Oriental Chicken with Cashew Nuts
Submitted by charmed1
Chicken with cashew nuts in a hoisin and sherry sauce with mushrooms and water chestnuts, served over ramen noodles. A quick Asian-style stir-fry with a glossy, savory-sweet sauce and crunchy cashews added at the last second.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
5 minCOOK
50 minREADY
1 hrsSherry-marinated chicken breast stir-fried with mushrooms, water chestnuts, and cashews in a hoisin-spiked sauce, all piled over ramen noodles. This is weeknight Chinese-American cooking that comes together fast once the 30-minute marinade is done.
The sherry and cornstarch marinade tenderizes the chicken and creates a silky coating that helps the sauce cling. Hoisin goes in gradually so you control the sweetness. It’s potent stuff, and too much overwhelms everything else in the wok.
Cashews go in at the very last moment, just long enough to warm through. Cooking them longer softens them, and the whole point of cashews in a stir-fry is that satisfying crunch against the tender chicken and slippery noodles.
Kitchen Tips
- Drain the chicken from the marinade before stir-frying. Excess liquid in a hot wok drops the temperature and steams the meat instead of searing it.
- Dissolve the remaining cornstarch in cold broth before adding to the sauce. Adding dry cornstarch directly creates lumps.
- Use only 2 of the 3 ramen flavor packets. Three makes the noodles too salty, especially with hoisin and soy already in the sauce.
Variations
- Add snow peas, broccoli florets, or sliced bell pepper for more vegetables and color.
- Swap cashews for roasted peanuts or walnuts.
- Use udon noodles or lo mein instead of ramen for a more authentic texture.
Ingredients
Directions
Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes.
Marinate in sherry, 1 teaspoon cornstarch and dash of soy for 30 minutes.
Heat oil in wok or large frypan.
Add chicken (drained, save marinade) and stir-fry until cooked.
Remove from pan and stir-fry mushrooms.
Add most of broth to pan, saving enough to dissolve remaining cornstarch.
Add hoisin sauce gradually, tasting to avoid making it too strong.
Add more if desired.
Add cornstarch and broth; cook and stir until done, adding water chestnuts.
Cook Ramen noodles, but use only 2 of the 3 flavor packages.
At the last moment, add cashews just to heat and serve mixture over noodles.
You can also add snow peas or other Chinese vegetables or use peanuts or walnuts.
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