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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!!}
You guys!! You guys!!
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.
Also, you may have noticed that I have become slightly obsessed with edible flowers lately. Honestly, I am just on this whole HUGE flower thing all together. I blame it all on winter, and the need for lots of color in my life…ok and my brother Malachi’s snapchat of the 90 degree days, sunshine and flowers he has out there in LA are killing me…highly considering a move to LA. Like HIGHLY.
Anyway, I really love edible flowers. Not only do they add a great flavor, but they are so beautiful. Therefore, I have been adding them as garnishes to everything lately. You DO NOT have to do this…but if you are into flowers too, I say GO FOR IT. 🙂
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.
And DONE. Let’s eat!
P.S. it’s Wednesday!! We are halfway through the week and tomorrow is Thursday and then Friday and, YESS!!!! Friday is my favorite! 🙂
I cannot find cashew milk anywhere, what would be the next best milk to use?
Hi Jessalyn,
Almond milk would be great! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. xTieghan
Made this recipe exactly as directed and the end result was a separated, mealy-textured sauce. Super bummed out as I was looking forward to the dish all day while it cooked :\
Hi Ray! I am really sorry to hear that.. I would love to help you out! Is there anything that could have gone wrong while making this? xTieghan
I used chickpeas instead of potatoes! It was super yummy and a hit with the whole family.
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you!! xTieghan
How would you adjust this for instant pot?
Hi Morgan! I would cook on high pressure for 8 minutes, but I have not tested this so I can say for sure. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Love this recipe! Thoughts on doing it in the instant pot?
Hi Caitlin! I have not tested this for the instant pot so it is hard to say for sure, but I would recommend cooking everything together on high pressure for 8 minutes. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
I made this last night and it was delicious! But it didn’t look as creamy as it is in these pictures. I used Almond Milk and it looked like it had curdled. Any tips on how to make sure it’s nice and creamy? Or any thoughts on what I did wrong? Thank you!
Hi Christa! What brand almond milk did you use? Next time I would try using a nut milk that is high in fat content or even use canned coconut milk. This will ensure the sauce is creamy. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am glad you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
What’s the amount of garam masala that you would use in this? I don’t see it listed in the recipe for the crockpot. Is the addition of this only meant for stove top?
Hi! That is a typo. You do not need garam masala for this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
Hi! I’m looking forward to making this recipe! Is it possible to substitute almond milk for the cashew milk?
Hey Andrea! I am sure almond milk will be delicious and work great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ??
Try this with paneer cheese! Far out.
I will! Thank you Rayna! xTieghan
This looks good, but I’m confused. Indian food with Thai curry paste????? Indian and Thai curries are very different…..
Hi Holland! I feel as if it is easier for more people to access! Thank you so much for this. I hope you try this recipe! xTieghan
Hi! This looks amazing! Could I do it in an instapot? Thank you so much!
Sure! High pressure for 8 minutes. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
In the crockpot as we speak will post photo and results later this evening !
I cannot wait to see it! Thank you!
I cant get Almond Breeze Almondmilk Cashewmilk Original Unsweetened her.. almdon milk yes but not the mix… do I need to add more cashews to recipe?
HI! I would just use almond milk, no need to add cashews. The recipe will still be great! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
the directions omit some details. Do the potatoes and red pepper get blended with the seasonings, or added to the crockpot with the chicken?
Hi Cindy, the potatoes and peppers are added with the chicken. It’s listed in the directions. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Can you make this with just Almond milk? I live in a small community and cannot get the Almond cashew milk.
HI! Regular almond milk will be great! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂