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Cashew Chicken Improved

 
1.9k

Many versions of Cashew Chicken are sickly sweet and goopy salty with dried out chicken. Not this one, a brine marinade keeps the cubes of chicken juicy with crunchy cashews in every bite! All prepared in one skillet for easy cleanup.

Yield

4

servings

Prep

10

min

Cook

10

min

Ready

60

min

 

Ingredients

Marinade
½ cup mirin (sweet seasoning)
*
5 tablespoons soy sauce, sodium reduced
1 cup chicken broth
low-salt or sodium reduced is important
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons sesame oil
Main ingredients
1 pound chicken breast halves, boneless, skinless
about 3 breasts, patted dry and cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch cubes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
or peanut oil
5 cloves garlic
minced
1 tablespoon ginger
minced
8 ounces snow pea pods
strings removed
8 ounces water chestnuts
whole canned, drained and sliced
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
*
1 cup cashew nuts
toasted
*

Directions

The ingredients for the marinade
Prepare the ingredients for the stir-fry

In a bowl, add the mirin, soy sauce, chicken stock worcestershire sauce, cornstarch and sesame oil and mix thoroughly.

Add the cubed chicken, stir to coat, cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for ½ hour to two hours maximum. This marinade acts as a brine to keep the chicken moist when stir-frying later.

Toast the cashews in a toaster oven set to 350℉ (180℃) F for 5 minutes.

Toast the cashews to intensify the flavor

Rinse the snow peas and make sure to remove the strings from the snow peas and cut in half diagonally.

Remove the strings from the snow peas
Strings are removed from the snow peas

Peel and mince the garlic and ginger. Drain and slice the water chestnuts.

Remove the chicken from the marinade. Keep the marinade it will be used to make the sauce.

Make sure to dry the chicken well using paper towels, this will help ensure a nice browning.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat to almost smoking.

Add the chicken and stir-fry for 4 or 5 minutes. Remove to the plate, tenting with foil.

Remove the chicken and set aside

If you have a lot of chicken or are doubling the recipe cook the chicken in smaller batches.

Add the snow peas (add more oil if needed) and stir-fry for one minute.

Add the garlic, ginger and cayenne pepper and cooking stirring constantly for 20 seconds until fragrant.

Add the water chestnuts and stir-fry for one minute.

Add the reserved marinade, cook stirring constantly for 2 or 3 minutes.

Add the water chestnuts and leftover marinade

Add the chicken along with any accumulated juices and heat through, one or two minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in the cashews.

Cashew Chicken Improved - the finished dish

Serve over rice (if desired).

 

* not incl. in nutrient facts

Add review

 

 

Comments

Cager38

Even though I have to buy a couple of these ingredients I think it will be worth it if it's as good as the comment above; plus it sounds wonderful. I am a new convert to Asian food so I go slowly eating new ones.

almost 11 years ago

Canada

I was wondering the same thing about using the marinade ???

Ina Patience
London Ont

over 10 years ago

sean

The marinade is cooked into the sauce. Don't see what possible "health danger" there would be from a cooked marinade. As long as the marinade reaches 165 F there's no issue. The 2 to 3 minutes of cooking in a smoking hot pan has the marinade bubbling away in seconds at ~ 212 degrees F.

almost 10 years ago

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 301g (10.6 oz)
Amount per Serving
Calories 47329% of calories from fat
 % Daily Value *
Total Fat 15g 23%
Saturated Fat 3g 14%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 98mg 33%
Sodium 1008mg 42%
Total Carbohydrate 14g 14%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Sugars g
Protein 83g
Vitamin A 6% Vitamin C 56%
Calcium 7% Iron 20%
* based on a 2,000 calorie diet How is this calculated?

 

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