Healthy Cashew Chicken Casserole
Published 4/28/2020 • Updated 9/27/2024
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Make this Cashew Chicken Quinoa Bake for a high-protein, one-dish meal that the whole family will love! Meal prep at its finest.
Can’t get enough of our delicious chicken casserole recipes? Check out this easy orange chicken casserole or this easy southwestern chicken casserole!
Make Your Own Healthy Chinese Takeout
Raise your hand if you’ve jumped on the casserole train. We have been whipping up casserole recipes for the last couple of weeks in the Fit Foodie kitchen and we have no shame!
Today we are sharing one of the original quinoa casserole recipes on FFF! It is also one of the most popular recipes. Want to know why?
- It is stacked with protein (37 grams per serving)
- There’s only one dish to clean
- It tastes like your favorite cashew chicken Chinese takeout (except it’s healthier)
This chicken casserole is made with whole, healthy ingredients, with all of the classic flavors of cashew chicken. PS: have you made our Instant Pot Cashew Chicken? Let’s break this casserole down.
Everything You Need to Know
All you need is one pan.
For this dish, you literally throw everything in a casserole dish UNCOOKED (even the chicken and quinoa) and pop it in the oven for 60 minutes.
Can I use other vegetables in this casserole?
Yes, you can use other vegetables in this chicken casserole. If you don’t have peppers on hand or want to use something else. Feel free to use any of your favorite vegetables. Below are some of our top substitution picks!
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- pea pods
- green beans
Does it matter what kind of quinoa I use?
I tested this with traditional white quinoa
and Inca Red Quinoa
.
I noticed that the red quinoa needed to cook a bit longer than the white, so just be mindful of that if you only have red on hand!
Do I need to use specific cashews in this recipe?
You can use whatever cashews you have on hand! However, we recommend using roasted salted cashews for the best flavor!
What are the best toppings for this cashew chicken casserole?
The topping options are endless for this cashew chicken casserole! Below are our go-to toppings!
- fresh lime juice
- cilantro
- cashews
- green onions
Can I freeze this cashew chicken casserole?
Yes, you can freeze this cashew chicken casserole! Make the casserole as instructed in the recipe card and then let it cool completely.
Next, cover the casserole dish with plastic wrap and then tin foil to tightly seal the casserole and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can also transfer the casserole into meal prep containers for single-serve options!
Cashew Chicken Casserole Tips
Here are a few tips and tricks to make sure you get the most bang for your buck when you make this chicken casserole recipe!
- Make sure that all the quinoa is submerged in liquid before you place the casserole in the oven.
- If you find that your chicken casserole isn’t cooking evenly, try stirring the casserole halfway through the cook time.
- Be sure to spray your casserole dish before placing ingredients into the casserole dish. This will prevent the ingredients from sticking to the casserole dish when you are serving it!
Healthy Chinese Take-Out Recipes
- Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli
- Healthy Orange Chicken
- General Tso’s Cauliflower
- Vegetarian Fried Rice
More Chicken Casserole Recipes
- Best Chicken Casserole Recipes
- Cauliflower Mac and Chicken Casserole
- Healthy Chicken Enchilada Casserole with Brown Rice
Cashew Chicken Quinoa Bake Video
Cashew Chicken Quinoa Bake
Ingredients
- 1 cup white quinoa, rinsed and uncooked
- 1 cup yellow onion, minced
- 2 medium bell peppers, any color, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 cup hoisin sauce, or gluten-free hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari, low sodium
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced (fresh ginger paste works, too)
- 1.25 cups water
- 1 cup cashews, raw or roasted work
- optional garnishes: green onion and/or sesame seeds
Instructions
- First, preheat oven to 375ºF and spray a casserole dish with coconut oil cooking spray.
- Next, place 1 cup uncooked quinoa on the bottom of the casserole dish and layer with diced onion and red pepper on top. Place sliced chicken on top of veggies.
- Prep sauce by mixing together hoisin sauce, minced garlic, soy sauce, fresh ginger, and 1 cup of water. I used a fork to whisk everything together.
- Evenly pour the sauce over chicken breast.
- Bake at 375º for 45 minutes, covered. Remove from oven and add 1 cup of cashews and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Let quinoa casserole sit for 5-10 minutes to continue thickening and cooling.
- Garnish with green onion and/or sesame seeds before serving.
Tips & Notes
- New photos were taken of this recipe on April 28, 2020. I also upped the water from 1 cup to 1.25 cups for a tad more liquid!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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We cook this regularly! It’s incredible! Don’t skip the step of letting it sit for 10-15 mins after removing from oven.
I love this recipe!! It’s so great for meal prep – everything goes in one pan and nothing needs to be pre-cooked. It’s a dream 🙂 I usually add in mushrooms and broccoli along with the onions and peppers for additional veg. Still works great!
Made this with a little less hoisin sauce and a little more chicken and it turned out great! I’m not sure how to read the nutrition, tho–is the listed nutrition per serving and there are four servings, or is the nutrition for the whole dish?
Hi Alex — the nutrition is PER seriving 🙂
It turned out great….I added zucchini, squash & edamame, then less peppers & ginger based on our flavor preference.
Yum! Love that you made this recipe your own!
I was so excited to try this new meal prep. But if just didn’t work out. I followed directions perfectly, lid on casserole dish and my quinoa was not old (just bought today for this dish). However the quinoa just did not soak up the sauce and like another post I ended up with a soup + uncooked quinoa. Boo! I’ll try to save it by picking out chicken , veggies and putting on top of rice. I was so disappointed! Maybe a slow cooker would be better for this recipe?
This looks so amazing! Can’t wait to make it.
I do have a question. How long can you save it in my fridge? My idea is to make it on a sunday, then save it in an airtight ovendish in the fridge and take some out throughout the week for lunch at work.
This recipe is very good. I added broccoli, I like how it adds more color and texture. I also used half Teriyaki and half hoisin sauce.
Do you cook your chicken before adding it to the casserole?
You don’t! The chicken will cook in the casserole during the bake time 🙂
This dish turned out fabulous. I made (almost) a double batch. I had the dishes covered for 50 minutes in the oven and left the covers off for the last 10. Everything was perfectly baked! Thank you for sharing! (Not the best photo but a picture of them after mixing it all up.)
Oo amazing idea to make a double batch, Alyssa!
This was pretty good when I thought it was a “healthy “ meal but then when I put it in MyFitnessPal , I about died because of the 54 grams of carbs and super high sodium . I think you should consider changing the name of this recipe . I guess it was also my fault too because I just assumed since it was on “Fit Foodie Finds “ and that it had the word “healthy” , I just trusted it to be that . Lesson learned . Easy and quick but not worth all the carbs .
You can make a lower sodium option but carbs get a bad reputation but they are so important. Carbs are healthy. If anything MyFitnessPal is way worse for you than some carbs.