
Cashew Chicken Meatballs Recipe
Cashew Chicken Meatballs are all the pieces you realize and love about Chinese language Cashew Chicken….made with meatballs! Plump juicy chicken meatballs and tossed by means of with inexperienced capsicum / peppers and cashews and a savoury Chinese language sauce. This can be a should strive!

Cashew Chicken Meatballs
Monday Meatball Mania is again!!!
Wow you guys LOVED the Swedish Meatballs I shared final month. Delicate tender meatballs bathed in a creamy gravy….ugh. How did it take me so lengthy to share that one??
For these not already on board the meatball practice, right here’s the background: my good friend Jo from Jo Cooks and I complete heartedly agree that there must be extra ball formed meals on this world. As a result of ball formed meals are all delish. Give it some thought, come again and let me know in the event you consider any ball formed meals that you simply’re not a fan of. (Aside from so-name animal half – doesn’t depend!)
And the king of ball formed meals are meatballs. So Jo and I embarked upon a month-to-month meatball problem, aptly named Monday Meatball Mania. On the final Monday of each month, we’ll each submit a meatball recipe. Pop over to Jo Cooks and see what she’s sharing this month!
As for moi? I’ve for you one thing somewhat totally different. Certainly one of your favorite Chinese language takeout dishes – Cashew Chicken. In meatball type!

This Cashew Chicken Meatballs recipe actually is all the pieces you realize and love about basic Chinese language Cashew Chicken, besides it’s made with meatballs quite than chicken items. Superbly saucy, with tender, seasoned meatballs with inexperienced capsicum / bell peppers and cashews.

I’m a agency believer in studying to make classics the best means. And I count on that in my lifetime, I’ll be making Chinese language Cashew Chicken the basic means rather more regularly than with meatballs. There’s no denying it takes extra arms on time to make meatballs, albeit due to the time it takes to tenderise and marinate the chicken, the basic means really does take longer from begin to end.
However generally, it’s simply good to do one thing totally different, don’t you suppose?
Plus, it is a actually versatile recipe. 4 fundamental elements for the sauce: soy sauce, Chinese language cooking wine, Oyster sauce and cornflour/cornstarch. Chicken or pork mince (that’s floor chicken to People!). All the things else is non-compulsory or may be substituted for no matter you’ve.
And actually, I believe you’ll be amazed how scrumptious the sauce is! You possibly can learn the critiques on the Cashew Chicken recipe as a result of it’s precisely the identical sauce! – Johnsat x
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Cashew Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup soy sauce, ordinary or light (Note 1)
- 1/4 cup Chinese cooking wine (shaoshing wine, or sub with dry sherry) (Note 4)
- 1/4 cup Oyster sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp cornflour / cornstarch
- 500g/1lb chicken mince (ground chicken)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 egg, small (Note 2)
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper (or sub with black)
- 2 tbsp peanut oil (or vegetable or canola)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 1 green capsicum / bell pepper, chopped into 1.75cm / 2/3″
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 cup cashews, unsalted
Instructions
- Place Sauce Part 1 ingredients in a jar and shake well. Place 2 tsp Sauce into a large bowl that you will be making the Meatballs in. Then add the cornflour into the Sauce jar and shake. Set Sauce aside.
- Add remaining Meatballs ingredients into the bowl. Mix until just combined.
- Measure out a heaped tablespoon of mixture and dollop onto a work surface. Then roll into balls (see Note 2 if mixture is too loose / sticky to form into balls).
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add meatballs and cook, browning as best you can all over, or at least on both sides. Once browned all over (about 4 minutes), carefully transfer onto a plate. They will still be a bit raw inside.
- Return skillet to the stove, still on medium high. Add onion and garlic, cook for 1 minute. Add capsicum and cook for 1 minute. Add Sauce and water and quickly mix – it will simmer quickly.
- Transfer meatballs (and juices on the plate) into the Sauce. Turn heat down to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 3 – 4 minutes, or until the Sauce reduces and thickens (by which time the meatballs will be cooked).
- Stir through cashews, serve over rice!
Notes
1. I make this with ordinary or light soy sauce. Do not use dark soy sauce or sweet soy sauce or kecap manis, it will change the flavour too much.
2. If you find that the meatballs are a bit too wet, which can happen if the chicken is purchased at supermarkets and is vac packed (or if the egg you used is large), you can either refrigerate the meat mixture for 30 minutes (this firms it up, making it easier to handle) or add a bit more breadcrumbs. Don’t add too much, it will make the meatballs tough! Also, the other tip is to wet your hands lightly when rolling.
Chicken mince is wetter and softer than other meats so don’t fret if you don’t end up with perfect rounds – mine certainly aren’t!
3. For all my other meatballs made with meat other than chicken, I always start with a mixture of fresh bread soaked with grated onion because it makes them super soft and adds extra flavour. The reason I don’t do this with chicken is because it makes the meat too wet and loose, making it hard to form into balls (refer note 2 above). However, these meatballs are cooked faster than other meatball recipes, so as to ensure they are kept nice and juicy!
4. Chinese cooking wine is a key ingredient in Chinese cooking so I really urge you to find it or use dry sherry as a sub. Or even Sake or Mirin as a fall back. However, if you are unable to consume alcohol in any form, then just leave this out and instead of adding 3/4 cup of water, add chicken broth/stock instead.
5. This is also fantastic made with turkey or pork!
6. Nutrition per serving, assuming 4 servings. 1/3 of the calories is from the cashews so if you want to reduce the calorie count, sacrifice the cashews!
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Ingredients
- 1/4 cup soy sauce, ordinary or light (Note 1)
- 1/4 cup Chinese cooking wine (shaoshing wine, or sub with dry sherry) (Note 4)
- 1/4 cup Oyster sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp cornflour / cornstarch
- 500g/1lb chicken mince (ground chicken)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 egg, small (Note 2)
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper (or sub with black)
- 2 tbsp peanut oil (or vegetable or canola)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 1 green capsicum / bell pepper, chopped into 1.75cm / 2/3″
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 cup cashews, unsalted
Instructions
- Place Sauce Part 1 ingredients in a jar and shake well. Place 2 tsp Sauce into a large bowl that you will be making the Meatballs in. Then add the cornflour into the Sauce jar and shake. Set Sauce aside.
- Add remaining Meatballs ingredients into the bowl. Mix until just combined.
- Measure out a heaped tablespoon of mixture and dollop onto a work surface. Then roll into balls (see Note 2 if mixture is too loose / sticky to form into balls).
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add meatballs and cook, browning as best you can all over, or at least on both sides. Once browned all over (about 4 minutes), carefully transfer onto a plate. They will still be a bit raw inside.
- Return skillet to the stove, still on medium high. Add onion and garlic, cook for 1 minute. Add capsicum and cook for 1 minute. Add Sauce and water and quickly mix – it will simmer quickly.
- Transfer meatballs (and juices on the plate) into the Sauce. Turn heat down to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 3 – 4 minutes, or until the Sauce reduces and thickens (by which time the meatballs will be cooked).
- Stir through cashews, serve over rice!
Notes
1. I make this with ordinary or light soy sauce. Do not use dark soy sauce or sweet soy sauce or kecap manis, it will change the flavour too much.
2. If you find that the meatballs are a bit too wet, which can happen if the chicken is purchased at supermarkets and is vac packed (or if the egg you used is large), you can either refrigerate the meat mixture for 30 minutes (this firms it up, making it easier to handle) or add a bit more breadcrumbs. Don’t add too much, it will make the meatballs tough! Also, the other tip is to wet your hands lightly when rolling.
Chicken mince is wetter and softer than other meats so don’t fret if you don’t end up with perfect rounds – mine certainly aren’t!
3. For all my other meatballs made with meat other than chicken, I always start with a mixture of fresh bread soaked with grated onion because it makes them super soft and adds extra flavour. The reason I don’t do this with chicken is because it makes the meat too wet and loose, making it hard to form into balls (refer note 2 above). However, these meatballs are cooked faster than other meatball recipes, so as to ensure they are kept nice and juicy!
4. Chinese cooking wine is a key ingredient in Chinese cooking so I really urge you to find it or use dry sherry as a sub. Or even Sake or Mirin as a fall back. However, if you are unable to consume alcohol in any form, then just leave this out and instead of adding 3/4 cup of water, add chicken broth/stock instead.
5. This is also fantastic made with turkey or pork!
6. Nutrition per serving, assuming 4 servings. 1/3 of the calories is from the cashews so if you want to reduce the calorie count, sacrifice the cashews!