Cashew Chicken

My bff introduced me to cashew chicken a few weeks ago. I was over for a playdate, and she had some leftover cashew chicken that she made the night before that she shared with me. I've made this recipe twice now (found it by doing a Google search), and it's pretty good. Except I subbed celery, onion, and carrots for the scallions because Lan's cashew chicken had celery, onion, and carrots in it. I love that the recipe is dairy-free, and now I'm slightly addicted to eating cashews raw.


Servings: 4
Total Time: 30 Minutes
 
Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup roasted, unsalted cashews
  • 1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 6 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • 8 scallions (1 bunch), white and green parts separated, each cut into 1-inch pieces*
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 4 tablespoons hoisin sauce, best quality such as Kikkoman or Lee Kum Kee
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Place the cashews on a baking sheet in a single layer. Toast in the oven until fragrant, about 5 minutes. (They will crisp up as they cool.)
  3. Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.
  4. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil over high heat until very hot. Add half of the chicken to the skillet and stir-fry (stir as you cook) until lightly browned but not cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
  5. Add the remaining tablespoon vegetable oil to the skillet; then add remaining chicken, garlic and white parts of the scallions. Stir-fry until the chicken is lightly browned but not cooked through, about 3 minutes. Return the first batch of chicken to the pan. Turn the heat down to medium and add the rice vinegar; cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds.
  6. Add the hoisin sauce, soy sauce and water; cook, tossing, until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Stir in the scallion greens, cashews and sesame oil. Serve immediately.

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