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Spicy Cashew Chicken

3.89 from 9 votes
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Ingredients
 

  • 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, grated
  • 2 dried hot red peppers, sliced, seeds and all (or about 1 - 2 tsp red pepper flakes, to taste)
  • 1 bunch, about 10, green onions, sliced, both white parts and green parts
  • 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 1 Tbsp tamari soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar, optional
  • 1/2 cup water
  • several dashes sesame oil
  • 3/4 cup raw cashews that have been lightly toasted, see note below
  • snipped chives for garnish
  • Cooked white or brown rice

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, toss the chicken pieces with the cornstarch, making sure to get all the chicken coated.
  • Heat the oil in a wok or large saute pan over medium high heat. When the oil is nice and hot, brown the chicken on all sides. Do this in batches, so you don't crowd the chicken. The chicken needs space in the pan to brown well. Set the browned chicken aside on a plate.
  • Add the garlic, ginger, and hot pepper to the pan and stir fry for a few minutes. Add most of the scallions, (reserve a handful for garnishing later.) and the chicken back into the pan and toss to combine.
  • Add the vinegar, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, if using, and the water to the pan. Mix everything well,bring up to a simmer and cook gently for a minute or two until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and glossy. Taste it now to see if you want to adjust any seasonings.
  • Add the cashews to the sauce, and sprinkle on a few dashes of the sesame oil. Serve over hot rice garnished with the rest of the scallions, and some snipped chives. I also threw on a few more cashews.

Notes

To toast the cashews, put them in a small saute pan over medium heat and toss them until they start to brown lightly and you can smell their aroma. Watch the pan and don't let them burn.
This recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart
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Author: Sue Moran
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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