Gluten free cashew chicken is marinated in a delicious Thai chili sauce, then coated in crushed cashews & baked into sweet, spicy, crunchy chicken bites!
While visiting my brother in Washington D.C. about a month ago, he put in a request for a couple of new recipes.
One of those requests was for a new recipe using Trader Joe’s Cashew Meal. He and his girlfriend Liz love using the cashew meal in another recipe they found online and wanted a new recipe that incorporated the ingredient.
When I returned home from the trip, I came up with this delicious Thai Cashew Chicken Recipe and set off to Trader Joe’s to pick up the cashew meal and prepare the dish.
When I arrived at Trader Joe’s I found out that their cashew meal had been discontinued literally that week. What are the chances?!
No worries, I thought, cashew meal is simply ground cashews. I picked up some whole cashews, came home and let my trusty food processor do the work!
What my brother likes about cashew meal, as opposed to almond meal, is that sweetness you get from the cashews.
That sweetness balanced perfectly with the spicy Thai chili chicken marinade in this recipe.
These crunchy little chicken bites have great flavor and a nice crispy texture, yet they’re baked instead of fried, and gluten-free, making them the perfect healthy alternative to fried chicken nuggets!
Crispy Thai Cashew Chicken Ingredients
- 2 tbsp sriracha
- 2 tbsp chili paste
- ¼ cup gluten free soy sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 tsp fresh garlic (crushed)
- 1 tsp fresh ginger (grated)
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (sliced into small strips)
- 2 cups cashews
Crispy Thai Cashew Chicken Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Whisk the sriracha, chili paste, soy sauce, honey, fish sauce, lime juice, garlic and ginger together in a medium bowl.
Set ¼ cup of the sauce aside. Add the chicken to the remaining sauce.
Place in the refrigerator to marinate for 15 minutes.
Place the cashews in a food processor and blend into a fine crumb consistency.
Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and dredge in the crushed cashews.
Place the breaded chicken on an oiled wire rack on top of a baking sheet.
Place in the oven to bake for 30-35 minutes.
Remember that ¼ cup of sauce you set aside? Yup, that’s for serving on the side and dipping these delicious little bites into!
This chicken can be served on it’s own, on top of a salad, or over rice. I tried it each way, and honestly couldn’t pick a favorite. I loved it each way!
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Crispy Thai Cashew Chicken
Gluten free cashew chicken is marinated in a delicious Thai chili sauce, then coated in crushed cashews & baked into sweet, spicy, crunchy chicken bites!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp sriracha
- 2 tbsp chili paste
- ¼ cup gluten free soy sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 tsp fresh garlic crushed
- 1 tsp fresh ginger grated
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts diced into small cubes
- 2 cups cashews
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Whisk the sriracha, chili paste, soy sauce, honey, fish sauce, lime juice, garlic and ginger together in a medium bowl.
- Set ¼ cup of the sauce aside.
- Add the chicken to the remaining sauce.
- Place in the refrigerator to marinate for 15 minutes.
- Place the cashews in a food processor and blend into a fine crumb consistency.
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and dredge in the crushed cashews.
Place the breaded chicken on an oiled wire rack on top of a baking sheet.
- Place in the oven to bake for 30-35 minutes.
