This slow cooker cashew chicken recipe is a huge time saver and perfect for a weeknight meal!
It is filled with flavor that the whole family will love. I would even dare to say that this recipe is even better than an actual Chinese take out recipe!
Other great Asian dishes to try are our Korean Beef and Rice, Easy Baked Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe, and you cannot forget our Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe!
Ingredients Needed For Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken Recipe:
- Boneless chicken thighs or chicken breast tenders
- All-purpose flour
- Soy Sauce
- Ketchup
- Brown Sugar
- Cashews
- Rice Wine Vinegar
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Canola Oil
- Black Pepper
Need a dish that’s not spicy? Try our Slow Cooker Sticky Garlic Chicken!
How To Make Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken:
Start by cutting the chicken into pieces. Make them bite-sized but not too small.
Grab a large Ziploc bag and combine all-purpose flour and black better. Add chicken to the Ziploc bag.
Shake the bag well to coat the chicken with the flour mixture making sure all pieces are covered.
Next, heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Place the chicken in the skillet and cook it for about 2 minutes on each side or until it is golden brown. Then place the chicken in a slow cooker.
In a small mixing bowl, mix together soy sauce, wine vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Then pour the mixture over the chicken.
Cover the slow cooker and cook the chicken on low for 3 to 4 hours. Then add the cashews, serve, and enjoy!
This recipe is great served over white rice!
BONUS: If you have someone who loves sauce, you can double the sauce ingredients and make sure there is extra to drizzle over your chicken.
What vegetables could I add to this recipe?
This dish is easy to serve with vegetables on the side or you could throw some in the slow cooker.
- Zucchini Squash
- Yellow Squash
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Red and Green Bell Peppers
- Red Onion
- Sweet Potatoes
- Red Potatoes
- Potato Fingerlings
Any of these vegetables would be delicious with the these vegetables mixed in, but you could also serve them separately. They also pair nicely with rice, which is what we serve this chicken over.
Related recipe: Short on time? Try our Instant Pot Cashew Chicken instead!
Could I leave out the cashews?
The cashews in this recipe add the perfect amount of taste and texture. However, you could easily make this recipe without them.
I highly recommend making it with the cashews, but it would be just a s delicious without the cashews. You could also use almonds.
Here are a few tips when making this easy crockpot recipe:
- You can substitute the flour with cornstarch. However, if you plan to do so you will need to cut the amount in half.
- Don’t have canola oil? Feel free to use what you have in your pantry. Here is a great list of canola oil alternatives from Better Homes and Gardens.
- Feel free to add vegetables to the crockpot with the chicken if desired. Great options would be bell peppers, broccoli, celery, and carrots. Chop vegetables before adding to the crockpot.
- Not a fan of chicken breast? Try adding chicken thighs instead.
Can I Freeze Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken?
If you want to freeze your Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken, prepare the recipe as written below. Make sure you allow it to cool before putting it in a freezer bag.
You can also use a freezer-safe container. Make sure if you are using bags they are freezer safe and remove as much air from the bags as possible.
What you can also do is follow the recipe to brown the chicken and make the sauce mixture and add to a freezer bag. Then, when you are ready to cook it, just add it all to your slow cooker.
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Other great Asian recipes to try:
- Slow Cooker Korean Beef Tacos Recipe
- Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Asian Chopped Chicken Salad
- Chinese Ground Turkey and Green Bean Stir-Fry (Healthy)
- Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken Bowls Recipe
- Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli
- Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken and Stir Fry Veggies Recipe
Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or chicken thighs), cut into large pieces
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon canola oil
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons ketchup
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup cashews
Equipment
Instructions
- Combine flour and pepper in large Ziploc bag. Add chicken. Shake to coat with flour mixture.
- Heat oil in skillet on stove top over medium-high heat.
- Brown chicken about 2 minutes on each side. Place chicken in slow cooker.
- Combine soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, sugar, garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes in small bowl; pour over chicken.
- Cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours. Add cashews into slow cooker and stir. Serve over rice.
Notes
- If you want like sauce and want to have some to pour over the chicken and the rice, double the sauce ingredients.
- You can substitute the flour with cornstarch. However, if you plan to do so you will need to cut the amount in half.
- Don’t have canola oil? Feel free to use what you have in your pantry. Here is a great list of canola oil alternatives from Better Homes and Gardens.
- Feel free to add vegetables to the crockpot with the chicken if desired. Great options would be bell peppers, broccoli, celery, and carrots. Chop vegetables before adding to the crockpot.
- Not a fan of chicken breast? Try adding chicken thighs instead.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.Never Miss Another Six Sisters’ Recipe Again: Follow Six Sisters’ Instagram|Facebook|Pinterest|YouTube
Ellen
http://everydaysisters.blogspot.com
I just made this today for my family. My husband who also does not like chicken thighs {and yes I used those because that is what I had on hand} took his portion to work for his supper break {he works night shifts}. He wasn't too happy when he saw that it was chicken thighs.....but I just got an e-mail from him now complimenting me all over the place for this dish. He said it was absolutely delicious! Now that is HIGH praise from a man who is extremely fussy about what he likes and doesn't like. lol.
So thank you! I have to agree. This dish is amazingly good! I had seconds AND thirds. ; D
how'd the gluten-free version turn out?
http://www.binksandthebadhousewife.com/
I haven't tried this recipe yet but I have made lots of Chicken Picatta which calls for the same kind of flouring. Here are some tips:
1: dredge the chicken in the flour RIGHT before you put it in the pan. If the flour sits on the chicken too long it will get to wet and gummy.
2: Make sure your oil is quite hot before you put the chicken in.
3: Fry the chicken long enough to create a kind of crusty outside (in a tasty way). It should be just golden brown in places. If the chicken isn't browned enough the breading will come off in the sauce.
Thanks,
Kendra
I love adding vegetables to all my dishes and I felt that this dish absolutely needed it! For texture purposes, I find crock pot chicken to be a little mushy, so I added carrots, celery, green peppers and onions. It turned out DELICIOUS. I bet broccoli would be a nice touch to this as well!~
Thanks for posting this recipe and I will for sure make this again.
Thanks for
I followed the sauce recipe from SixSistersStuff, but coated the chicken in baking soda for 15 minutes prior to cooking. Rinse the baking soda off, then cut into bite-sized pieces, dip in flour, then cook.
I used 3 breasts, and doubled the sauce recipe. I also added 1/2 of a green pepper (cut up), and a few baby carrots (cut up). I put the chicken, peppers and carrots into a 9x13 dish, then poured the sauce on top, and baked at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. I'd recommend covering with foil, and also adding about 1/2 cup chicken broth or water to thin out the sauce. In the end it was very tasty, but the flavor was incredibly intense.
I also would like to know how it turns out w/out the frying?
I made the recipe as written only adding much more fresh ginger (as I love ginger), I did not double the sauce. I used 1 pound of organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 3 pieces) and 1 pound of organic boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
I am serving it with jasmine brown rice (which is more traditional for Thai food). I get mine at Cost Plus World Imports (if anyone has that store near them).
Thanks for another wonderful recipe.