Lately, I’ve been finding glory and happiness in cooking simple dishes on busy workdays when time is a luxury, money is tight, and compromising health is nonnegotiable. Over the summer, Asian inspired flavors became a household favorite for me and my husband. When in doubt, we cook up some chicken or shrimp seasoned with Asian 5 spice seasoning (or a mixture of ground turmeric, ground coriander, and ground ginger), make a sauce by mixing soy sauce with another ingredient or condiment, and serve everything with rice and steamed vegetables or rice and lettuce.
The dishes typically cook up in 30 minutes or less and give us 2 to 3 days of leftovers. This chicken with sweet cashew sauce is one such dish. We cook the chicken in a generous amount of spices, add green onion and garlic for additional flavor, and allow everything to simmer in a simple sweet sauce made of soy sauce and honey.
Serve it on top of a plate of cooked white rice and lettuce and top it all off with chopped fresh cilantro.
If you never get out of work on time but desperately want to cook, then this is for you! It is also easy to make substitutions. Substitute peanuts or almonds for cashews. Substitute turmeric, ginger, and coriander for Asian 5 spice.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- 12 ingredients
- Cooks in 30 minutes or less
- Simple ingredients with substitutions
- Healthy balance of carbs, protein, and fiber
MORE RECIPES LIKE THIS
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TOOLS
Large skillet – a large skillet provides enough space to evenly cook the chicken and aromatics.
Wooden or rubber spatula – makes it easy to stir and cook the ingredients.
Sharp cooking knives – easily slice, cut, and chop your ingredients. Working with a dull knife can be frustrating and prepping the ingredients will take longer.

Chicken with Sweet Cashew Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 tbsp Asian 5 spice or 3 tbsp ground turmeric, 1 tbsp ground ginger, and 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 8 green onion sliced
- 6 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- ½ cup (100g) soy sauce
- 4 tbsp (60g) honey
- 1 cup (225g) toasted cashews can be substituted with peanuts or almonds
- 1 bunch cilantro chopped
- sesame oil can be substituted with peanut oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cups cooked white rice
- 1 head of Butterhead lettuce sliced
Instructions
Prepare the chicken
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Rinse the chicken breasts and pat them dry. With a sharp knife, cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and season them with the salt and pepper, ground turmeric, ground coriander, and ground ginger.
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In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp of sesame oil, peanut oil, or vegetable oil. Place the chicken into the pan and cook on high heat for 5 minutes or until some of the chicken has browned. Stir the chicken around in the pan so that it is evenly coated with spices and evenly cooks. Allow the chicken to cook for another 5 minutes.
Prepare the vegetables
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While the chicken is cooking, slice the green onion (both the white and green parts) and roughly chop the garlic cloves. Place them into a medium mixing bowl along with the toasted cashews.
Prepare the sauce
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In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce and honey and stir until mixed.
Finish the dish
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Turn the heat down to medium and add the green onion, garlic, and cashews to the skillet. Stir thoroughly and cook for 3 minutes. Add the soy sauce and honey mixture to the skillet and stir everything together.
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Cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened.
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Serve the chicken and sweet cashew sauce on top of cooked white rice and sliced lettuce.
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