From Lauren: This recipe is from a fellow Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, Jean Choi, who regularly contributes her creative recipes here.
There’s nothing better than a quick and easy stir fry for dinner on busy weekdays. It always turns out super flavorful and delicious, and it’s also one of the tastiest ways to enjoy your vegetables. Best of all, it still tastes great reheated the next day so you can look forward to leftovers.
This Paleo Cashew Chicken is one of those recipes and it’s been on repeat in my house. It comes together faster than the amount of time it would take for you to get takeout and it’s so much healthier too! The chicken, crunchy cashews, and crispy bell peppers are coated in a savory coconut aminos sauce that’s packed with flavor, and the whole thing tastes amazing alone or on rice or cauliflower rice.
About the ingredients in Paleo Cashew Chicken
Chicken – Feel free to use either breasts or thighs for this recipe. They’ll both work great.
Cashews – I like to buy raw cashews and toast them myself because I think they taste better that way, but to cut down on time, you can purchase them already toasted and skip the first 2 steps.
Coconut aminos – If you don’t have this on hand, you can substitute with gluten free tamari sauce.
Tapioca starch – This is used to thicken the sauce while cooking. You can also replace it with arrowroot starch with similar results.
- ¾ cup raw cashews
- 1.5 lb of boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 4 green onions, chopped
- Optional: Crushed red peppers
- 2 tbsp bone broth, chicken broth, or water
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp almond butter
- 2 tsp tapioca starch
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 inch fresh ginger, minced
- Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet to medium heat.
- Add cashews and stir frequently for about 2 minutes until browned and fragrant, making sure they don't burn. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
- Pat dry the chicken and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Heat coconut oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
- Add the chicken and sauté for 2 minutes until browned on all sides.
- Add the bell pepper and sauté for 4-5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the bell peppers are soft.
- Whisk together the sauce with a fork before pouring it into the skillet. Let it boil for 2 minutes while stirring until it's thickened.
- Add in green onions and cashews and stir together before taking off heat.
- Sprinkle with crushed red peppers, if using, and serve with rice or cauliflower rice.
About Jean Choi
Jean Choi is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, recipe developer, and food photographer at What Great Grandma Ate. She started her blog to share her story of overcoming years of digestive issues and adrenal fatigue, and to help others realize that nutrient-dense allergen-free cooking can be simple, easy, and delicious. Jean believes that the food you love should love you back through healing and nourishment. For more of her real food recipes and SoCal adventures, follow along on her Instagram and Facebook.
Any suggestions to replace fish sauce? I can’t find any around that don’t have sugar in them.
You can just substitute with extra coconut aminos.
More sauce & a can of pineapples would be INCREDIBLE with this! The rice sucks up the sauce and the pineapple would just be amazing
Any substitute for almond butter ?