Cashew Thai Basil Chicken Stir-Fry is the perfect throw-together meal for a weeknight dinner that will please everyone with its sweet, a little spicy and flavorful sauce of brown sugar, soy and chili paste. I love to serve this over coconut rice or steamed jasmine rice.
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In some places Thai basil might be harder to locate, but it’s worth sourcing. When I’m not growing Thai basil, I drive about 30 miles to buy it from an Asian market. Many stores sell Thai basil plants right now so growing it yourself is a good option during the warmer months. The plant is hardier than sweet basil and has beautiful purple stems and buds. This Thai Vegetable Stir-Fry and Brown Butter and Thai Basil Garlic Shrimp – which has been so popular on Pinterest, are other fabulous recipes in which Thai basil is the star ingredient. It has a taste that is so distinctive and although I offer a couple of alternative substitutions in the recipe below, there’s nothing else that has that same flavor and heady aroma. Cashew Thai Basil Chicken Stir-Fry is on rotation in my house lately: I hope it will find its way onto your favorite recipe list too. Toodles, Lovoni xo
CASHEW THAI BASIL CHICKEN STIR-FRY
Equipment
- wok or large frying pan
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola or peanut oil
- 20 oz skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into thin strips
- Pinch of sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar or honey
- 2 tablespoons sambal oelek*
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 red peppers, trimmed, seeds and membranes removed, thinly sliced
- 1 cup cashews, toasted
- 8 green onions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3/4 cup Thai basil leaves left whole, or cilantro leaves (coriander)
Instructions
- Heat a large wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil, chicken, salt and pepper. Stir-fry for 5 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink.
- Add the garlic and ginger; stir-fry for 1 minute until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the soy, sugar, sambal and water; stir to combine. Cover the wok with a lid or a baking sheet. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is cooked, adding a little more water if the sauce is too thick or the mixture seems a bit dry.
- Add the red pepper and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes until the pepper is softened a little but you want it to still retain some crunch.
- Add the cashews, green onion and basil. Stir-fry for 1 minute to combine. Serve the stir-fry over rice.