Chinese: Cashew Chicken 1
Submitted by JETTLUVR86
Chinese cashew chicken stir-fry with snow peas, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and toasted cashews in a soy-cornstarch sauce. A classic takeout favorite made from scratch at home.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
30 minREADY
60 minA properly built cashew chicken that tastes better than takeout. Thin-sliced chicken breast stir-fried until opaque, tossed with snow peas, sliced mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and scallions in a glossy soy sauce thickened with cornstarch. Toasted cashews go in at the very end so they stay crunchy.
The prep work matters more than the cooking. Slice the chicken horizontally into very thin pieces, then cut into inch squares. Prep every vegetable before the pan heats up. Once you start cooking, everything moves fast and there’s no time to chop.
Toasting the cashews first in a tablespoon of oil for just one minute deepens their flavor and gives them a golden color. Remove them immediately and add back at the end. Cashews left in the sauce absorb liquid and go soft.
The sauce is mixed separately: soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, and salt whisked together. It goes in after the vegetables have cooked, and it thickens on contact with the hot pan into that familiar glossy coating. Stir constantly or it clumps.
Chef Tips
- Slice the chicken thin so it cooks in seconds. Thick pieces need too long and the vegetables overcook waiting.
- Cook the snow peas and mushrooms covered for just 2 minutes. They should be bright and crisp-tender, not wilted.
- Green onions and bamboo shoots go in last since they need almost no cooking.
- Serve immediately over steamed white rice.
Variations
- Kung pao style: Add dried red chiles and Szechuan peppercorns to the oil before the chicken for a spicier version.
- Almond chicken: Swap cashews for toasted slivered almonds for a slightly different nutty crunch.
- Shrimp cashew: Replace chicken with peeled shrimp, reducing the stir-fry time to 2 minutes.
Ingredients
Directions
** Or bouillon cube dissolved in water Slice breasts horizontally into very thin slices and cut into inch squares. Place on tray. Prepare vegetables, removing ends and strings from pea pods, slicing mushrooms, green part of onions, and the bamboo shoots. Add to tray. Mix soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in skillet over moderate heat, add all the nuts, and cook 1 minute, shaking the pan, toasting the nuts lightly. Remove and reserve. Pour remaining oil in pan, fry chicken quickly, turning often until it looks opaque. Lower heat to low. Add pea pods, mushrooms, and broth. Cover and cook slowly for 2 minutes. Remove cover, add soy sauce mixture, bamboo shoots, and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Simmer uncovered a bit more and add green onions and nuts and serve immediately.
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