Chicken with Cashews
The perfect Sunday poultry dish! There is no special way to cook chicken with cashews. One only needs to know that the chicken must be well-spiced, and the cashews must be raw. This dish is prepared for special occasions or on Sundays.
It is made mostly on Sundays because many Haitians cook it with Rice with Djon-Djon or Black Mushroom Rice, a traditional dish. If you are ever invited to someone’s house, and they cook both dishes, you are in for a treat.
Those two dishes, when served together, are such a delightful meal that I can’t explain it. I don’t know if it is because of the earthy flavor of the rice from the dried mushrooms or the nutty flavor of the cashews. They taste excellent together.

How to make Chicken with Cashews
The chicken is usually marinated overnight or for a few hours, steamed on low heat, pan-fried with tomato paste for its golden brown color, and finally cooked with the cashews for that special touch. Because the cashews are raw, they must be partially cooked in water and drained before being added to the chicken for the final step.
As I mentioned earlier, that Chicken with Cashews is usually served with Rice with Djon-Djon; it can also be eaten with other types of rice, such as Rice with Green Peas or just a regular rice recipe.
Many people have their way of cooking chicken, and as long as you like your way and want to adventure with spices, you won’t be disappointed because you are getting your protein from the meat and fiber from the cashews. This is an all-around healthy dish, in my opinion. Enjoy!
Gemma
Note: Use my recipe for Mixed Fresh Herbs and Spices to marinate the chicken if preferred.
Chicken with Cashews
Ingredients
- 6 pieces of Chicken legs and 3 thighs
- 1 Lime
- 4 Tablespoon of Mixed Spices Blend parsley, garlic, thyme, scallion, salt, black pepper, onion
- 1 cup Raw Cashews
- Water
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 -2 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 cup Diced Tomato
- 1 Large Onion white or red
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Hot pepper – optional
- 1 1/2 tbsp Chicken Bouillon Powder low sodium and optional
Instructions
- Squeeze lime, reserve juice and clean chicken pieces with lime. Rinse chicken with water and pat dry. In a bowl add cleaned chicken, mixed spices and lemon juice. Marinate overnight or for at leaf 2 – 3 hours. Add chicken to dutch oven pot, or another heavy pan and let simmer for about 15 – 20 minutes, stirring. Do not add water. Let the chicken pieces cook in the marinade. Remove chicken from pot with any liquid and set aside. Add oil and tomato paste in same pot. Stirring occasionally, let tomato paste cooked for 2 minutes. Add chicken to pot and brown pieces on all sides about 5 – 7 minutes while stirring gently.
- Meanwhile, in a small pot/saucepan, add cashews and water and bring to a boil. Let cashews cook hallways. Drain to stop cooking and set aside. Reserve water.
- Add diced tomatoes, onion and chicken bouillon or salt (which ever you prefer), black pepper, and hot pepper. Let cook of 5 minutes. Add cashews and store. If more water is needed use the water from the boiled cashews. Cook 25 – 30 minutes on low heat until chicken and cashews are fully cooked. Additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
Nutrition
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Nutrition info is automatically generated and provided as a courtesy and as an estimate only.