Mary Berry Chicken and Cashew Nuts Recipe

Mary Berry's chicken and cashew nuts is a quick, saucy stir fry with tender chicken, toasted cashews, and a deeply savoury sauce — ready in 25 minutes.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings: 4 Portions

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: British

Calories: 460

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

Stir Fry:
600 g boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs in 2cm pieces, tossed in 1 tbsp cornflour
150 g raw unsalted cashew nuts
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 red pepper and 1 green pepper in 2cm pieces
1 large onion in 2cm chunks
4 garlic cloves finely sliced
2 cm fresh ginger finely grated
4 spring onions in 3cm lengths
Sauce:
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp caster sugar
100 ml chicken stock
1 tsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp cold water
To Serve:
Jasmine rice or egg fried rice extra spring onions, sesame seeds

Method

Toast cashews in a dry wok over medium heat 3–4 minutes until deeply golden. Remove immediately.
Mix all sauce ingredients. Have cornflour slurry ready separately.
Toss chicken in cornflour. Heat 1 tbsp oil in wok until smoking — cook chicken in batches, 3–4 minutes per batch until golden. Remove.
Add remaining oil. Stir fry onion and peppers over high heat 2–3 minutes. Add garlic and ginger — 30 seconds.
Pour in sauce — bubble 1 minute. Add cornflour slurry — stir until glossy. Return chicken and cashews. Add spring onions — toss 1 minute.
Serve immediately over rice. Scatter spring onions and sesame seeds.

Notes

Toast cashews first — transforms them from mild to deeply fragrant and golden.

Prepare everything before the wok goes on — a stir fry moves at speed.

The wok must be smoking hot — a moderate wok gives pale, steamed chicken.

Cook chicken in batches — crowding the wok drops the temperature.

Cornflour on the chicken and in the sauce both matter — colour and glossy coating respectively.

Do not freeze — texture deteriorates on defrosting.