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.