Sweet Peas and Saffron

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Maple Ginger Cashew Chicken Stir Fry (30 Minutes)

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A simple and easy cashew chicken stir fry packed with veggies, sprinkled with cashews, and tossed in a maple-soy stir fry sauce.

Maple Ginger Cashew Stir Fry, an easy, healthy dinner recipe that is ready in 30 minutes!

Does your typical week of dinners sound anything like mine?

Monday- ambitious. Cook up something adventurous that takes too long and makes too many dishes.

Tuesday- just finished Monday’s dishes. Manage to throw together an acceptable form of dinner.

Wednesday- Cooking? Ugh. Leftovers it is.

Thursday- !!do I have anything in the freezer? Can I open a can and chop a few things and call that dinner?!!

Friday- don’t even ask what’s for dinner. We’re clearly ordering pizza.

Looking for more stir fry recipes? Check out this epic post with SEVEN Stir Fry Sauces You Can Prep Ahead

Maple Ginger Cashew Stir Fry

Today’s cashew chicken stir fry recipe is inspired by Thursday. That !! moment of ‘what the !! is for dinner?!’  Let’s try to avoid that this week, shall we?

Crazy enough, I don’t have a stir fry recipe on the blog, despite it being a total staple in our house. So I decided to make a super speedy cashew chicken stir fry for us.

Tips to make this extra speedy: well…I used bagged stir-fry veggies. They are pre-washed and just ready to go. So that saves some time.

Also, get your chicken cooking, and while it’s cooking, prep the rest of your veggies. Then while the veggies are cooking, throw together the (ridiculously simple) maple ginger stir fry sauce.

I guarantee you this will be a super fast dinner that doesn’t taste…fast.

Maple Ginger Cashew Stir Fry-3

By the way…this is the third instalment of our 30-Minute Thursdays! Meaning that you don’t just get one Thursday-dinner-saving recipe, but eight!

Scroll past the recipe to check out all of the amazing 30 minute recipes my friends have shared.

And have yourselves a !!-free Thursday 😉

Looking for more stir fry recipes? Check out these delicious options:

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Maple Ginger Cashew Chicken Stir Fry (30 Minutes)

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: chicken, meal prep, stir fry
Calories: 419kcal
Author: Denise
Servings: 4
A fast and easy chicken stir fry packed with vegetables and cashews and tossed in a delicious maple soy sauce.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time30 mins

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1 inch cubes)
  • 1 medium onion (diced)
  • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 2 tablespoons ginger (finely grated)
  • 1 bell pepper (sliced)
  • 1 head broccoli (small head, cut into 1 inch florets)
  • 1/3 cup cashews

Sauce:

  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 5 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch (or 1/2 tablespoon arrowroot starch)

To serve:

  • Rice

Instructions

  • Shake together the stir fry sauce and set aside.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a frying pan.
  • Add the onion to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, until onion is soft.
  • Add the bell peppers and broccoli, and cook for 5 more minutes or until softened. Transfer veggies to a clean plate.
  • Add the reserved 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan. Add chicken and cook for 7-10 minutes, until cooked through and no longer pink in the middle.
  • Make a space in the pan and add the garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring occasionally for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add the stir fry sauce to the pan. Cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vegetables and cashews.
  • Serve over rice.

Storage

  • This recipe makes a great meal prep lunch. Store in 2 cup capacity meal prep containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 batch | Calories: 419kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 488mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g

Products used in this post:

 

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Honey Garlic Salmon and Vegetables Sheet Pan Dinner by Kristine’s Kitchen

African Peanut Stew with Chicken and Sweet Potatoes by Floating Kitchen

Easy Cream of Mushroom Soup by Pumpkin ‘N Spice

30 Minute Lighter Stovetop Turkey Tetrazzini by Savory Nothings

30-Minute Pork Chops with Creamy Bourbon Mushroom Sauce by Flavor the Moments

Pizza Polenta Bowls by She Likes Food

Gnocchi with Turkey and White Beans by My Kitchen Craze

Pizza Pitas by The Recipe Rebel

Pumpkin Sausage Alfredo Penne by Whole and Heavenly Oven

Easy Chicken Lo Mein by Life Made Sweeter

Easy Beef and Broccoli by Bake. Eat. Repeat.

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Comments

  1. Dana

    Made the Maple Ginger Chicken Stir-fry tonight. It was so easy and delish!! The hubby had seconds and said it was a keeper!! Thank you so much and looking forward to trying more of your recipe.

    Reply

    • Denise

      Hi Amber, I’ve only ever made this sauce as written so I’m not sure how it would taste without the sesame oil. I think it might lose some of it’s dimension.

      Reply

    • Denise

      Hi Lori! I can’t say for sure. The sweetness from the maple syrup balances the saltiness of the soy sauce, and I think the whole thing would be a bit boring without the sweet part. But I had considered adding some maple extract to increase the maple flavors. Let me know if you try it!

      Reply

  4. Melanie

    I finally made this recipe, after getting tired of Christmas leftovers. A great combination of sweet, salty and spicy. Even my toddler loved the flavours! 🙂

    Reply

  6. Helen @ Scrummy Lane

    Enjoyed this post, Denise, because that is SO me too … every single week. Sometimes I wonder what kind of a food blogger I am if I can’t even come up with a half decent dinner, but I’m happy (sorry!) it isn’t just me!!!
    LOVE this stir fry, and totally agree that bagged veggies are the way to go. Why not?

    Reply

  10. Kelly

    Haha you totally nailed it, Denise! Except for Monday – I am NOT ambitious at all and it probably mimics how Friday looks 🙂 This stir-fry is perfect for those busy weeknights! It looks incredible!!!

    Reply

  11. Kristine | Kristine's Kitchen

    Your weekly meal plan sounds just like mine! It actually has a lot to do with the fact that I teach Wednesday through Friday, so easy meals are a must on those days! This stir-fry is my kind of dinner. The sauce sounds amazing with the maple syrup!

    Reply

  15. Cyndi - My Kitchen Craze

    Haha I love your week of cooking. You’re better than me though cause by Wednesday I would be ordering pizza already. 🙂 I’m so bad, if we have nothing and I hate leftovers then we eat out. This stir fry looks so fresh and delicious. I need to add this to my menu asap. I love that sauce…Mmmm

    Reply

  17. Stacey @ Bake.Eat.Repeat.

    That made me laugh! My weeks are totally like that. I’m so ambitious at the beginning of the week, and by the end I wonder if I even like cooking because I’m searching for something I can just heat up, or we’re eating sandwiches! Oh well, that’s the way it goes. This stir fry looks amazing, love that sauce!

    Reply

  19. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary

    Hahaha! My weekly dinners go EXACTLY like that… just throw a few nights of popcorn into the mix. 😉 I love stir frys because they are easy and a great way to use up extra veggies I have chillin’ in the fridge. Your stir fry looks delish, girlfriend! LOVE LOVE LOVE the maple ginger sauce and the addition of cashews (my fav). This is a perfect 30 minute meal! Pinned! Cheers!

    Reply

  20. marcie

    My weeks often sound like that! Sometimes I’m ready to order pizza by Weds. 🙂 This meal sounds delicious, and I love that you used maple syrup in the sauce! Can’t wait to try it. 🙂

    Reply

  22. Liz @ Floating Kitchen

    You totally hit the nail on the head with my typical week. I always have such high hopes in the beginning. And then it’s just a downward spiral. Ha ha. This stir fry looks delicious. I love all the flavors here. I mean, maple anything is near and dear to my heart! 🙂

    Reply

  23. Nora | Savory Nothings

    Hahaha, totally agree! I definitely get less and less ambitious to cook as the week progresses! Love this stir-fry, Denise! I often “cheat” with pre-cut stir-fry veggies as well, such a simple and easy way to have a healthy dinner!

    Reply

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