This healthy cashew chicken stir fry is the best weeknight homemade dinner recipe! Made with ground chicken, lots of veggies, pineapple, cashews, garlic, ginger, and a simple stir fry sauce. Ready in 30 minutes and so full of flavor! Whole30, paleo, gluten free, dairy free, soy free.
The best healthy cashew chicken
Okay, so I know cashew chicken isn’t *usually* made with ground chicken, but I just couldn’t resist trying it out in this easy stir fry recipe.
You see, I’m a big fan of ground meat in a stir fry for a number of reasons (case in point, this Ground Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry, or this 30 Minute Crispy Pork Stir Fry).
The texture makes the best crispy bits that are beg to be draped in a delicious stir fry sauce. Plus it means you get a perfect bite every time because there’s enough room on your fork for meat and veggies!
BOOYAH.
And thanks to the healthy stir fry sauce with no added sweeteners (besides pineapple juice) this Thai inspired recipe also happens to be Whole30 compatible, paleo, and GF!
Why you’ll love this healthy stir fry recipe
It is:
- So satisfying
- Savory + and a little sweet
- Packed with a rainbow of vegetables
- Protein rich
- Made in one skillet
- Quick and easy
- Ready in 30 minutes
- Filling
- SO delicious!
Ingredients and substitutions
This homemade cashew chicken stir fry is made with ground chicken, an array of colorful veggies, garlic, ginger, cashews, pineapple, and a simple Whole30 compatible stir fry sauce made without hoisin, soy sauce, or oyster sauce.
There’s a few substitutions you could make that I’ll share below.
Here’s what you need
- Sesame oil – Toasted sesame oil adds a really lovely flavor but you could substitute it with another fat like avocado oil or ghee.
- Ground chicken – Ground chicken is what I used when developing this recipe, but ground turkey, ground pork, or even ground beef would also be delicious.
- Onion, garlic, and ginger – Onion, garlic, and ginger create a flavorful aromatic base for this stir fry.
- Red bell pepper – Red bell pepper adds a bit of sweetness and pop of flavor.
- Broccoli – Broccoli or broccolini would both work. You could also substitute with chopped green beans.
- Carrots – Thinly sliced carrots add more flavor and nutrients.
- Pineapple chunks – Unsweetened canned pineapple chunks is what the recipe calls for, but you could also use ripe fresh pineapple. Though using canned pineapple is ideal because then you already have the pineapple juice needed for the stir fry sauce. This is the canned pineapple I used.
- Cashews – Roasted cashew nuts are my favorite for this recipe. They add a warm toasted flavor and welcome crunch for texture. You could substitute with raw cashews if that’s all you have on hand.
- Simple stir fry sauce – The stir fry sauce is made with coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, pineapple juice for sweetness, rice vinegar to balance out the sweetness, and arrowroot starch to thicken it up. If you don’t have arrowroot starch you can just leave it out of the recipe, or replace with half as much corn starch if you’re not doing a Whole30.
Can you make this recipe with regular chicken breast?
Yep! Absolutely.
To make this recipe with regular chicken breast or even chicken thighs instead of ground chicken just substitute with an equal amount cut into bite sized pieces, keeping all the other steps and ingredients of the recipe the same.
How to make healthy cashew chicken stir fry
The other big thing to love about this stir fry besides the fact that it’s so crazy delicious, is that it’s super easy to make and ready in about 30 minutes. A real dream when it comes to putting together a healthy meal on busy weeknights!
Like most stir fry recipes you’ll want to prep everything before you even turn on the stove, because once you get cooking it comes together really fast!
Here’s the step-by-step
- Make the stir fry sauce. Using a small bowl whisk together coconut aminos, pineapple juice, rice vinegar, and arrowroot powder. Set aside.
- Cook the chicken and aromatics. In a large skillet or wok heat sesame oil over medium heat. Add add ground chicken, onion, garlic, and ginger, and cook, using a spatula or wooden spoon to break up the meat until fully cooked through and onions start to soften.
- Add the veggies. Increase the heat to medium high. Add bell pepper, carrot, and broccoli, and continue to stir fry until veggies are crisp tender.
- Add pineapple, cashews, and stir fry sauce and cook until sauce is thickened slightly and veggies are tender.
- Serve and enjoy! Serve by itself or over cauliflower rice, regular rice, and topped with green onions and extra chopped cashews if desired.
Is this stir fry spicy?
As the recipe is written this stir fry is not spicy.
If you want to add some heat you can add hot sauce to the stir fry sauce, or chop up a spicy chili to add with the aromatics.
What to serve with this chicken stir fry
For a delicious Whole30 compatible and paleo option serve this stir fry with cauliflower rice, over a roasted sweet potato, or spiralized veggie noodles. It can also be enjoyed all by itself without any extras!
If you’re not doing a Whole30 it is also good with regular rice.
Storage and re-heating
To store: This stir fry can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To re-heat: To re-heat this Whole30 stir fry, simply warm gently on the stove, stirring frequently, until warm. Can also be warmed in the microwave for a minute or two, until heated through.
To freeze: I don’t recommend freezing this stir fry. The veggies will get overly soft and and it will lose it’s texture.
Love this healthy dinner recipe? Check out these other Whole30 recipes!
- Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Healthy Chicken Patties
- Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers
- Classic Whole30 Meatloaf
- Super Easy Whole30 Chicken Salad
- Creamy Whole30 Smothered Pork Chops
- Whole30 Beanless Chili
- Nourishing Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Soup
- Garlicky Grilled Shrimp Skewers
If you enjoyed this recipe we’d love it if you would take 5 seconds to rate and review the recipe below. It’s also super helpful for other readers if you share any changes you made to the recipe! Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK! We’re so grateful you’re here.
PrintHealthy Cashew Chicken Stir Fry {Whole30 + Paleo + Gluten Free}
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This healthy cashew chicken stir fry is the best weeknight homemade dinner recipe! Made with ground chicken, lots of veggies, pineapple, cashews, garlic, ginger, and a simple stir fry sauce. Ready in 30 minutes and so full of flavor! Whole30, paleo, gluten free, dairy free, soy free.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup coconut aminos
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1–2 teaspoons hot sauce, or to taste (optional)
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot power (optional, but creates a thicker sauce)
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil or avocado oil
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/2 medium onion, sliced or chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger, grated or finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 cup pineapple chunks
- 1/2 cup toasted cashews
- Green onions to garnish
Instructions
- Make the stir fry sauce. Using a small bowl whisk together coconut aminos, pineapple juice, rice vinegar, hot sauce, and arrowroot powder. Set aside.
- Cook the chicken and aromatics. In a large skillet or wok heat sesame over medium heat. Add add ground chicken, onion, garlic, and ginger, and cook, using a spatula or wooden spoon to break up the meat until fully cooked through and onions start to soften slightly – about 5 minutes.
- Add the veggies. Increase the heat to medium high. Add bell pepper, carrot, and broccoli, and continue to stir fry until veggies are crisp tender – about 3-4 minutes.
- Add pineapple, cashews, and stir fry sauce (give it a good stir before adding to make sure the arrowroot starch is incorporated) and cook for another 2 minutes, until sauce is thickened slightly, and veggies are tender.
- Serve and enjoy! Serve by itself or over cauliflower rice or regular rice, and topped with green onions and extra chopped cashews if desired.
Notes
To store: This stir fry can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To re-heat: To re-heat this Whole30 stir fry, simply warm gently on the stove, stirring frequently, until warm. Can also be warmed in the microwave for a minute or two, until heated through.
To freeze: I don’t recommend freezing this stir fry. The veggies will get overly soft and and it will lose it’s texture.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: dinner
- Method: stir fry
- Cuisine: asian
Melanie says
The instructions (#1) mention “hot sauce” as part of the stir fry sauce but it is not listed in the ingredients. What hot sauce are you suggesting?
Nyssa Tanner says
Hi Melanie! Thanks for catching that. I just added hot sauce to the ingredients list. I’d suggest 1-2 teaspoons, though you can adjust that amount to your preference (more or less as desired!). For stir fries I generally use Yellow Bird hot sauce or a sriracha style hot sauce. Hope that helps, and happy cooking! – Nyssa
Heather says
What could be used instead of pineapple juice?
Nyssa Tanner says
Hi Heather! You could easily swap it with orange juice instead of pineapple juice, or use broth instead if you’re looking to reduce the amount of sugar / carbohydrates in the recipe. Hope that helps! Happy cooking!
stephie says
This recipe is great. Lots of flavors, I ended up serving it over rice. Next time I might try it with pork.
Nyssa Tanner says
Ohh I bet it would be delicious with pork instead of chicken! I’ll have to try that next time 🙂 So glad that you loved this one! xo, Nyssa
Srw says
This was such a treat! The whole family loved it. Normally, I don’t like pineapple in entrees but with the cashews, chicken and veggies- delicious. Just enough sauce, the ginger is great- may add more next go around ‘cause I love it.Thank you for posting tried recipes. I feel like you can tell when someone makes the recipe and carefully considers the posting of it. I’ve not been disappointed by your recipes. Thank you!
Nyssa Tanner says
Yes! I’m so happy to hear you loved this one and that the combination of veggies, cashews, and pineapple was a hit! Thanks for your thoughtful comment! 🙂
Renee says
Delicious! Easy! Fresh! So much better than what we have found eating out.
Nyssa Tanner says
Hooray! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
Rachel says
This was delicious! We served it over rice. My husband was even a fan, which says something . Thank you so much for a delicious recipe, Nyssa!
Nyssa Tanner says
Yay! I’m so happy you and your husband loved this one! Thank you for the thoughtful feedback 🙂