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Weeknight (25 minute) Thai Basil Sesame Cashew Chicken with Coconut Rice…and deliciously addicting salted chili lime cashews. This is the super-fast Thai inspired chicken rice bowl that the whole family will love. Quick-cooking chicken, pan-seared, then tossed in a sweet and spicy Thai chili sauce with garden fresh bell peppers, sesame seeds, and summer’s most flavorful basil. Serve this chicken over steamed rice and top with chili lime cashews. Every bite is saucy, sweet, spicy, and hinted with basil. It’s delicious and healthy. Major bonus? This is all made in one pan without the use of your oven. Perfect for hot summer days.
This is one of those recipes where I just love how easily it came together for me. This came to me on a busy day and with really just the use of my brain and what sounded delicious.
I knew I wanted to use up all the Thai basil we have growing in the garden. We literally have so much. It’s overflowing at this point. So I knew I needed to do something with it…and soon. If you follow on Instagram, I’m sure you’ve noticed all the basil in the garden, there’s a lot. And I’m certainly not complaining, I love it.
I also knew I wanted to use the chicken I had on hand. Because the grocery is not a place I want to be heading to these days, so I’m trying to use what I’ve got! And in comes this chicken.
I have to say, I’m really excited with how this turned out. It’s Thai inspired, but with my own additions. Additions like chili lime cashews (with honey…and flaky sea salt too). And one of the best sweet and spicy Thai chili sauces I’ve ever made.
I love this dish. It’s easy, almost no-cook, and just so flavorful. And then there’s coconut rice too…all the (good) things I love.
The process.
First up, the cashews. Now, these are an “extra” and you don’t have to make them. But you certainly should if you have five minutes and cashews in the pantry.
Simply toss raw cashews with sesame oil, honey, chili powder, and a bit of turmeric, then cook until toasted, golden, and caramelized. Once the cashews are toasty, remove them from the heat, and add lots of lime zest plus flaky sea salt. Oh. So. Delicious!
Putting it out there, these are hard to stop eating. My best tip? Make a double batch. Serve half with the chicken and save the other half for random mid-day snacking. It’s a good idea.
Next, toss the chicken with a little cornstarch and a good pinch of pepper. Tossing the chicken with cornstarch allows it to get extra crispy and caramelize while cooking.
Now make the sauce. It’s simply, honey, soy sauce, fish sauce, chili paste, ketchup (which is the secret), and sesame seeds. You guys, this sauce is now my newest favorite. It’s the ketchup, it adds a layer of flavor that’s subtle, but yet is so key. It’s sweet, salty, and spicy.
Pan-fry the chicken in a little oil until it’s crisp. Add plenty of garlic, ginger, and bell peppers. Then pour the sauce in and let it simmer down and thicken over the chicken and peppers.
As the chicken is cooking, you should be making some steamed rice. I like to toss it with a touch of butter and basil just before serving. SO GOOD.
Now, put it all together…
Spoon your rice into bowls, then add the chicken and peppers. Finish each bowl off with lots of fresh basil and a handful of those salted chili honey-lime cashews.
Oh and add some thinly sliced cucumbers if you’d like too.
Enjoy…immediately.
And you guys…that’s it. This takes less than 30 minutes to make and it’s not only delicious but fun too!
Looking for other quick weeknight Thai summer dinners? Here are some favorites:
Coconut Popcorn Chicken with Sweet Thai Chili Lime Sauce
30 Minute Sticky Thai Meatballs with Sesame Noodles
Better Than Takeout Sweet Thai Basil Chicken
Lastly, if you make this Thai basil sesame cashew chicken, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch the How To Video:
Thai Basil Sesame Cashew Chicken Chicken.
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 539 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons sesame or extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- zest of 1 lime
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon corn starch or flour
- black pepper
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1-2 tablespoons chili paste (sambal oelek)
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons raw sesame seeds
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 2 red or orange bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 1 cup fresh Thai or regular basil, roughly torn
- steamed white or brown rice, for serving (coconut rice in notes)
Instructions
- 1. To make the cashews. Heat 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon honey, the cashews, chili, powder, and turmeric in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until lightly toasted and caramelized, 3-4 minutes. Watch closely. Spoon the cashews out of the skillet onto a parchment-lined plate. Sprinkle with lime zest and salt. Set aside.2. In a medium bowl, toss together the chicken, cornstarch, and a pinch of black pepper. 3. To make the sauce. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup honey, the soy sauce, fish sauce, chili paste, ketchup, and sesame seeds. 4. Wipe the skillet clean. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and brown all over, until it becomes crispy, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and peppers, cook another 2-3 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant. Pour in the sauce and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the sauce coats the chicken, about 5 minutes.5. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil. Serve the chicken and sauce over bowls of rice. Top with cashews, additional basil, and cucumbers, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Coconut Rice: Combine 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk and 1/2 cup water in a medium pot. Bring to a low boil. Add 1 cup basmati rice and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine, cover, then turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Allow the rice to cook 10 minutes on low, then turn the heat off completely and let the rice sit, covered for another 15-20 minutes (don’t take any peeks inside!). Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.
This post was originally published on July 8, 2020
Yom. Definitely make the coconut rice, it adds to the dish
Thank you so much Kathy! xTieghan
This was spectacular. The only change I made was the vegetable. I did not have red pepper and didn’t want to make a special trip to the store for it. However, the kohlrabi and carrot from my garden were great. I loved the coconut rice and actually ate some of the leftover as a breakfast porridge this morning. Now, the nuts — those would be a great treat to take to a party or just make as a snack. Excellent!
Wow yes!! I am really glad this turned out so well for you, Tonya!! Thank you! xTieghan
Great recipe! Made it tonight! Very easy to make! Very flavorful! Love it! Thanks for always putting up wonderful recipes!
Thank you so much Rosabel! xTieghan
This was delicious! Even my very picky husband enjoyed it. I didn’t have the chili paste so I added more ketchup and some cayenne pepper and it still tasted wonderful! Thanks for you’re creativity and always sharing great recipes.
Thank you so much Holly!! I am really glad this recipe turned out so amazing for you! xTieghan
Has potential but way to salty as written. Used low sodium soy, reduced to slightly over1/3 cup, reduced fish sauce slightly as well but still salty. Ran into issue with cashews as they stuck to parchment and had to toss quite a few. Just FYI, regular basil and Thai basil are totally different. I generally have the Thai version growing in pots as it is hard to find. If you can find it, use it over regular basil.
I am really sorry to hear that Kim! Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help! xTieghan
Cucumbers aren’t listed in the ingredients
Hey Kathryn,
You can just top with cucumbers if you enjoy them. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this for dinner tonight. Not as much a winner as most of Tieghan’s recipes. The nuts are good. The sauce is just ok. So we ate it, said “Yum, but don’t keep it in line up.”
The rice is perfect and will show up often!
Can’t wait to try this week’s pizza!
Susan
Thank you Susan! I hope you love the pizza!! xTieghan
Hi, I LOVE all your recipes!!! The coconut rice sounds amazing, I was wondering if you think you could get the same results using brown rice? I typically substitute white for brown but definitely want to try the rice with coconut milk. Thank you SO much! 🙂
Hey Hannah,
Yes brown rice will work as well. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Just bought the remaining ingredients! Thanks so much, can’t wait to make it tomorrow!!! We LOVE all your recipes!!!
Thank you so much Marioli! xTieghan
When you posted this on Instagram the other day I responded saying I was going to make this tomorrow. Well I did and it was delicious and super easy. I had to use Cajun spice instead of chili powder since I didn’t have any. Virtually the same mix and those cashews were like candy. Another winner!!
Thank you so much for trying this Mark!! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Can you cook the coconut rice in a rice cooker and
I only have salted cashews, will that work?
Thank You!
Hey Tina,
Salted cashews are fine to use! I do not own a rice cooker but you could certainly do that. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
My husband and I made this last night as written, but substituted coconut aminos for the soy sauce to cut the salt a tad. It was DIVINE! We have printed and are saving in our recipe files. We made the cashews and the coconut rice as well. Company worthy and easy! Thank you!
That is so great to hear! I am really glad you loved this one, Josie! xTieghan
This is so flavorful and easy to make. My family loved it and couldn’t stop raving. I used a well heated cast iron skillet for the cashews and then for the chicken and sauce. I couldn’t get the chicken to brown and crisp but this did not detract from the tastiness of the meal! Make this dinner! It become a speciality.
Love that!! I am really glad you enjoyed this one, Ronda! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
Our family loved it! We didn’t have cashews so we subbed peanuts instead. The coconut rice with it made it extra ??????
Yes!! That is so amazing to hear, Sarah! xTieghan
When you get inspired you do amazing things!
The Thai Basil Cashew Chicken was beyond description delicious!!
Your inspirations makes good eating for the rest of us!
Thank you so much!
Aw that is so sweet!! Thank you Marcia! xTieghan