. You can also make your own garlic infused oil at home if you’re up to the job: FODMAP Everyday has a great recipe if you’re up to the job.
    • Just make sure you buy oil that has no visible garlic bits left in as that is not low FODMAP.
  • Use only he green parts of the spring onion – the white and lighter green stalks on spring onions are high FODMAP, but the leafy greens are considered safe.
  • Use a low FODMAP chicken stock – Chicken stock is typically made with onion and garlic which must be avoided for those following low fodmap diets. Make sure to either buy or make your own low fodmap chicken stock.
  • A note about the date – dates are not considered low fodmap but since this recipe only requires one date for four servings it should be safe for a low fodmap diet. However – if dates are particularly triggering you can swap the date for 1 tablespoon sugar or maple syrup.

Other substitutions

  • Coconut aminos >>> gluten free soy sauce/tamari – not paleo but a quick and easy swap! Soy sauce is much saltier so keep in mind that you will likely not need to add additional salt later.
  • Arrowroot starch >> cornstarch (also known as corn flour in the UK) – again, not paleo, but an easy swap if that’s all you have in.
  • One date >> One tablespoon other sweetener – if you don’t have dates on hand you can swap the date with 1 tablespoon sugar, honey or maple syrup instead. The date keeps this dish whole30 compliant though so keep that in mind if you’re following a strict whole30 diet.
Paleo Cashew Chicken (3)

Enjoy!

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Paleo Cashew Chicken (4)

Recipe

Yield:4 -5 servingsPrep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 35 minutes

Rate

Make your own 'healthified' Chinese inspired takeout dish at home with this Paleo Cashew Chicken! Tender, juicy chicken pieces are lightly coated in a sweet and sticky date-sweetened sauce then cooked with red bell peppers, spring onions and toasted cashew nuts.Make sure to check the recipe notes on how to make this dish low FODMAP friendly with a few easy tweaks! | Gluten Free + Whole30 + Low FODMAP friendly

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 1/2 cup | 120 ml chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup | 60 ml coconut aminos
  • 1 tablespoon | 15 ml apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoons | 15 ml avocado oil (can sub with sesame oil or olive oil)
  • 1 date medjool date, seed removed
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional

Chicken

  • 1/2 cup | 75 grams cashews
  • 1.5 pounds | 680 g boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1" pieces
  • 1/4 cup | 30 grams arrowroot or tapioca starch
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • coconut oil or avocado for frying
  • 1 red bell pepper deseeded and diced
  • 4 spring onions, diced
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons minced ginger or about 1" from a fresh knob
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.

Instructions

Sauce

  1. Combine all of the ingredients needed for the sauce in a blender and process until smooth. Set aside.

Chicken

  1. Place the chicken pieces in a shallow bowl or plate and toss with starch coating all sides.
  2. In a large non stick pan or skillet over a medium heat, toast your cashews for 2-3 minutes until they're lightly browned and smell nice and toasty. Once toasted remove from pan and set aside.
  3. Add a tablespoon or two of coconut oil to a non stick skillet. When the oil is hot add the chicken. Fry over medium heat, a couple of minutes on each side until the coating begins to crisp. Continue to sauté over medium heat until chicken is browned and cooked through. Try not to crowd the pan with too many chicken pieces at a time or a proper crust won't form.
  4. Once all the chicken pieces are cooked briefly remove them from the pan. Pour out the remaining oil and wipe down with a paper towel to remove any burnt bit and leftover starch.
  5. Lower heat and add the bell pepper, spring onions, garlic and ginger. Sauté and cook 3-4 minutes, stirring often to keep things from burning.
  6. Add the chicken back to the pan along with the blended up sauce. Turn the heat up high and bring everything to a simmer on medium low heat for an additional 2-3 minutes until the chicken is coated in a sticky sauce. Taste and season with more salt as needed. Add the cashews.
  7. Serve warm over a bed of rice or cauliflower rice and enjoy.

Notes

  • For a thicker sauce: whisk together 2 teaspoons starch with 2 tablespoons water and then mix in with the sauce before adding the chicken. After a minute or two of cooking you should notice the sauce thicken and become more glossy.
  • You can use gluten free soy sauce or tamari in place of coconut aminos (not paleo)
  • You can use corn starch in place of arrow root or tapioca starch (not paleo)

MAKE THIS LOW FODMAP:

  • Make sure to use a low fodmap chicken stock.
  • Instead of adding garlic, use garlic infused olive oil
  • Use only the green parts of the spring onions
  • Use peanuts instead of cashews (not paleo)
  • Technically dates are considered high FODMAP, but considering there is only one date for 3-5 servings, one date shouldn't be too much of an issue. If you do want to omit the date however, sub in 2-3 tablespoons of coconut sugar

Nutrition Information

Yield: 4

Serving Size:

8 ouncesCalories: 469Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 107mgSodium: 769mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 51g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© A Saucy Kitchen, Sarah Nevins

Course: MainsCuisine:American Chinese

More Chicken Recipes you Might Enjoy

  • Spicy Cashew Chicken
  • Healthy Chinese Lemon Chicken
  • Chicken with Ginger and Spring Onion
  • Ginger Honey Chicken with Broccoli
  • Teriyaki Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry
  • Teriyaki Chicken Lettuce Wraps
  • Sticky Honey Garlic Chicken Wings (Baked)

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  • Paleo Firecracker Chicken

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  • Chicken with Ginger and Spring Onion

About Sarah Nevins

Hi, I'm Sarah! Welcome to my little gluten free corner of the internet. I like eating vegetables, but sometimes I get distracted by cookies...

Learn More

Next Post Cauliflower Egg Fried Rice

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review!

  1. Axel says

    Came out really really good, like the real thing from the restaurants. Whole family loved it. Used corn starch instead of tapioca starch and soy sauce instead of coconut aminos. Also used tighs instead of breast so that stay moist and juicy for sure.

    Reply

    • Sarah Nevins says

      Hi Axel – so glad to hear you guys enjoyed it! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and let me know how it went for you 🙂

      Reply

  2. Heather B says

    Made this tonight and it was really great. My husband is very sensitive to ginger so I omitted it and added an extra garlic clove and date to the sauce. I used about 3 tablespoons of arrowroot powder on the chicken but none in the sauce. Consistency of the sauce was perfect as it thickened slightly from the chicken coating without getting gummy.

    Reply

    • Sarah Nevins says

      Thanks Heather! So glad you guys enjoyed it! Good tip on the starch!

      Reply

  3. Isa says

    Hi!
    This looks delish! I believe Cornstartch is NOT Whole30 compliant, so for those of you who are doing it, careful.

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      Thanks Isa! You’re totally right! I just list it as an option for people who don’t have access to tapioca/arrowroot & aren’t as concerned about it being whole30.

      Reply

  4. Eliza says

    My teenage daughter helped me make this and said upon tasting it, “this tastes like a real Chinese dish!” we were all blown away by the deliciousness. We also threw in some broccoli. And I am glad you added the step about arrowroot/water. I printed this week’s ago so I didn’t take that step (against my better judgment bc I know better, and regretted it.) Everything else is on point. I love all the ginger.

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      Hi Eliza! So glad you both liked it!

      Reply

  5. Cassandra Beck says

    YUM! This was so good! Thank you for sharing this. It’s unlike any Whole30 recipe I’ve made for sure, and tastes totally legit. The only thing I need to change next time is stir the arrowroot powder in gradually – for me it became clumps that wouldn’t dissolve. But I really didn’t mind. The flavors were amazing!

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      Thanks Cassandra! Good point about the arrowroot – I’ve added a little tweak to the recipe to make sure other people don’t have issues with that as well. Thanks so much for coming back to let me know what you thought!

      Reply

  6. Michael says

    2 complaints when making this the other night. I used coconut oil to fry the chicken and it made it all clump together and become very chewy. Also, the coconut aminos made it so salty I was unable to eat it. My partner ate it but said it was very salty.

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      Hi Michael! Sorry to hear you guys didn’t enjoy it! I’m not really sure why the coconut oil would cause every thing to clump together – that’s not typically something that happens when using coconut oil this way. As for the coconut aminos I’m wondering what kind of brand you might have used. Do you know if the coconut aminos had any added salt to it? Usually with coconut aminos people find that they need to add more salt to it to get the same umami flavour as with soy sauce. For example: one teaspoon coconut aminos contains 113mg of sodium as opposed to one teaspoon of regular soy sauce containing 306mg.

      Reply

      • Eliza says

        The tapioca can get gluey if it gets too wet ir not hot enough fast enough. Could that have been the issue?

        Reply

Older Comments

Paleo Cashew Chicken (2024)

FAQs

Is cashew good for a paleo diet? ›

The paleo diet avoids foods that became popular as a result of farming and industrialization, which often means dairy products are out of the question. Luckily, paleo followers can make a quick substitute for popular dairy products with cashews as the base, thanks to the creamy texture of the nut.

What is cashew chicken sauce made of? ›

In a small bowl, mix together your sauce by combining light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, white pepper, msg, chicken stock, and cornstarch.

Does cashew chicken have a lot of carbs? ›

Cashew chicken (1 cup) contains 12.3g total carbs, 10.7g net carbs, 18.5g fat, 25.2g protein, and 312 calories.

What's the difference between Springfield cashew chicken and regular cashew chicken? ›

A plate of Springfield-style (deep fried) cashew chicken served with fried rice and an egg roll. Borrowing from the local love of fried chicken, Leong came up with a variation of the preexisting dish. Instead of stir-frying the chicken, as is normally done, he deep-fried the chicken chunks.

What happens when you start eating 4 cashews every day? ›

Research suggests that people who eat a small serving of cashews every day may see a small reduction in LDL "bad" cholesterol. Not only can they lower bad cholesterol, cashews may help prevent heart disease due to their high magnesium content.

What happens if I eat 30 cashews a day? ›

Consuming cashew nuts in excess can result in constipation or weight gain. It may also trigger an allergic reaction in sensitive individuals.

What country is cashew chicken from? ›

Many people might think of cashew chicken as a Chinese dish, and indeed China is where this dish originated. You can tell by the presence of sesame oil, which we don't use very much of in Thai cooking.

What is the difference between kung pao chicken and cashew chicken? ›

Unlike another nutty stir-fry favorite, Kung Pao Chicken (which is cooked with chillies and roasted peanuts), cashew chicken (also called chicken with cashew nuts) has a mild, lightly sweet brown sauce, the perfect complement to roasted cashews.

Is cashew chicken a Missouri thing? ›

"Cashew chicken is selected for and shall be known as the official dish for the state of Missouri," the text of HB 1624 reads. "Deep-fried cashew chicken is now served in more than seventy restaurants in the Springfield area."

How many carbs are in cashew chicken without rice? ›

Elephant Bar Wok-fired Specials Shanghai Cashew Chicken No Rice (1 serving) contains 83g total carbs, 80g net carbs, 89g fat, 69g protein, and 1400 calories.

How many cashews can I eat on keto? ›

10. Cashews. Take a pass on these C-shaped nuts when you're on the keto diet. “Just 60 cashews are equal to the daily carb limit of 20 grams per day on keto,” says Beth Warren, R.D., founder of Beth Warren Nutrition and author of Secrets of a Kosher Girl.

Are cashews good carbs or bad carbs? ›

A 1-ounce (28-gram) serving of cashews contains 9 grams of total carbs or 8 grams of net carbs. This is a significant amount of carbs for the low carb keto diet, but cashews can be included if you're careful with your portion size.

Who invented cashew chicken? ›

Cashew chicken is the invention of one David Leong, a skilled Chinese chef who immigrated to the U.S. in 1940 and struggled to find an audience for the Chinese cooking he loved.

Which cashew is best to eat? ›

Therefore, The W-180 is usually considered the best of the lot of 33 and called the king of Cashews. It is a larger, more expensive, giant, stunning, white, and whole-grain cashew with between 1440 and 180 nuts per pound (266 - 395 beans/kg). Besides, W-210 also referred to as "Jumbo" nuts, is a common nut.

What's the difference between almond chicken and cashew chicken? ›

More popularly, “almond chicken” in America's wide swath of Chinese-American restaurants would mean a version of cashew chicken, a dish of diced poultry, stir-fried with vegetables and cashews and then topped with toasted almonds; elsewhere, the chicken would be appropriately breaded, fried, and almond-topped, but ...

What nuts are OK on paleo diet? ›

Nuts and seeds such as macadamia nuts, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds play an important role on the paleo diet. As do healthy fats and oils from fruits or nuts (extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil coconut oil, walnut oil, etc.).

Are cashews anti inflammatory foods? ›

Almonds (nuts in general)-Almonds, walnuts, and cashews are among some of the best nuts to eat when wanting to avoid inflammation. What makes these so easy to eat is that they can be a snack, incorporated into a main dish, or sprinkled on dessert. Try to get these in your diet, daily if possible.

Can you eat too many nuts on paleo? ›

If you're eating any nuts more often than as the occasional garnish, it may be too much. Because all nuts and seeds are high in inflammatory Omega 6s, and low in Omega 3s, they should be considered more of a garnish, rather than a go-to source of daily fat intake.

Do cashews spike insulin? ›

In a 2018 study, researchers gave 300 participants with type 2 diabetes either a cashew-enriched diet or a typical diabetes diet. Those on the cashew-enriched diet had lower blood pressure and higher levels of HDL cholesterol after 12 weeks. The cashews also had no negative impact on blood glucose levels or weight.

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