This whole30 compliant Easy Healthy Cashew Chicken is flavored with curry, and is made all on one sheet! It’s a healthy weeknight meal everyone will love!
Do you ever feel late to the party?
The appropriate hashtag that I need to use when someone asks me that is: #SOML
I’m the person that makes a cookie dough banana ice cream recipe liiiiiike, 2 years after it is totally cool and trendy. I am also the girl who decides to FINALLY try making paleo pecan pie bars because, in her 26 years of walking this planet will call earth, she has NEVER tried pecan pie.
LIIIIKE WHAT? I can’t keep up.
This is exactly what happened with this here sheet pan whole 30 cashew chicken curry dinner.
You probably caught the sheet pan dinner bug WAYYYYYYY back in the fall last year when Pinterest started blowing up your feed with delicious sheet pan dinner ideas like Asian Miso Steak Sheet Pan Dinner.
Aaaaand now I’m like “Hi, I made you a easy healthy cashew chicken sheet pan dinner about 6 months too late, so I really hope you’re still diggin’ them.” And SPOILER alert, there might just be some sheet pan paleo za’atar chicken thighs coming up soooon!
Like I said, #SOML is appropriate.
But, you GUYS. Even if you’re getting tired of easy dinners that only take one pan (and, if you are, WHO ARE YOU?!) you MUSTMUSTMUST devour this mish-mash of spicy, tender roasty vegetables that sit under a bed of JUICY-on-the-inside and MEGA crispy-crunchy-curry-chicken YUM on the outside.
Straight up. It is the BEST cashew chicken recipe.
Not to mention it’s approved for all you SUPER BRAVE January whole30 goers. <— Like I told you in Monday’s Paleo Orange Chicken, I SRSLY give you a major round of applause. I like testing the boundaries of just how healthy I can eat and all, but there is nothing that can part me from starting my day with cookie dough overnight oats.
You first got introduced to my idea of crusting chicken in nuts, instead of things like flour, back when we munched on pistachio crusted chicken….whiiiiich I have basically been dreaming about forever and ever because WHY DO NUTS MAKE EVERYTHING SO MUCH MORE DELICIOUS.
Which is where the idea for this easy cashew chicken recipe came bursting inside my little recipe-creating brain. OBVI with curry. If the coconut slow cooker curry with pumpkin, quinoa and eggs, Thai curry roasted cashews and vegan coconut curry with sweet potato noodles didn’t tip you off that spicy-dinner-lovin’ is what my belly craves, then I wonder about the thinking status of your brain.
Anyway.
The roasty-toasty nutty flavor of the spiced-cashew-chicken-hug, in combination with notes of coconut-covered soft vegetables that you’re about to put in your mouth, is basically EVERYTHING that you THINK your easy-delicious-dinner-loving-inner-soul could want.
Spicy mega flavor? CHECK. Saucy goodness from bursts of juicy cooked tomato? OH YES. Texture overload happening inside your food-munchin’ face? THIS CASHEW CHICKEN RECIPE MOST DEFINITELY HAS IT.
Just when you’re going to declare that this easy healthy cashew chicken is the best STUPID-EASY weeknight chicken dinner that your healthy-food lovin’ self has ever had the happiness of eating, the SUPER REFRESHING cucumber hits you RIGHT THERE.
It balances alllll the warm curry feels that are happening inside your tummy in way that can only be described as the most perfect marriage of food EVER.
Cucumber may not be the most traditional addition to Indian food, but if it’s good? IT’S GOOD.
I have a question for you?
Where are my super-busy-after-work don’t-have-time-to-cook-but-so-HANGRY humans at?
This one goes out to you.
Ingredients
- 4 cups Cauliflower cut into florets
- 2 large Fresh Tomatoes quartered (like Hot House tomatoes)
- 1 medium Red Onion roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons Coconut Oil melted
- 1 tablespoon Yellow Curry Powder plus 1/2 teaspoon, divided
- Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 2/3 cup Roasted Cashews (salted)
- 1 pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (4 small breasts)
- 1 large Egg White
- 2 cups Cucumber thinly sliced and halved
- Chopped Fresh Mint for garnish
- Minced Fresh Cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F.
- Place the cauliflower florets, quartered tomatoes and chopped red onion into a large bowl. Toss with the coconut oil and sprinkle with 1 1/2 tsp of the curry powder, reserving the rest for later, until well combined and the curry powder is evenly dispersed. Place on a large, rimmed baking sheet in one layer and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
- Add the remaining curry powder, the cashews and a pinch of salt and pepper into a SMALL food processor (mine is 3 cups) and pulse until broken down, but leaving some cashews a little chunky for texture.
- Dry the chicken breasts off and place the egg white into a shallow, sided plate. Additionally, place the cashews into a shallow, sided plate. Dredge a chicken in the egg white, gently shaking off any excess, and then press into the cashews. Flip and press the other side into the cashews, lightly pressing to adhere cashews both sides of the chicken.
- Place the chicken breast onto a small cooling rack (one that fits on your sheet pan, and preferably one with legs so it sits over the veggies. This allows both sides of the chicken to cook and get crispy.) Repeat with the remaining breasts.
- Place the cooling rack on top of the sheet pan, over top of the veggies, and bake until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, which takes about 14-15 minutes.
- Once cooked, toss the fresh cucumbers onto the pan, and garnish with mint and cilantro.
- DEVOUR.
Nutrition Info:
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
Brett says
This is one of the 30 Whole30 Sheet Pan Recipes I also posted.
It was very good. I loved the idea of the rack above the veggies to put the chicken on. I had purchased the America’s Test Kitchen recommended sheet pans and racks.
I did have to cook everything 27 minutes instead of the 15 minutes specified to let get the chicken to just 160 degrees, not even the suggested 165.
I think it would have been better at 32 minutes as the cashew coating would have crisped up a bit more and the veggies would have been a bit more roasted.
The cilantro and mint is a must!!! Next time, I would add more curry and garlic; maybe some garam masala.
I love the idea and will make this again!!!
Taylor Kiser says
SO glad you got it to work for you and that you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing Brett! I also love the idea of a little Garam Masala!
Janet says
We love chicken thighs with skin left on- would this recipe work well with this cut of meat? I’m sure I would need to adjust the cooking time.
Taylor Kiser says
I honestly don’t cook chicken thighs much, so I am not familiar with how they cook, so I can’t tell you! I am sorry!
Sharon Bowler says
I made this last night and everyone loved it! I did make a few changes. I sprinkled a couple hands full f cashews on the veggies. Then after I dredged the breasts in the ground cashew mixture, I sprinkled the left over “breading” over the veggies too. And lastly, the 14-15 minutes wasn’t nearly long enough to cook the chicken breasts. I wonder if the ones I used were too big. After 15 minutes the meat was only 95 degrees.
But with the small adaptations, it was fantastic! Thanks!
Taylor Kiser says
All of those things sound SO good! So glad you liked it – thanks for letting me know!
Andrea says
I’m always looking for new and exciting recipes. It’s seems it’s always the same old, but when I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it. I’m not doing whole30 but do eat gluten free, low carb and clean. I am making this now (currently in the oven) and it already looks and smells amazing. I did tweak the recipe a bit. I omitted the tomato and added sweet potato. Also added a little cayenne. I put the veggies in first and then prepared the chicken. Then put the chicken on the rack as per your instruction (great idea!!). Can’t wait to dig in. Thanks and keep the innovative recipes coming.
Taylor Kiser says
I hope you love it! Let me know what you think!
Amy says
The rack for my nuwave oven worked perfectly to put the chicken on in the center is the sheet pan! It’s cooking now and smells so good! Cannot wait to try this!
Taylor Kiser says
GENIUS! Let us know how it goes!
Rachel says
Love this recipe!! I use halved cherry tomatoes instead of hothouse and garlic powder. So good
Taylor Kiser says
Glad to hear that! Thanks, Rachel!
Robin Wilkinson says
I am a whole 30 gal for 6 yrs. Thankyou for adding some kick into my world.
Foodfaithfitness says
It sounds like you’ve been committed to the Whole30 lifestyle for a while now, and I’m glad this recipe added some excitement to your routine 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing your experience and I hope you continue to enjoy the recipe!