Instant Pot Cashew Chicken

Instant Pot Cashew Chicken is the perfect dump-and-cook meal. It’s easy to prepare the chicken and cook the rice simultaneously. You have a delicious meal ready in about 30 minutes with minimum effort.

With tender and juicy chicken bites and crunchy cashews soaked in a thick, gooey, and full-flavored sweet and tangy sauce, this Asian dish will take your taste buds on a roller coaster ride. Quick and easy Instant Pot recipes are a staple around here. I have an extensive library of delicious Asian Instant Pot recipes, like Orange Chicken and Sesame Chicken, which should be on your must-try list. I wanted to add a Cashew Chicken recipe for a while, and finally, it is here.

Pressure Cooker Cashew Chicken recipe is such a staple in Asian cuisine, with this easy version, you will make it for so many weeknight dinners. I love a good dump-and-cook meal, as it makes meal prep so easy. The best part of this meal is that there is no marinating or sautéing involved. Another bonus point, you cook the rice at the same time. Hence, you have your main dish and side dish ready at the same time.

This used to be one of my favorite Asian meals to order at restaurants or from the take-out spots. But after coming up with this easy and fast instant pot recipe that only takes 15 minutes, I realized there is no reason for me to go out and blow all that money on something I can make that tastes better than theirs.

It also has no MSG or other additives, and I can make sure everything I want is in it with nothing that I don’t want. Truly, this is not something difficult with many ingredients. I use regular ingredients like chicken, cashews, vinegar, and soy sauce. And the only tool you need is an instant pot. You can make it tonight if you already have the ingredients. You do not have to do any major prepping or chopping. If you serve it with rice, you will not even need any side dishes, so you have a one-pot meal for the whole family!

However, it only serves four so you may have to double it if you have a large family or if you know someone will be asking for seconds. Besides, you can always save some for later. Since this is such an easy recipe, where you just dump and cook everything, I usually like to double it. Put it in individual freezer bags and freeze for later use. This way, with minimum effort, I have dinner ready in the freezer, for when I am too busy or tired to cook.

Why you will love this recipe

• Fast and easy: My dump and cook meal takes 15 minutes from start to finish.
• Better than theirs: Better than the restaurant and take-out place.
• Save money: Cheaper than going out.
• Stores easily: Store for several days or several months.

What you’ll need to make instant pot cashew chicken

Special items:

• An instant pot – I use a six-quart Duo Plus.
• In addition, a long legged trivet and an oven-safe dish, I personally like to use these stackable pans to cook the rice at the same time.

Ingredients:

• Meat: Skinless chicken breasts or boneless and skinless chicken things.
• Veggies: We like to make this great recipe with red bell peppers, however any type of bell peppers will work. In addition, we add some fresh garlic and ginger. Also, you can add other veggies as well.
• Oil: For extra flavor, we make this recipe using sesame oil.
• Liquids: The cashew chicken sauce is made with a combination of low sodium soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, low sodium chicken broth or chicken stock.
• Sweeteners: We use a mixture of brown sugar balanced with hoisin sauce.
• Nuts: Obviously to make this easy recipe we use unsalted  cashew nuts, raw cashews are great too.
• Seasoning: Salt and red pepper flakes
• Rice: We make this recipes the pot-in-pot method, therefore we also cook the rice with the meat. You can use white rice, brown rice, jasmine rice or basmati rice.
• Butter: In addition, we use some unsalted butter for the rice.
• Cornstarch: We use it to thicken the homemade sauce, if you don’t have any on hand, try arrowroot flour.

How do you make instant pot cashew chicken?

The instant pot cashew chicken tastes so good, sweet and savory, it will make your taste buds very happy. In just about 30 minutes you will have a delicious and juicy chicken, with sweet bell pepper and tender cashews, a meal that thee entire family will love.

• Dump: First, since this is such an easy meal to make, in the first step you add all the ingredients for the cashew chicken to the bottom of electric pressure cooker inner pot. Stir well to combine.
• Rice: If you are following the pot-in-pot method, at this point add a trivet on top of the chicken mixture and mix the ingredients for the rice in a heatproof pot. Cover it and place it on the trivet.
• Pressure cook: Next, cover with the lid and lock it, set the pressure valve into the sealed position and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
• Natural pressure release: When the cooking time has been completed, do a 10-minute natural release.
• Quick pressure release: After that, open the valve and quick release the remaining pressure.
• Saute: Remove the pot with the rice and set it aside. Also remove the trivet. Select sauté mode, and add the cornstarch mixture. Afterward, stir well and cook for a few more minutes to make a thick sauce.
• Serve: Finally, fluff up the rice and serve everything together garnished with green onions and sesame seeds.

Expert tip

Choosing the best cashews

Cashews are graded by classification. The larger, more nutritious nuts are the most expensive. W-180 is a large variety of whole grains, is the whitest in color, and costs the most. W-210 are known as Jumbo, and they are common but larger, more nutritious, and beefier than the 240. W-240 is smaller but a good variety that works well for snacking, baking, and cooking. W-320 is the smallest and the one you will most commonly find in stores globally.

The best way to choose your cashews is by the color. They should be one pale hue all over (ivory or light yellow) with no dark black dots or green spots. Bright colors can indicate that they have been soaked in chemicals. Shriveled cashews and holes may mean there are worms. The only smell they should have is a natural, earthy scent. Stay away from any nuts that smell like chemicals or antibiotics.

If you buy raw cashews, they should have no skin or oils, be free of insect infestations, and may be graded scorched or unscorched. You can also buy them organic, which is what I prefer. Check for mold and insect damage as well. If you are worried that buying organic means your nuts will have bugs, don’t be. There are plenty of organic pest repellents that work great.

Recipe variations and add-ins:

• Different meat: This dish is excellent made with pork or beef. I love it with chunks of boneless pork loin.
• Spicy cashew chicken: Double the amount of red pepper flakes and chop up some poblano peppers to make this a spicy meal. If you want it to be even spicier, use cayenne pepper and jalapenos.
• More vegetables: I am a mom of two, so I enjoy putting extra veggies in everything I make. Toss in some snow peas, julienned carrots, chopped baby bella mushrooms, and zucchini rounds and the kids will eat them with the rest of the meal.
• Peanut butter: If you like Thai food, add a few tablespoons of peanut butter into the sauce for extra flavor.
• Gluten-free: Use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce to make this dish gluten-free.

Serving suggestions:

Instant pot cashew chicken goes great with all sorts of side dishes. Here are some ideas my family loves:

• I enjoy serving this recipe with rice, give it a tropical twist with this coconut white rice or choose something heartier, like this hommeade brown rice.
• Give your guests (or family) a variety of sauces to choose from just in case they want something different. Try my rich, tangy, delicious made-from-scratch teriyaki sauce made with honey, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar.
• You can always serve an Asian dish like this with egg rolls, crab Rangoon, dumplings, or roasted bok choy.
• Alternatively, serve this recipe with some vegetables on the side such as steamed broccoli, or roasted asparagus.
• You can also serve a variety of salads as an appetizer or side dish with this sticky cashew chicken.
• Soba noodles are another great option, also you can serve it on top of rice noodles.
• If you are on a low-carb diet, skip the regular rice and use cauliflower rice instead. It actually tastes better.

Frequently asked questions

What is cashew chicken?

This American Asian dish started in Springfield, Missouri, where the deep-fried version was first made in 1963 at the Grove Supper Club. It was made with cashew nuts, garlic sauce, chicken stock, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce with bell peppers and rice. Sometimes, it also has vinegar, ginger, sesame oil, green onions, and brown sugar, as well as mushrooms and other vegetables.

How can I make my chicken less chewy?

Because chicken cooks so quickly in the instant pot, it is important to follow the cooking instructions so you do not overcook it. If you use boneless chicken breasts chopped into small chunks, you do not cook it as long as you usually would. I cook mine for five minutes because there is so much liquid. However, you can check it after four minutes if you are worried about it being cooked too long. If the internal temperature of the chicken is 155 degrees F, I would stop there.

Can I sear my chicken first?

If you want to sear your chicken first, that would be great. It certainly locks in the juices and flavor. However, cutting some of the cooking time would be best. As stated above, I usually cook mine for five minutes with a 10-minute natural release. But if you sear it for a couple of minutes, you can cook it for three minutes with a 10-minute natural release, which should be long enough. Just check the temperature.

How long does it take to make cashew chicken?

Using the Instant Pot, you can have it on the table ready to eat in less than 30 minutes. The colorful dish is a dump-and-go meal that you literally just dump in the pot and cook while you go about your day. It’s simple to do, and you will not even have to go back and stir it or check on it because the Instant Pot does all the work for you. The rice cooks in the pot, too, in a separate bowl, so it is all ready at the same time.

How to store leftovers:

• Refrigerate: First let the dish completely cool. Then, transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. 
• Freeze: To freeze, use a freezer-proof container or freezer bags. Freeze for up to 3 months. 
• Thaw: When ready to serve, plan in advance and let the mixture thaw in the fridge overnight.
• Reheat: The easiest way to reheat it would be in the microwave for a few minutes until warm. Also, you can reheat it in a wok over medium heat.

More Asian recipes you will love:

Recipe tips:

• Wait to add the cashews until the end for the crunchiest nuts.
• Try to chop your chicken and peppers about the same size for even cooking and flavor.
• Use chicken thighs for a juicier dark meat version of this meal.
• Refrain from overcooking your chicken or it will be chewy and rubbery. Cut it into bigger chunks and cook it for a shorter time.
• Also, you can sear your chicken for moister, tender meat, but cut the cooking time to three minutes.
• Don’t skip the ginger and make sure you use freshly grated. It makes a big difference.
• Make sure you mix the cornstarch with water until it is completely dissolved. Also, do not use flour.
• To cook your rice in the instant pot, you need a long-legged trivet and an oven-safe dish unless you want to cook your rice separately.