The Nutrition of Cashew Chicken

Cashew chicken is a common dish at Chinese restaurants. Essentially, it is stir-fry chicken with broccoli and cashew nuts. Some recipes include green beans and scallions. The meal is healthier than choosing some of the fried or breaded dishes, but it still has high amounts of calories. If you are trying to lose weight, cashew chicken may take up a lot of the calories you are allowed to eat for the day.

Total Calories

• The total approximate calories in the a cashew chicken meal is 373 calories. For a full meal, this is considered low-calorie at a Chinese restaurant. These calories are based on one meal that consists of 10 oz. of chicken and cashews. Many of the fat calories are from the cashews. Nuts are a good source of protein, but they also are high in fat.

Sodium

• Cashew chicken contains a high amount of sodium. A 10 ounce meal of cashew chicken contains almost 2,000 g of sodium. Sodium increases the chance of heart disease and hypertension.

Protein

• Chicken and the cashews in the meal provide you with protein. You get about 29 g of protein in a 10-oz. serving of cashew chicken.

Carbohydrates

• A 10-oz. portion of cashew chicken contains approximately 24g of carbohydrates. If you are on a low-carb diet, check with your doctor to ensure that this amount follows your allowable daily diet portion.