Cashew Chicken

I don’t cook a lot of asian fare around here but I still have a fairly well stocked asian pantry because I’m a hoarder food shopping enthusiast. Even so, I was drawn to this recipe because it looked simple and the ingredients weren’t too exotic.  I added a bunch of extra veggies and doubled the sauce because I like things saucy, especially when served over rice.

Cashew Chicken
Serves 6 / 7 ww pts+
Just the Tip / Inspired by Rasa Malaysia

What I used:

• 4 boneless & skinless chicken breasts (cut into small 1/2″ cubes)
• 2 oz unsalted cashews
• 1 green bell pepper, cored and cut into small square pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and cut into small square pieces
• 2 cups broccoli, cut into small florets
• 1 carrot, sliced thinly on the diagonal
• 1 onion, cut into small square pieces
• 1/4 cup shredded ginger root
• 4 tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp cooking oil (I used grapeseed oil), divided

For the Marinade:

• 4 tsp corn starch
• 2 tsp sherry (or you could use rice wine)
• 1 tsp water

For the sauce:

• 1/4 cup oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 4 tsp sherry (or you could use rice wine)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• salt to taste

What I did:

1. Sprinkle the baking soda over the chicken and stir to combine. Let sit for 15 minutes to tenderize the chicken.
2. Meanwhile, mix the marinade ingredients in one bowl and the sauce ingredients in another. Set aside.
3. Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Add the chicken to the bowl with the marinade, refrigerate for 20 minutes.
4. Heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil to a large saute pan or wok. Add the chicken, in batches if necessary, so that the chicken is in one even layer. Brown on all sides, until almost cooked through, 5 or so minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate.
5. Heat the remaining tbsp of cooking oil to the same pan. Add the veggies and stir fry until tender, 5-7 minutes. Add the chicken back to the pan along with the sauce. Let the sauce reduce and the chicken cook through while stirring for 5 additional minutes. Stir in the cashews and serve over white or jasmine rice.