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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10/10 for flavour and ease. Mine also needed to cook a little longer, probably 1 hour 20 min for all the liquid to absorb. Will make again for sure!
Hi Lisa! Glad you loved it!
Does this freeze well? Look great!
I haven’t personally tried to freeze this, so I’m not exactly sure!
Hey there
What size Casserole dish is this for? I’m about to try and replace the chicken for tofu – really hope it works cause it looks delicious
I made this last night & really liked it EXCEPT the chicken was a little dry/overcooked. I am considering adding it to the pan after 10 minutes of oven time and/or adding more liquid to see if that would help but was wondering if you have any tips. I’m definitely interested in making it again–great, easy dinner plus tasty leftovers!
Along with the green onions, I added Sriracha & sesame seeds when plating. I liked the additional heat & savoriness.
Love all of your additions! You could always try and cut your chicken in slightly bigger pieces so that it’s not dry when you take it out of the oven!
I’m not sure what I’ve done wrong… but I’ve had this in the oven for over an hour now and the quinoa still isn’t cooked and it’s soupy :/ Help! I did double it but don’t think that should matter 🙁
Hey MT! I’m not sure what the issue is, but I’ve had almost 10 people successfully make this! No one has said they’ve doubled it, though. What kind of quinoa are you using? Is the oven hot enough? Did you use too much liquid? Sorry you’re having issues!
Regular white quinoa… oven at 375 per directions. It finally cooked but took a good 1.5 hours before the quinoa was cooked (and by then no longer soupy). Not sure what happened.
Same here! I used white quinoa too. Must take longer than the other colors…
Me too. I am pre-cooking the quinoa halfway this time.
This is an amazing recipe. My 6-year-old and I were eating this for supper the other night & I told her she had gotten some in her hair. Her response was, “it’s so good Mommy, even my hair wants some!” 😀
Will definitely be making this over & over.
LOLZ. That totally just made my day! So glad it’s kid approved! I’ve already made it 3 times since posting 😀
I can’t wait to make this. Do you have the nutritional value?
This looks awesome!! Could you add Sriracha sauce to the sauce for some heat?
ABBBBSOLUTELY! I actually added a few tablespoons the second and third time I made this 🙂 SO GOOD.
One dish meals are the best! And who knew that you cooked bake quinoa – i certainly didnt
It is like a secret gem. SO EASY. You literally throw everything RAW in one pan and bake it until it’s done!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was absolutely delicious! Also very quick and easy. Great recipe!
YAY! Glad you loved it, Carmen!