Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken is bite-size chicken breast tossed in seasoned flour, browned for a couple of minutes, then slow-cooked in a sweet and savory sauce of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and a pinch of red pepper flakes. A handful of cashews goes in at the end for crunch. It serves 6 over rice.
How to make it: Shake the chicken pieces in a bag with flour and pepper, then brown them in a hot skillet about 2 minutes a side and move them to the crockpot. Stir the sauce together, pour it over the chicken and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken reaches 165°F. Stir in the cashews and serve over rice.
Why You’ll Love It
- Takeout-style dinner at home: chicken in a sticky, sweet and savory sauce with cashews over rice.
- Mostly hands-off: about 15 minutes of work, then the slow cooker takes over.
- Pantry sauce: soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup and brown sugar you likely have on hand.
- Crunch at the end: the cashews go in last so they stay crisp.
Ingredient Notes
Chicken: 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into large bite-size pieces, not too small. Chicken thighs work too. Make sure the chicken is fully thawed.
Flour and pepper: 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper make a light coating. Cornstarch works in place of the flour; use half as much.
Soy sauce: 1/4 cup. Low-sodium soy sauce works if you want the dish less salty.
Rice wine vinegar and ketchup: 2 tablespoons of each add tang and body to the sauce.
Brown sugar, garlic and ginger: 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 clove minced garlic and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger.
Red pepper flakes: 1/4 teaspoon for a mild kick; add more if you like heat.
Cashews: 1/2 cup, unsalted. Salted cashews on top of soy sauce can make the dish too salty.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into large bite-size pieces
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1/4 cup soy sauce (low-sodium works too)
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup cashews, unsalted
How to Make Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken
1. Coat the chicken. Combine the flour and black pepper in a large zip-top bag. Add the chicken and shake to coat it with the flour mixture.
2. Brown the chicken. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken about 2 minutes on each side, then place it in the slow cooker. It only needs a little color here; it finishes cooking in the slow cooker.
3. Mix the sauce. Combine the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Pour the sauce over the chicken.
4. Cook on low. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken reaches 165°F on a food thermometer. Keep the lid on except to stir or check the temperature.
5. Stir in the cashews. Add the cashews to the slow cooker and stir. Serve over rice.
How to Get a Sticky Sauce That Clings
The flour coating and the quick browning aren’t just for color. Coating and browning the chicken first helps the sauce thicken as it cooks, so it clings to the pieces instead of staying thin. You can skip the browning, but you’ll end up with a thinner sauce and softer chicken.
This recipe makes a modest amount of sauce that coats the chicken. If you love extra sauce to spoon over your rice, double every sauce ingredient: 1/2 cup soy sauce, 4 tablespoons each of rice wine vinegar and ketchup, and twice the sugar, garlic, ginger and pepper flakes.
When to Add the Cashews
For crunchy cashews, stir them in at the end, right before serving. Added at the start, they soften in the sauce as the chicken cooks. Some people like them that way, soft and creamy, so it’s your choice.
Use unsalted cashews. If salted ones are all you have, give them a quick rinse and toast them dry in a skillet before adding them.
Can You Put Raw Chicken in a Slow Cooker?
Yes. A slow cooker cooks raw chicken safely, as long as the chicken is fully thawed first; never put frozen chicken in. Here the chicken is browned for flavor and to set the flour coating, but it’s still mostly raw when it goes in and finishes cooking in the crockpot. Keep the lid on so the heat stays in, and check with a food thermometer: the chicken is done at 165°F.
Variations
- Chicken thighs: use boneless, skinless thighs in place of breasts.
- Cornstarch coating: swap the flour for half as much cornstarch.
- Add a vegetable: put a chopped red bell pepper in with the chicken.
- More heat: add extra red pepper flakes or a little chili sauce.
- Other nuts: use almonds or peanuts, or leave the nuts out.
- Freezer meal: bag the raw chicken and the sauce without the flour and cashews, freeze, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then cook as written and add the cashews at the end.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours (1 hour if it’s over 90°F) in shallow covered containers. They keep 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Cool the chicken, pack it in a freezer bag or container with the air pressed out and freeze it for 3 to 4 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator.
Reheating: Reheat covered on the stove, in the microwave or in the oven until it reaches 165°F, bringing the sauce to a boil. Don’t reheat leftovers in the slow cooker; heat them first, then you can keep them warm in it.
What to Serve With It
Serve it over steamed white rice or egg fried rice, with steamed vegetables or a chicken and broccoli stir fry alongside. Egg rolls make it feel like takeout night.
More slow cooker and takeout-style dinners: General Tso’s chicken, slow cooker chicken teriyaki, 3-ingredient orange chicken and Asian pork in the crock pot.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make sticky cashew chicken in a slow cooker?
Coat the chicken in flour, brown it briefly, then slow-cook it in the sauce. The coating thickens the sauce so it clings. Double the sauce if you want more.
What is the sauce on cashew chicken?
Here it’s soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, ground ginger and red pepper flakes, which cook into a sweet and savory brown sauce.
Is it okay to put raw chicken in a slow cooker?
Yes, as long as it’s thawed first. Cook it until it reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
When do I add the cashews?
At the end, right before serving, so they stay crunchy.
Can I use chicken thighs?
Yes. Boneless, skinless thighs work in place of breasts; cook them to 165°F.
Final Notes
Coat, brown, slow-cook and finish with cashews, and dinner is ready when you are. If you double the sauce, tell me in the comments whether you’ll go back to the original.
Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into large pieces, bite-sized but not too small; thawed; chicken thighs also work
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1/4 cup soy sauce low-sodium soy sauce works too
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup cashews unsalted, stirred in at the end
Instructions
- Combine the flour and black pepper in a large zip-top bag. Add the chicken and shake to coat it with the flour mixture.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken about 2 minutes on each side, then place it in the slow cooker. It only needs a little color here; it finishes cooking in the slow cooker.
- Combine the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Pour the sauce over the chicken.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken reaches 165°F on a food thermometer. Keep the lid on except to stir or check the temperature.
- Add the cashews to the slow cooker and stir. Serve over rice.
