What To Serve With Cashew Chicken: 12 DELICIOUS Sides!
Having a kitchen dilemma about what to serve with cashew chicken?
You’re in the best place!
In this easy to follow guide for home cooks, we’re going to take a walk through some of the most delicious side dishes and pairings for this popular takeaway style dish!
What to serve with cashew chicken
The best options for what to serve with cashew chicken include fragrant jasmine rice, Chinese crispy noodles, rainbow noodle salad, cooked lettuce with oyster sauce and garlic, veggie stuffed spring rolls, “as you wish” vegetables, prawn toast, and flakey scallion pancakes.
Keep reading for more ideas for side dishes, plus the best recipes for you to follow.
1. Fragrant jasmine rice
Jasmine rice is a beautiful, subtly perfumed white rice that’s used extensively across South East Asia.
It pairs wonderfully with dishes like cashew chicken, especially if you’re looking for a quick, easy, simple side dish that will really complement your main and let the big flavours shine.
It’s surprisingly easy to get things wrong when cooking this side, so be sure to check out this foolproof guide to perfect jasmine rice.
The secret is to use less water than you would with many other types of white rice, so you get fluffy results and avoid it going mushy.
2. Chinese crispy noodles
If you’re not a big rice lover, you might want to try making some noodles instead!
Chinese crispy noodles are a great choice if you want to recreate restaurant or takeaway vibes at home, and they’re always a big hit when you’re cooking for a crowd.
They’re basically deep fried egg noodles, and they’re golden brown, crunchy, and utterly delicious.
Often served in little bowls in restaurants as an appetiser, they can be eaten on their own as part of a multiple course meal, and they work so well as a side dish for cashew chicken.
They’re also fabulous for garnishing a wide variety of Asian salads and soups, so once you try this recipe, you’ll definitely want to make it again!
3. Rainbow noodle salad
Chinese takeaway style dishes can often be quite rich, so it’s a good idea to ensure you have something on the table that brings balance and vibrancy.
A great choice here is this delicious rainbow noodle salad.
It’s a real celebration of colour, vibrancy, and fresh produce, and it’s tossed in a delicious fruity dressing made with ginger, soy sauce, and coconut water.
If you can, make extra than what you need for dinner, and save a portion or two for a quick lunch the next day.
It’s great on its own, or with some sliced chicken or pork.
4. Chinese lettuce wraps
Lettuce wraps are a fun, informal way to serve up lots of different main course dishes, including cashew chicken!
Iceberg and little gems are the ideal lettuces to choose, as they’re sturdy, crunchy, and each leaf is sturdy enough to hold the filling without wilting or falling apart.
Be sure to add some extra toppings to the middle of the table so everyone can add a little of what they fancy to customise their wraps.
Good choices here include chopped spring onion, grated carrot, sesame seeds, and if you like a little heat, fresh chillis or dried red pepper flakes.
Just spoon on your cashew chicken, add your garnishes, and dig in with your hands.
It’s a fun and informal way to enjoy a meal with your family.
(For more Asian inspiration, take a look at sides for wonton soup).
5. Cooked lettuce with oyster sauce and garlic
It’s rare to cook lettuce in many types of cuisine, such as British and American, but it’s actually a really common technique in Chinese cookery.
In fact, it’s more common than using raw lettuce when it comes to a lot of Asian food!
This recipe for cooked lettuce with oyster sauce and garlic is super simple, and it’s often made over Chinese New Year as a symbol of good luck, wealth, and prosperity.
It requires just six ingredients, and the result is light but surprisingly satisfying.
6. Crispy crab rangoon
Crab rangoon are also known as crab puffs, and they’re popular in American Chinese restaurants and takeaways.
They may not be authentic, but they are totally delicious, and they’re an ideal accompaniment when you’re trying to recreate the takeaway experience from the comfort of your own home.
They’re stuffed with cream cheese and crab meat, and they’re typically served with some sweet chilli dipping sauce on the side.
Don’t worry about making your own pastry, because you can pick up super handy ready made wonton wrappers at your local Asian supermarket!
With a few savvy kitchen hacks like this, you can create a restaurant style meal at home without too much fuss or hassle.
Your guests will only know about your shortcuts if you tell them!
7. Veggie stuffed spring rolls
Veggie spring rolls are definitely deserving of a mention when it comes to what to serve with cashew chicken.
Again, you can skip making your own wrappers are pick up the ready made variety at the grocery store.
They’re fun to make, and make a delicious starter or side dish when added to a serving platter with some green leaves for decoration, and your favourite Chinese dips and sauces.
8. “As You Wish” vegetables
“As You Wish” vegetables are another popular choice around Chinese New Year, and though most families will have their own version of the recipe with differing ingredients, the common ingredient is soybean sprouts.
This is a great choice for serving with cashew chicken if you want to ensure that you get some more veggies on the table, and you want something a little lighter (or in addition to) more carb based sides like rice and noodles.
9. Crunchy prawn toast
Prawn toast is a side dish with origins in Hong Kong, and it’s popular as a starter or accompaniment for Western Chinese cuisine.
It’s made from bitesized triangles of bread, spread with a paste made from minced prawns, coated in sesame seeds, and deep fried until crunchy and golden brown.
Though prawn toast will rarely appear on the menu in more authentic Chinese restaurants, it’s a tasty side dish that’s always enjoyable when served alongside some dipping sauce.
For more ideas to add to the table, check out my guide to what to serve with prawn toast.
10. Prawn crackers
I always keep a packet of readymade prawn crackers in my kitchen cupboard, and they’re a super quick way to offer up an appetiser or side dish for any Asian meal that you might have on your meal plan!
Just add them to a serving bowl with your favourite dips – sweet chilli sauce is always a good idea – and you’ve got one of the easiest sides that you’ll ever make.
If you have a little more time available and fancy learning a new skill, you could try making your own prawn crackers from scratch.
11. Flakey scallion pancakes
Chinese scallion pancakes are a dim sum favourite, and they have a crispy, flaky exterior and a delicious, slightly chewy interior.
They might seem a little daunting to make at first glance, but they’re worth the effort and you can’t go too far wrong if you carefully follow the step by step process.
If you’re having friends or family over and you’re aiming for an authentic restaurant style dinner, these are just the ticket and they’re sure to impress your guests.
Be sure to also check out sides to serve with scallion pancakes for more ideas!
12. Kung Pao Brussel sprouts
To make these Kung Pao Brussel sprouts, you’ll roast your sprouts and toss them in a spicy soy and honey glaze, with green onions and peanuts for extra crunch and texture.
They’re a great alternative to Kung Pao chicken if you want to offer a vegetable based side dish for cashew chicken, and they’re sure to tempt even those who are adamant that they don’t like sprouts!
If you can’t find sprouts in your grocery store, they could be substituted for broccoli instead, and the result will be just as delicious.
The best side dishes for cashew chicken
Next time you’re cooking cashew chicken, try these sides:
- Fragrant jasmine rice
- Chinese crispy noodles
- Rainbow noodle salad
- Cooked lettuce with oyster sauce and garlic
- Veggie stuffed spring rolls,
- “As you wish” vegetables
- Prawn toast
- Flakey scallion pancakes
Which of these side dishes will you be trying?
