Sticky Hoisin Pork Tenderloin with Cashews
We first made this easy hoisin cashew chicken a few years ago, and it has been a family favourite ever since. Tender chicken, crunchy roasted cashews and fresh green onions are tossed in a rich, savoury-sweet hoisin stir-fry sauce for a quick homemade dinner that tastes even better than takeout. Ready in about 30 minutes, this easy cashew chicken recipe is perfect for busy weeknights and delicious served over warm jasmine rice.
Short Description of the Recipe
This easy hoisin cashew chicken is a quick 30-minute dinner made with tender chicken, crunchy roasted cashews and green onions in a glossy savoury-sweet sauce. Serve it over warm jasmine rice for a simple homemade chicken stir-fry that feels comforting, filling and much better than takeout.
Why It’s Good
The sauce is rich and flavourful without being too heavy, and the roasted cashews add the best little crunch in every bite. I also love how quickly the chicken cooks once everything is chopped and ready to go. The sauce thickens fast, so keep stirring once it hits the hot pan.
This easy cashew chicken recipe is also flexible. Chicken thighs stay especially juicy, but chicken breasts work well too. It is one of those dependable weeknight meals that tastes like you spent much longer making it.
When to Serve It
Serve this hoisin chicken stir-fry for busy weeknight dinners, casual family meals or anytime you are craving an easy Asian-inspired chicken recipe. It is especially good with jasmine rice, steamed broccoli, bok choy or a simple cucumber salad.
It also makes a great Friday-night alternative to ordering takeout. Quick, satisfying and easy to clean up.
Cut the pork tenderloin into evenly sized, bite-sized pieces so it cooks quickly and stays tender. Trimming away any silver skin first makes the finished pork stir-fry much easier to eat. Try to keep the pieces close to the same size—smaller pieces can dry out while thicker ones are still cooking. Having the pork and green onions chopped before heating the skillet also helps because this easy pork stir-fry comes together fast.
Tips and Tricks
Cut the chicken evenly: Keep the chicken pieces close to the same size so they cook at the same rate. Smaller pieces brown quickly but can dry out if left in the skillet too long.
Cook the chicken in batches: Crowding the pan causes the chicken to steam instead of brown. Two quick batches give this hoisin chicken stir-fry much better colour and flavour.
Prepare everything first: Once the skillet is hot, this easy cashew chicken recipe moves quickly. Have the sauce mixed, green onions chopped and cashews ready before you begin cooking.
Whisk the sauce again: Cornstarch settles at the bottom of the bowl. Give the hoisin stir-fry sauce one more whisk just before adding it to the pan.
Watch the sauce closely: The sauce thickens within a minute or two. Stir constantly and remove the skillet from the heat once the chicken looks glossy and evenly coated.
Add the cashews near the end: Stirring them in just before serving helps the roasted cashews keep their crunch. That little bit of texture makes the dish.
Ingredient Notes
Chicken: Boneless chicken thighs are juicy and forgiving, while chicken breasts create a slightly leaner cashew chicken stir-fry. Either works well. Just avoid overcooking the smaller pieces.
Hoisin sauce: Hoisin gives the dish its rich, savoury-sweet flavour and glossy finish. Because brands vary in sweetness and saltiness, taste the sauce before adding extra soy sauce.
Roasted cashews: Unsalted cashews are best because the soy sauce and hoisin already contain salt. Toasting them briefly brings out their nutty flavour.
Fresh ginger and garlic: These add warmth and freshness to the sauce. Freshly grated ginger blends in easily and smells wonderful as soon as it hits the hot skillet.
Green onions: Use both the white and green sections. Cook the white pieces with the chicken, then add the green tops near the end so they stay bright and fresh.
Soy sauce: Low-sodium soy sauce keeps the hoisin cashew chicken from becoming overly salty. Regular soy sauce can be used, but reduce the amount slightly.
Rice vinegar: A small splash balances the sweetness of the hoisin sauce without making the dish taste sour.
Sesame oil: A little toasted sesame oil goes a long way. Add it to the sauce for extra depth, but avoid using too much because it can overpower the other flavours.
Honey: Honey adds just a touch of sweetness and helps create that sticky, takeout-style cashew chicken sauce. It can be reduced or omitted if your hoisin sauce is already quite sweet.
Variations
- Use chicken thighs: Boneless chicken thighs make this hoisin cashew chicken especially juicy and are a little harder to overcook.
- Try pork tenderloin: Cut pork tenderloin into small, even pieces and cook it the same way for an easy hoisin pork and cashew stir-fry.
- Add vegetables: Bell peppers, broccoli, snap peas, mushrooms or bok choy all work well. Keep the pieces fairly small so they cook quickly.
- Make it spicy: Add crushed red pepper flakes, chili garlic sauce or a drizzle of sriracha to the hoisin stir-fry sauce.
- Swap the nuts: Roasted peanuts or almonds can replace the cashews, although the flavour and texture will be slightly different.
- Make it less sweet: Reduce or leave out the honey if your hoisin sauce already tastes quite sweet.
- Serve it differently: Spoon this easy cashew chicken over jasmine rice, brown rice, noodles or cauliflower rice for a lighter option.
Storage Tips
Store leftover hoisin cashew chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The flavour holds up well, although the cashews will soften after sitting in the sauce.
For the best texture, keep any extra roasted cashews in a separate container and sprinkle them over the reheated chicken just before serving. It really does help.
Reheat the chicken gently in a skillet over medium-low heat with a small splash of water. You can also microwave it in short intervals, stirring between each one, until heated through.
This chicken stir-fry can be frozen for up to 2 months, but freeze it without the cashews and green onion garnish. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, reheat slowly and add fresh cashews before serving.
Sticky Hoisin Cashew Pork Tenderloin
Equipment
- Large nonstick skillet or wok
- Sharp chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Small mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- Serving spoon
- Rice cooker or saucepan, optional
Ingredients
- 1½ lb pork tenderloin cut into bite-sized pieces
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper freshly ground
- 2 tbsp cooking oil divided
- ⅔ cup cashews roasted and unsalted
- 5 garlic cloves finely minced
- 2 tsp ginger freshly grated
- 6 green onions cut into 1-inch pieces, white and green sections separated
Hoisin Stir-Fry Sauce
- ⅓ cup water
- 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1½ tbsp soy sauce low-sodium
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp honey
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Prepare the hoisin sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the water, hoisin sauce, low-sodium soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, cornstarch and toasted sesame oil. Set the sauce aside while you prepare the pork.
- Cut and season the pork. Remove any silver skin from the pork tenderloin, then cut the meat into evenly sized, bite-sized pieces. Pat the pork dry and season it with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Toast the cashews. Place the roasted cashews in a large dry skillet over medium heat. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, until lightly toasted and fragrant. Transfer the cashews to a plate.
- Brown the pork in batches. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the pork tenderloin pieces in a single layer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, turning occasionally, until lightly browned. The pork does not need to be completely cooked yet. Transfer it to a clean plate.
- Add the remaining oil and pork to the skillet. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, then add the garlic, ginger and white sections of the green onions. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Add the hoisin stir-fry sauce. Return the first batch of pork to the skillet. Whisk the sauce once more, then pour it over the pork. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and evenly coats the pork.
- Check that the pork tenderloin is cooked through and has reached an internal temperature of 145°F. Avoid cooking it much longer, as pork tenderloin is lean and can dry out quickly.
- Finish the hoisin cashew pork. Stir in the toasted cashews and most of the green onion tops. Cook for another 30 seconds, then remove the skillet from the heat.
- Serve this easy hoisin pork tenderloin stir-fry immediately over warm jasmine rice or noodles. Garnish with the remaining green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.
Notes
- Cut the pork tenderloin into evenly sized, bite-sized pieces so this easy hoisin cashew pork cooks quickly and remains tender.
- Remove the silver skin before slicing the pork. It stays tough during cooking and can make the finished pork tenderloin stir-fry chewy.
- Pat the pork pieces dry before seasoning. This helps them brown instead of steaming in the skillet.
- Cook the pork tenderloin in two batches. Crowding the pan lowers the heat and prevents those lightly caramelized edges from forming.
- Pork tenderloin is lean and cooks quickly, so avoid leaving it in the skillet too long. The pieces will finish cooking once the hoisin sauce is added.
- Whisk the hoisin stir-fry sauce again immediately before pouring it into the pan because the cornstarch settles at the bottom.
- The sauce thickens fast. Stir constantly and remove the skillet from the heat once the pork is cooked and coated in a glossy sauce.
- Use roasted, unsalted cashews so the hoisin pork and cashew stir-fry does not become overly salty.
- Add the cashews close to the end of cooking to help them keep their crunch. They will soften slightly as they sit in the sauce.
- Low-sodium soy sauce works best because hoisin sauce already adds plenty of savoury flavour and salt.
- Fresh ginger, garlic and green onions give this 30-minute pork tenderloin recipe its fresh, takeout-style flavour.
- Serve this sticky hoisin pork tenderloin over jasmine rice or noodles with steamed broccoli, bok choy or snap peas.
Nutrition
Ellen Britt
Hi, I’m Ellen — a passionate home cook dedicated to creating easy, flavorful recipes inspired by real-life cooking and shared family traditions. Every recipe on this site is a true collaboration, developed and tested together in our kitchen to ensure it’s reliable, simple to follow, and absolutely delicious.