Cashew Chicken Quinoa Stir Fry is a healthy meal that comes together in just 25 minutes. It is loaded with vegetables, chunks of chicken, and fluffy quinoa – it’s a complete meal. I promise that this is a healthy meal that is way more fun than salad.
This stir fry combines tender chicken with carrots, steamed broccoli, crunchy snow peas, cashews, and quinoa with a sweet and salty sauce. I kept my stir fry on the mild side, but you can easily spice things up by adding more sriracha.
Today I am revisiting a recipe from 2014. I still make this Cashew Chicken Stir Fry on a regular basis and it is finally time to update the blog post with some better photos. I still kept one of the original photos at the end of the post, I think my photography has improved.
I love this recipe because it reheats well, making it perfect for meal prepping. When I was working a 9-5 job I would eat this for dinner one night, and pack up the leftovers to bring to work for lunch.
I used quinoa instead of rice to prepare this stir fry since quinoa has more dietary benefits than rice. Quinoa has four times more protein and fiber, and ten times the iron and potassium when compared to white rice. I also think that quinoa adds a nice texture to the stir fry. But if you love rice – feel free to substitute it for the quinoa.
Broccoli, carrots, and snow peas are my favorite vegetables. You can add your favorites to this meal. Bell pepper, mushrooms, or bok choy would all work well with this recipe.
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Cashew Chicken Quinoa Stir Fry
Cashew Chicken Quinoa Stir Fry
This healthy take on Cashew Chicken is a meal that I have been making for years. It's loaded with vegetables and can be made with either quinoa or rice.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Quinoa
- 3/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons Chicken Broth
- 3/4 cup Water
- 1 pound Chicken
- 2 tablespoons Sesame Oil
- 2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 1 1/2 cups chopped Broccoli
- 3/4 cup sliced or shredded Carrot
- 1/2 cup Snow Peas
- 1/2 cup Cashews
- 1-2 teaspoons Sriracha (to taste)
Instructions
- Start by preparing the quinoa. Combine 3/4 cup chicken broth and the water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Then add the quinoa, reduce to a simmer, and cover with a lid. The quinoa will take 20 minutes to cook.
- While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the chicken and vegetables. Slice the chicken into thin 2 inch pieces. Chop the vegetables.
- Heat 2 tablespoons chicken broth, the sesame oil, and the soy sauce in a skillet or a wok over medium heat. Add the chicken, cook for 2 minutes, then flip and add the carrots. After another 2 minutes add the broccoli on top of the carrots and chicken - don't stir the broccoli in instead let it sit on top of the other ingredients. Then cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low, this will steam the broccoli.
- After 5 minutes, add the snow peas and cashews, stir, and return the lid to the pan and let cook for 2 minutes.
- By now the chicken and the vegetables should be cooked. Add the sriracha to taste. The sauce without the sriracha is a sweet and salty and adding a little spicy sriarcha balances everything out. I added about a teaspoon of sriracha and it didn't make the dish spicy at all, but if you want to add some heat to the stir fry just add more sriracha.
- The quinoa is done once the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa is light and fluffy. Add the quinoa to the stir fry and let simmer for 2 minutes. Then serve or pack for lunch.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 495Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 107mgSodium: 769mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 5gSugar: 4gProtein: 34g
Here’s the original photo from 2014. I used red quinoa that time.
Erin Bassett
Tuesday 30th of December 2014
umm yum. I love doing these "kitchen sink" quinoas... make a sauce, sautee all the veggies you've got in your fridge and enjoy. And they're great for weeknight meals and lunches... as always, you nailed it.
Katie @ Live Half Full
Tuesday 30th of December 2014
I love a light recipe after the holidays! I'm looking forward to more of these to kick off my 2015! (please!)