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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I love SO many recipes on your blog but this is my tried and true old favorite. I follow the recipe exactly (1 cup of trader joe’s tricolor quinoa; cook the casserole uncovered for a total of 55 minutes) and it comes out perfectly every time. I’ve never had an issue with the quinoa not cooking! I use 1-1.3lbs of chicken and its always cooked through without being overdone. I always look forward to cooking and eating this!
I made this had to omit the onions didn’t realize I had none. Used tri colored quinoa. Added extra gimger, we like the flavor. Added cashews and covered after 30 minutes. It was delicious.
Loved this recepie! Super easy and super tasty!
Just made this as my first fit foodie find recipe. It was REALLY good! We’ll definitely be having it again. Next time I’ll probably try adding some broccoli and some hot peppers for a little spice. Also, I doubled the recipe so I probably should have left it in a little longer. The quinoa was a little poppy but still tasted great! Also, the prep time took me about 25 mins… but I’m not a very quick cook. Looking forward to trying more!
Quinoa did not cook at all :'(
Followed the whole recipe and used white quinoa aswell as using extra water after an hour and Trying to cover it. It’s been cooking for atleast two hours now. Soooo disappointing.
THE BEST RECIPE I HAVE MADE IN A VERY LONG TIME! This is an incredible dish. THANK YOU!
Following up on Trina’s comment, I tried the recipe with a mixed quinoa (being what I had on hand). Luckily I read this before hand and covered the dish 15 minutes before the end of the first cook time. I also added an extra 1/3 cup of water to my dish. The quinoa was still not quite cooked at the end of the last 10 minutes, so I removed the lid and put it back in for 8 more minutes. After this it turned out awesome for me. I was a little concerned at first, but the textures went very well together once the quinoa had cooked fully and it was very flavorful.
I was a little worried after reading the comments about the quinoa not cooking that I would end up with a failed dish I had just bought all the ingredients for. So I took all the tips and used them. I made sure to get the white quinoa for faster cooking time. 15 minutes before the the end of the first cook time, I took the dish out of the ove (the quinoa was not cooked at all at this point), covered the dish with the lid, and put back in the oven for the remaining time. It turned out perfectly, and tastes great! I did not add any extra water or fluid. I used it for lunch meal prep and got 4 days of lunches and it still tasted good on the final day.
This really was not good at all. I ended up throwing it out. The flavors / textures just didn’t work.
Gosh, I don’t know what went wrong with this dish. I think I should have either pre-cooked the quinoa or covered the baking dish or added more water. After 45 minutes the quinoa wasn’t near cooked but the chicken was a little overdone. I had no choice but to put it in for longer but I covered it and added more liquid. Nothing. I’m resorting to putting the whole casserole on the stovetop in a pot like I normally cook quinoa. Bummer.