Name: Garlic Ginger Cashew Chicken Stir Fry: Better than Take-Out
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 17 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 1/4 cup soy sauce; 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar; 1 tablespoon mirin; 1 clove garlic, minced; 1 teaspoon ground ginger; 1 teaspoon sesame oil; 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch; 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced; 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil; 1/2 cup thinly sliced red pepper; 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced; 1/2 cup roasted cashews; 1 cup cooked brown rice; 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion

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Change up your weeknight meal routine with this quick and easy cashew chicken stir fry that’s better than take-out.

Pan with brown rice and stir fried cashew chicken shot from overhead

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Cashew chicken is a staple on most Chinese take-out menus. This ginger garlic cashew chicken kicks it up a notch with some added flavors to give you a mouth-watering meal that’s ready in less than 30 minutes.

When it comes to ideas for weekly meal prep, stir-fries are a really great option. They usually have lots of ingredients that can be prepped ahead of time and in most cases, the entire dish can be made early in the week and then easily reheated in the microwave. They are also simple to make and ready quickly enough to make them feasible for most weeknights.

Simple steps for making a stir-fry

Stir-fries generally follow a few easy steps. They cook up super quickly so the key to success is to have everything ready before you start cooking!

Make the sauce. I always recommend doing this first. Then you have it ready to go when it’s time to add to the stir fry.
Chop the veggies. You can do this before you start to cook or if you are into meal prep, do it during your weekly meal prep routine.
Cut up the meat. Unless you buy meat from your local butcher/meat counter that is pre-chopped I generally wait to do this until right before I’m ready to make the stir fry.
Heat the oil. Hot oil is key to a well-cooked stir fry. Lately I’ve been using a carbon steel pan for my stir-fries but any good non-stick pan will work well. I typically use avocado oil since it has a higher smoke point than many other oils.
Stir Fry! Once you are prepped, you’re ready to start cooking. It only takes a few minutes to stir fry so keep an eye on things.

What is Mirin?

Mirin is a Japanese sweet rice wine that is a staple in Japanese kitchens. It gives a slight acidity to a dish and helps to give it that umami flavor that is found in so many Japanese dishes. You’ll often find it paired with soy sauce as you do in this stir fry.

You can find a version of Mirin in most large grocery stores and if you are lucky enough to have a Japanese market in your area you’ll likely find several different options. You can also buy Mirin online (see link under the “things you may want for this recipe” section). If you don’t have any on hand and can’t find it you can substitute dry sherry or sweet marsala wine. A dry white wine will do in a pinch, though you’ll want to add a bit more brown sugar, about a 1/4 teaspoon if you opt for this substitution.

Brown riced topped with cashew chicken stir fry on an off white plate

Meal Prep Tips

If you want to start this dish during your weekly meal prep routine you can:

Make the sauce a day or two before and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Chop the vegetables ahead of time and store them in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Make the rice the day before. You’ll want to heat it up in the microwave before you are ready to serve.

things you might want for this recipe

Mirin – This is a great item to add to your pantry if you are a fan of Asian dishes. You can some version of it at most major grocery store chains.