I must admit… I’ve never had cashew chicken at a restaurant so I don’t know what it is “supposed” to taste like. I saw a lot of pictures of cashew chicken going around Pinterest, and they looked good. Rather than clicking on the link to discover that the recipe probably called for a can of soda, or burlap, or something from IKEA, I figured I’d just experiment and figure out a good recipe for cashew chicken.
This is one of the few recipes that I’ve liked on the first try. The flavors blend really well together, and the lettuce as a wrap is the perfect crispy complement to the sweet and savory chicken.
Feel free to let me know in the comments what regular cashew chicken typically includes, but this recipe is a new family favorite at our house:
Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wrap Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 TBSP butter (or coconut oil)
- 1 lb chicken breasts or thighs (diced)
- 1 tsp garlic powder (or 2 cloves garlic, minced)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp basil (optional)
- 3 TBSP coconut aminos
- 3 TBSP maple syrup
- ½ cup cashews
- ½ red onion (thinly sliced)
- 4 leaves Bibb lettuce
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large skillet and add the chicken.
- Sprinkle with the garlic powder, salt, pepper, and basil (if using) and saute until the chicken is almost completely cooked.
- Add the coconut aminos and continue to stir until the liquid from the coconut aminos starts to evaporate off.
- Add the maple syrup and continue to stir for another 2-3 minutes or until maple syrup and coconut aminos have cooked down and there is very little liquid left in the pan.
- Add cashews and stir until heated.
- Let cool slightly and serve in lettuce leaves, topped with thinly sliced red onions.
Notes
Nutrition
More Recipes Like This
- Asian Lettuce Wraps (like P.F. Chang)
- Easy Yum Yum Sauce Recipe
- Fish Tacos in Cabbage Leaves
- Tex-Mex Lettuce Tacos Recipe
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Ever made cashew chicken? Do you like lettuce wraps? Share below!
I doubled the recipe and doubled all the ingredients but it ended up not working out.
The coconut aminos and maple syrup never really evaporated so it never got thicken nor coated the chicken. It almost seemed like it got watery-er.
Made this tonight. Delicious! I used Tamari sauce, as I didn’t have the coconut aminos.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious.My whole family loved it.The 2 boys and I eat grain free and had the wraps I made brown rice for my husband…he loved this also.Thank you so much for this sight and all your sharing…sometimes it is so nice to get in get out and eat.This was done in 15 minutes.God bless.
Just made this tonight and it was delicious! I may cut the salt just a tad next time, but there were no leftovers, which is a good sign… my husband commented several times how much he enjoyed the meal too. I appreciate your recipes and am making only your recipes this whole week. Will make sure to comment on the others as I make them. Thanks!
This was so easy and delicious! I used bragg’s liquid aminos and didn’t use all the salt. Will definitely make again!
This was delicious. Made everything as written. Will be definitely making this again and again, especially with how easy it is. Thank you!
So glad I’m on your email list! Made this recipe the other night and it was delish! Of course like I do with many things, I added some twists. My wife wanted more cruchy, so I added celery and bamboo chutes. Also added raisins and diced apple near the end. THEN, topped off and dressed with a little Greek yogurt! All wrapped in a large leafed lettuce. It was awesome!
Excellent! Made this for supper, so good ! Used half butter and half coconut oil
I made this tonight for supper and it was absolutely delicious! I didn’t have cashews, but subbed walnuts (sauteed in butter). I also threw the thin sliced onions into the skillet to saute lightly just before adding the sauce & honey (yes, I subbed honey). I know it will be good next time when I have all the proper ingredients! Thanks for sharing your inspirational recipe.
That looks delicious and easy to make. Your post is very timely as I defrosted some chicken thighs last night and was going to make chicken tikka but that’s more work so now I’ll be making cashew chicken!
Do you think we could use honey vs maple syrup?