Our easy Keto Cashew Chicken recipe has quickly grown into one of the most popular recipes on our blog. This is the dish we always turn to when we’re in the mood for some Thai takeout! The beauty of this recipe is how complex it seems from its flavor profiles, and how simple it actually is to make at home. No special wok or obscure ingredients are required. Whether you love Asian dishes or have been hit with some major cravings, you have to try this easy-to-make cashew chicken keto dinner today.
Low Carb Cashew Chicken
This Keto Cashew Chicken dish is inspired by many things, but there are two that really stick in my mind: an amazing Thai restaurant, and of course, you guys!
When Matt is away I normally find myself spending all day and night in the kitchen throwing together random things in hopes of a winning low-carb recipe.
However, the most recent time Matt went back home to visit on his own, I had a vision in mind. An Asian-infused vision.
Our viewers and readers had been requesting more low-carb Asian recipes, so I knew just one dish wouldn’t cut it. I wanted to take a weekend-long detour and truly explore the flavors of Asian cuisine, and do my best to create delicious keto versions of some of the classics.
This easy cashew chicken recipe has many inspirations behind it, but the two main ones are you guys, our viewers who have requested more asian recipes, and Thai Spice, a restaurant in San Francisco Matt and I used to frequent. If anyone is looking for a good Thai Restaurant near Fisherman’s Wharf, be sure to hit up Thai Spice. The beauty in this recipe is how complex it seems from its flavor profiles, but how simple it actually is to make at home. No special wok or obscure ingredients are required! You have to try this easy cashew chicken today!
While missing Matt and reminiscing on our life together in San Francisco, I remembered Thai Spice, a restaurant in San Francisco we used to frequent.
(By the way, if you’re looking for a good Thai Restaurant near Fisherman’s Wharf – be sure to hit it up)
Cashew chicken is traditionally a Chinese recipe, but that restaurant had an amazing Thai-style cashew chicken dish on their menu. Naturally, this easy keto version was the first recipe I decided to remake that weekend.
I’m happy to say that by the end of that weekend, I’d easily recreated the intense, complementary flavors in this dish in my own low-carb version. And now, I’m sharing it with you!
Cashew Chicken Made Keto
Stir-fries are one of the most underrated dishes on a low-carb or keto diet. You can create endless combinations of meat and veg dishes, adding your own favorite flavor combinations as you please.
Who needs rice, anyway?
An Asian Stir-Fry Without the Carbs
Would you believe this Thai-inspired, keto-friendly dish has less than seven grams of net carbs per serve? Just 6.7 grams, in fact – with most of them actually come from all the vegetables, such as the green onions.
Asian dishes are often loaded with carbs, either from rice and noodles or sugary sauces. This is one stir-fry that’s low on carbs and just as delicious!
In this recipe, I swapped out any high-sugar sauces for low-carb chili garlic sauce, rice wine vinegar and liquid aminos.
Also known as coconut aminos, liquid aminos are a gluten-free substitute for soy sauce. If you prefer soy sauce, feel free to use that instead.
It might seem like this condiment has a high amount of sugar judging from the label. But since you only need a small amount, there isn’t any major impact on the overall carb count.
Healthier Oils
We’re not big fans of vegetable oils like soy and canola– they’ve been linked to inflammation in the body and even poor memory.
Unlike many Asian take-out dishes, this recipe skips the vegetable oil for coconut instead.
I love using coconut oil to cook with as it’s very heat-stable, much like avocado oil. Plus, it leaves a wonderful coconut flavor on Asian dishes!
If you dislike the coconut taste, feel free to use avocado oil when you make this recipe.
As for the sesame oil, I recommend using that as a dressing rather than cooking, as outlined in the recipe.
You can read more about our preferred cooking oils here. We’re big fans of olive oil!
Can You Eat Cashews on Keto?
Many people on a low-carb keto diet warn against eating cashews. After all, they’re one of the highest carb nuts with around eight grams of net carbs per ounce.
But we believe that many foods can still be incorporated into your keto low-carb diet and recipes in small amounts, without adding too many additional carbs.
This Keto Cashew Chicken dish uses just a quarter of a cup of cashews in the entire recipe. That’s just enough to give that signature cashew flavor and crunch.
Plus, there are a lot of health benefits of cashews. One study even suggests that they might help to lower and manage cholesterol!
What Can I Serve it With to Keep it Low-Carb?
You can eat this stir-fry on its own (as I did) or serve it over cauliflower rice – especially fried cauliflower rice! The sauce that coats the chicken, cashews and vegetables will seep into the rice just like happens with regular Asian take-out. Isn’t that the best?
If you’re in more of a noodle mood, try a shirataki or “miracle” noodles. Or, pump up the veggies even more and make zucchini noodles!
What You’ll Need
No wok? No problem! You won’t need any fancy cooking equipment to make this stir-fry.
All you’ll need is:
- A frying pan
- A knife
- A chopping board
- A spoon or tongs
But hey, if you have a wok and want to test out your skills, I’m not about to stop you!
How to Make Keto Cashew Chicken
You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to create a stir-fry with a thick, sticky sauce – without the need for flour or any thickeners. Here’s how.
Start by heating your frying pan over low heat. Add the cashews and lightly toast until they start to brown and become fragrant. This should take around eight minutes.
As your cashews are browning, dice the chicken thighs, onion and bell pepper into equally large, one-inch chunks.
Once the cashews are done, remove them from the pan and set them aside.
Add your coconut oil to the pan and turn the heat up to high. Add in the chicken thighs and cook on high heat until fully done – about five minutes.
When your chicken is done, add in the peppers, onion, garlic, chili garlic sauce, ginger, salt and pepper.
Continue to cook on high for just two to three minutes. You want those vegetables to stay a little crunchy.
Add in the liquid aminos and rice wine vinegar, then return the cashews to the pan. Continue to cook on high.
The liquid in the pan will reduce down to a sticky consistency that clings to the chicken and vegetables. You’ll know when it’s done when there’s no excess left at the bottom of the pan.
Serve your cashew chicken in bowls. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and add a drizzle of sesame oil, and enjoy straight away!
How to Store Keto Cashew Chicken
Once cooked and cooled, you can simply store this easy cashew chicken keto stir-fry in containers in the fridge. We recommend consuming within three days.
My favorite thing about making this recipe ahead of time is it only gets better overnight.
If you make this for meal prep, the chicken and vegetables will soak up even more of the delicious sauce, making it all the more amazing when you eat it later!
Can I Freeze This Recipe?
Yes! This chicken recipe can be easily frozen.
I like to portion mine out into individual servings so I don’t have to defrost an entire bath when I’m craving a bowl of cashew chicken goodness.
More Asian-Inspired Keto Recipes
We had a lot of requests for Asian recipes from viewers and readers. This stir fry is just the first offering of many!
If you’re a fan of chicken dishes like this, then you might like this Butter Chicken Recipe. This one uses chicken breast instead of chicken thigh. Chicken breast contains less fat and calories than thigh.
If cashew chicken isn’t one of your favorite take-out recipes, or you’re just looking for something different, definitely check out this Keto Teriyaki Sauce, Keto Egg Roll in a Bowl, Keto White Chicken Chili or even our Asian Inspired Air Fryer Meatballs and Keto Teriyaki Chicken.
That’s right – there’s a keto version of sushi!
Search “Ketoconnect – Cashew Chicken” On MyFitnessPal.com
Easy Keto Cashew Chicken Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 raw chicken thighs boneless, skinless
- 2 tbsp coconut oil(for cooking)
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 medium Green Bell Pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 tbsp liquid aminos
- 1/2 tbsp chili garlic sauce
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tbsp Sesame Seeds
- 1 tbsp green onions
- 1/4 medium white onion
- Salt + Pepper
Instructions:
- Heat a pan over low heat and toast the cashews for 8 minutes or until they start to lightly brown and become fragrant. Remove and set aside.
- Dice chicken thighs into 1 inch chunks. Cut onion and pepper into equally large chunks.
- Increase heat to high and add coconut oil to pan.
- Once oil is up to temperature, add in the chicken thighs and allow them to cook through(about 5 minutes).
- Once the chicken is fully cooked. Add in the pepper, onions, garlic, chili garlic sauce and seasonings(ginger, salt, pepper). Allow to cook on high for 2-3 minutes.
- Add liquid aminos, rice wine vinegar, and cashews. Cook on high and allow the liquid to reduce down until it is a sticky consistency, There should not be excess liquid in the pan upon completing cooking.
- Serve in a bowl, top with sesame seeds and drizzle with sesame oil. Enjoy!
Notes
Written by
Megha Barot
Megha has always been a passionate cook, but she took this to a new level after starting her keo journey in 2015. She loves creating new recipes and producing educational content for KetoConnect, which she co-founded in 2016 with Matt. Her passion for healthy eating and personal development continues to thrive. She's the proud mom of two awesome kids.
Dawn says
Made this tonight this is a keeper will be making this again!!
Megha Barot says
Awesome to hear!!
Aisyah says
What can we use instead of Rice wine vinegar? Can we substitute it with something else or no?
Matt Gaedke says
Ya you can use lime juice, lemon juice or really any type of vinegar would be decent.
LaShawn says
Made this last night and totally loooooved it! My two and three year old grandchildren loved it as well with white rice. My husband and I had cauliflower rice. Super quick, crazy easy and magically delicious!
Matt Gaedke says
Glad the whole family liked it!
Leslie Inman says
I just made this for dinner, so, so, good!
Megha Barot says
Yess! We went asian tonight too!
Beth Perry says
This is one of our fave meals right now!! love love this recipe! (can’t get the “print” function to work though).
Lori Clement says
Hi,
Made this tonight and it smells amazing, looks healthy, and was super easy to prepare. My concern is even though I followed the exact instructions (except I traded Coconut oil for canola) that it was a little bland and no where near the color of your picture. Mine was more blonde in color. Is there possibly a step or ingredient missing from the above list/recipe?
Thank you for coming up with this recipe and sharing it!!
Lori
Matt Gaedke says
The color comes from the chili sauce and soy sauce. What was the consistency of the final product? You need to let the liquid in the pan reduce down until it is a sticky consistency and it sticks to the chicken.
Hilary says
Hi, I do not see a measurement for the soy sauce…
Cass (KetoConnect) says
We’ve changed the recipe to use 1 1/2 tbsp liquid aminos instead of soya sauce, but either will work fine.
Manchu says
I frequently make something like this but turn it into more of a teriyaki dish by adding a couple of squirts of Dasani zero calorie pineapple/coconut flavoring drops.
I always keep four or five different flavoring drops on hand. They’re invaluable for yogurt, smoothies, sweet and sour dishes. I use them for just about everything except flavored water!!
Kimcat says
I can’t find this on myfitnesspal. ..it was delicious by the way
T says
Very Yummy! Made this evening. I have had a craving for Chicken w/cashews and am so so glad this recipe is available!! My very picky man enjoyed this….Yey!
Thank you for sharing!!
MHolmes says
Made this last night using fresh ginger, added some green beans I needed to use up as well as water chestnuts. It was easy and delicious, thank you so much!
Hilerie says
Amazing!!!!
Doug says
Could you use red peppers instead of green?
Matt Gaedke says
Yep!
Patrice says
Made this for dinner this evening. I forgot the green onions but it was a hit!! I loved it. Tasty, low carbs, veggies. My mom and kids loved it and I loved that it was a healthy complete meal. Will definitely be making this again!
Sheila says
If I don’t have Chicken Thighs can I substitute boneless, skinless chicken breasts? Thank you.
Matt Gaedke says
Yep, that works fine!
Tess says
Made this last night. Fantastic. I used fresh ground ginger. Will make again!
Thank you for the recipe!
Megha Barot says
Thanks for making it and sharing!
Rema says
I made this tonight. I forgot to add the green onion and didn’t have ground ginger so I used fresh!! Turned out delicious! Thanks ?
Megha Barot says
That’s awesome to hear!! And fresh ginger is always best! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Anne H. Fritts says
In the pictures you have g reen scallions cut up but that is not in your recipe.
Megha Barot says
Scallions are the same as green onions, which we do have listed in the ingredients!
Angela says
I think they meant that it’s not in the instructions – I’m assuming you only cut up the green part of the green onions and use it as garnish at the end?
Melanie says
Your recipe didn’t clarify where to use the chili sauce or sesame oil and mine didn’t have any kind of “sticky” quality….what did I do wrong?
Matt Gaedke says
Melanie, the chili sauce was left out of the recipe steps. It should be added along with the other seasonings. Sesame oil is drizzled on at the end. If your’s wasn’t sticky you might want to cook at higher heat and let the liquid in the pan evaporate longer!
Courtney says
We made this tonight. Turned out excellent. I upped the recipe to 8 servings and porpotions worked out well. Definitely will be making this again! Thank you!
Carey says
What is the serving amount?
Matt Gaedke says
The ingredients listed make 3 servings. 1 thigh per serving.
Lubna says
Hi Matt! In the video Meghan says the 3 thighs will serve 2 people yet the recipe says 3… please clarify 🙂
Cass (KetoConnect) says
The recipe give the nutrition for 3 servings so just base your servings off of that, but we would probably make that into two servings in our home! It’s a personal preference.
Allison says
Serving size… what I’ve learned so far with Keto is that we’re each different. What I might want from a meal today might be different from what I need tomorrow to fit my macros so what I personally do it just figure it as I go. Whether you need 1 1/2 thighs or 3 to fit your macros for the day… why the worry? If you can’t do 1/4 an onion do less. Adapt. Peace!
Salome says
Yum..yum
I am going to cook this tonight!
Sue says
Tried this tonight. Very good