Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken

By the time you go and get some Chinese takeout food, you can have this slow cooker cashew chicken prepared, and it tastes just as good as the stuff in the takeout restaurant.

I adapted this recipe to make it more Weight Watcher Friendly. Instead of cooking the chicken in some cornstarch with oil in a pan, which adds on more fat and calories, I just cut up the chicken and threw all the ingredients in a slow cooker. No need to dirty up another dish or two.  To make this carb friendly, leave out the rice or make cauliflower rice.

For more easy slow cooker recipes be sure to check out Slow Cooker Homemade Applesauce (No Sugar), Slow Cooker Hawaiian Pulled Pork, and Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup! 

Or try my recipe for Chinese Peanut Sauce!

Ingredients Needed

• Boneless skinless chicken breasts - They’re lean and quick-cooking and always come out juicy and tender. Use an instant-read thermometer to make sure that the chicken is not over cooked.  When reading labels for chicken breasts try to find ones that say Organic or Free Range. 
• Soy sauce - Use a Low Sodium or if you don’t have that on hand go for Tamari or Coconut Amino Acids
• Rice wine vinegar - some good substitutes for this type of vinegar is White Wine, Apple Cider, or Sherry Vinegar   
• Sweet chili sauce - is typically made with chili peppers, garlic, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Some recipes also include ginger, lime juice, or other spices.
• Brown sugar -  Or  regular granulated sugar, I do not use sugar substitutes in any of my recipes but if you know the conversions feel free to do so
• Garlic cloves, minced - Chopped fresh garlic can take some time to chop so I often always use the freshly minced garlic that comes already made in a jar. 
• Fresh ginger - just like the prechopped minced garlic I like to get the grated ginger in the tubes that you can just squeeze out.
• Red pepper flakes - are small pieces of dried hot peppers, typically made from cayenne, that are crushed or ground into small flakes.
• Cashews - no substitutions here! It is called cashew chicken for a reason.
• Green onions for garnish
• See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

How to Make Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken

Step 1: Combine soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, sweet chili sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes in a small bowl.

Step 2: Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the crock pot and then pour the sauce over. Cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours.

Step 3: Add the cashews after the cooking is done and stir to combine.

Serve over rice. Makes 4-6 servings. Between ½ cup to 1 cup.

Garnish with green onions and serve with regular rice or cauliflower rice.

What Slow Cookers or Crockpots are the Best? 

When choosing a slow cooker think of the size of your family first. Do you have a large family of 6 or more? You probably want a larger crockpot that is 7 qt or more. For smaller families that are 4 or less choose a 4 qt slow cooker and just adjust the recipe ingredients in half. No need to change the cooking times.

Elite Gourmet - Electric oval slow cooker has adjustable temps and can make anything from entrees, sauces, stews & dips. Plus it’s dishwasher safe. This one also comes in a 4 quart size!

Crock-Pot 7-Quart Oval -  Manual Slow Cooker | Stainless Steel (SCV700-S-BR) Spatious 7 quart manual slow cooker that servers up to 9 people. Fits a 7 pound roast. Keeps food at an ideal serving temperature for as long as you need to so you can make dishes ahead of time! 

What can I serve this recipe? 

• If you don't like plain fried rice try it with Fried Rice.
• Yum Yum sauce is always a great sauce to serve with any type of Asian food.
• Starches:  Don't like fried rice try the chicken over these dairy free mashed potatoes in the Slow Cooker.
• Vegetables: Smoked potatoes or smoked asparagus is a great side dish to have with salmon. 

How Do I Store Leftovers? 

Always store leftovers in clean, food-grade containers. The type of container doesn’t really matter. Use zip lock, glass, plastic,  whatever!  Make sure to store any leftovers in an airtight container before putting it in the freezer or fridge. 
This can be prepped the day ahead.

Other Great Recipes to Try

If you tried this Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!

Recipe adapted from The Recipe Critic.