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{This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almondmilk! I’ve used their Almondmilk Cashewmilk Blend to create this simple and delicious crockpot creamy cashew chicken. Its ethnic food not out of a box, but made in the comfort of your own home, and it is SO good!!}
If you love takeout-style comfort but want dinner to basically make itself, this creamy cashew chicken is your slow-cooker hero. Tender bites of chicken simmer in a warm, gently spiced cashew sauce that turns silky by dinnertime.
Serve it up with fluffy rice and warm naan. It’s cozy, super flavorful, and totally weeknight-friendly.
Today we are doing Indian takeout, but at home!! YESSS.
I think I have said this before, but I am a huge homebody. I just really love being home. So much so, that I would totally choose cooking dinner at home over going out to eat. And SO much so that I’d even choose homemade “takeout” over having to get in the car, drive to a restaurant and shlep the food home…okay, that might just be pure laziness on my part, but either way homemade is always the way to go, in my opinion.
Really, it is true, homemade is a million times better, plus YOU get to control over what goes into your food. Sometimes restaurants can totally freak me out. I mean who knows what they are doing back there behind closed doors… clearly, I have serious issues, but I have declared this many times.
Anyway, my point is that most of these takeout foods can be made at home, and may even take less than time than ordering and picking up. They will probably taste much better too!! I have a whole list of “takeout” foods that I want to recreate at home…orange chicken anyone?!?
Anything you guys REALLY want to see??
Here’s the deal, do you guys remember back in December when I announced I was partnering with Almond Breeze on their “Imagine the Blendabilities” contest? Well, today’s recipe is the recipe idea I chose to create. I had a GIANT list of recipes to choose from, and to me, this one sounded yummiest, so I went with it! Plus, cashew chicken has been on my list of things to make for way too long now.
It was time!!
I mean, who could not fall in love with a big bowl of creamy cashew chicken, rice and naan. It’s total comfort food, but made healthier and simpler thanks to the crockpot!
When I was younger, Indian food was pretty much off my radar. My family ate very average foods… and that’s saying it nicely. It was mostly, chicken, steak, pasta, so many ground beef tacos, and burgers for the first twelve to thirteen years of my existence. My brothers LOVED it, and my two oldest brothers still continue to eat the same diet. Honestly, they are both going to majorly regret the amount of meat they are consuming. Just saying.
Sometime during my twelfth or thirteen year, I decided I was so over the steak and started doing some of the cooking. If you really want to get into my whole cooking journey, this is where it began, but I feel like we should try to stay on topic here.
So when I started cooking, I would google things, watched a lot of Food Network and eventually started reading food blogs. One thing or another led me to some Indian inspired recipes and I was HOOKED on their spices and flavors…plus any dish you can eat with rice or couscous I am SO in on. Cashew Chicken is a recipe I have seen and known about for ages now, but just never got around to making.
Oh man, what a mistake that was. Cashew chicken is the best!! I have made this crockpot creamy cashew chicken recipe a little different than it is traditionally made, but you guys! It is SO good! Think spicy, but not overly so. Think SO creamy, but without any actual cream. And then think super cozy and crazy delicious!! It’s the perfect weeknight meal or even weekend meal. You can add everything to the crockpot before work or school or wherever you may be, and then come home to a house that smells in-freaking-credible and a delicious dinner that is ready to eat!!
SCORE.
One little tip I have learned over the years is that, while my family loves the spices used in Indian cooking, turmeric is not one of them. So for this recipe I have adapted it slightly to my family’s taste. If you are a huge fan of Indian flavors I highly recommend adding a little garam masala to this. It’s still delish without it, but with it there is more of a traditional cashew chicken flavor.
FAQ:
Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts?
Yes—thighs stay a bit juicier and are forgiving if held on “warm.” Trim excess fat so the sauce stays silky.
My sauce looks thin—how do I fix it?
Crank the slow cooker to high and cook uncovered until it coats a spoon. Stir occasionally so the edges don’t scorch.
How do I make it milder (or spicier)?
For mild, skip the cayenne and use a mild curry paste; finish with lemon for brightness. For heat, add extra cayenne or a fresh chili and taste as you go.
Does almondmilk ever curdle here?
Keep the heat gentle and add it after the sauce is fully blended; aggressive boiling can cause separation. If it happens, whisk vigorously off heat and add a splash more almondmilk to smooth.
Crockpot Creamy Cashew Chicken.
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 335 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders, cut into bite size pieces
- 2 small potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1/2 cup roasted cashews
- 1/2 of a sweet onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled
- 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher of salt, more to taste if nedeed
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 cups Almond Breeze Almondmilk Cashewmilk Original Unsweetened
- 1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped, plus more for serving
- steamed rice + fresh naan, for serving
Instructions
- Combine the chicken, potatoes and red pepper in the bowl of your crockpot.
- To a blender or food processor, add the cashews, onion, garlic, ginger, Thai red curry paste, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, a god pinch of salt and lemon juice. Puree the mixture until completely smooth. If needed, add 1/2 cup of Almondmilk Cashewmilk, to help the mixture blend. Pour the paste over the chicken. Add the remaining Almondmilk Cashewmilk. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
- If the sauce is too thick, add more Almondmilk Cashewmilk to thin it, if the sauce is too thin, crank the heat to high on the crockpot and let cook, UNCOVERED for 20-30 minutes. This will thicken the sauce.
- When ready to eat, stir in the fresh cilantro. Serve with steamed rice + fresh cilantro and basil...and of course Naan.
Notes
*TO MAKE THIS ON THE STOVE: To a blender or food processor, add the cashews, onion, garlic, ginger, Thai red curry paste, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne and lemon juice. Puree the mixture until completely smooth. If needed, add 1/2 cup of Almondmilk Cashewmilk, to help the mixture blend. Drizzle a large pot set over medium heat with oil. Once hot, add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Add the curry paste, cashew milk, potatoes and red pepper. Cook, partially covered over medium-low heat until the potatoes are tender and the sauce has thicken, about 30-45 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and serve as directed.
This post was originally published on February 17, 2016
How could I do this without a crockpot? 🙂
HI! See below, thanks!
TO MAKE THIS ON THE STOVE: To a blender or food processor, add the cashews, onion, garlic, ginger, Thai red curry paste, graham marsala (if using), chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne and lemon juice. Puree the mixture until completely smooth. If needed, add 1/2 cup of Almondmilk Cashewmilk, to help the mixture blend.
Drizzle a large pot set over medium heat with oil. Once hot, add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Add the curry paste, cashew milk, potatoes and red pepper. Cook, partially covered over medium-low heat until the potatoes are tender and the sauce has thicken, about 30-45 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and serve as directed.
This looks so rich and creamy – NEED to make this ASAP!! Cashewnuts are my absolute fave and anything that is crockpot friendly goes straight onto our to make list, really.
This looks lovely. Please note that it is not spelled Graham Masala…it is GARAM Masala!
Thank you! I have fixed the recipe. 🙂
hey there! thinking of trying this one out tonight.
I’m just confused about the Garam Masala? it’s not listed in the ingredients however lots of comments made on it and you’ve mentioned having corrected the recipe. What am I missing here? haha.
Love your blog!
Hey Andie,
Sorry, I am not sure what you are referring to with the garam marsala but you can follow the recipe as written. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Anyone else having trouble seeing yesterday’s post? I can see there is a spot for it, but there is nothing there. 🙁
Hi Kim, I am seeing it fine. Are you still having issues? Let me know, sorry for the trouble.
There’s nothing better than an easy dinner made in the crockpot and I think I’ve I found dinner for tonight. Thanks, Tieghan!
I would love to make this but my problem is there is no place i can find on page to print recipe if i want to print other wise it would be 14 pages. Help
for Robert:
there is a light gray box directly above the recipe ingredient list, in that box on the lower right corner is a printer icon with purple letters “print”, click this, save the recipe to your desktop and then print it later.
Thank you for pointing this out for me! 🙂
Hi Robert,
There is light gray box directly above the recipe ingredient list, in that box on the lower right corner is a printer icon with purple letters “print”, click this, save the recipe to your desktop and then print it later. Let me know if you have questions.
Thanks!
I didn’t know they made a Almond-Cashew blend. I’m going to have to put it on my list. I love the flavors you have going on — since I’m not home I’ll have to save when I have a crock pot available. Now, we’d put the chicken over quinoa. Edible flowers, hmm? I’ll have to plant some.
https://silk.com/products/original-cashewmilk (the creamiest, a great product. there is original, unsweetened, etc.)
I have your back~! Please correct spelling. Garam Masala.
Sorry about that, spelling has been corrected. Thanks!
Looks quite delicious, so creamy!!
http://bloglairdutemps.blogspot.pt/
OMW !!! what is not to love. On my list for this week to do….Yay 🙂
Girl, love the flower obsession lately! I agree, I could totally go for some real good warm weather, like NOW! -This crockpot chicken looks so amazinggggg! Is there anything better than something made in the crockpot that can come out looking that GOOD?! LOVE IT!
Yum! Do you think this would work with firm Tofu if we were trying to cut out meat? Looks amazing!
I really like that tofu idea! I’m trying to incorporate more of that into my diet. We are huge homebodies too! Leaving the house some days just seems like torture. Even getting out of my career wear aka “sweat” pants” seems a struggle.
But like my momma always says….”those who wear nothing but sweat pants have given up on life”
Hey Kate, I think tofu would work great! I have never tried it so I cannot say for sure, but I do not see why it would not work. Hope you love this and thank you!
I have made the “crockpot butter chicken” with tofu many, many times and it’s such a hit with everyone. Have you tried substituting tofu on the cashew “chicken” yet?
Hey Lori! I have not tried using tofu. Let me know if you do! 🙂
I have not, but let me know how it goes! So glad you are able to adjust the recipe to your needs!
I agree wholeheartedly! Curry is my favourite takeout but I would rather know whats going in my food.
i’m not a huge fan of turmeric either- i usually just add it for the color, but this curry looks so vibrant and sunny that i won’t need to do that!
That looks great! I’m on such a curry kick right now. ♡