Cashew Chicken
Cashew chicken is a popular stir-fry in Chinese cuisine that originated in the Zhejiang Province of China. It is often served with white rice or noodles and is enjoyed for its combination of crunchy cashews, tender chicken, and flavorful sauce. Chinese name: 腰果鸡丁 (yao guo ji ding).
⏱️ Prep: 20 min🍳 Cook: 10 min
Ingredients
| 400 g | Boneless chicken breast |
| 1.4 g | Salt (for marinade) |
| 1.2 g | Baking soda |
| 5 g | Cornstarch (for marinade) |
| 5.5 g | Dark soy sauce (for marinade) |
| 7 g | Chinese cooking wine |
| 0.6 g | Ground white pepper |
| 16.6 g | Soy sauce (for sauce) |
| 18 g | Oyster sauce |
| 10.5 g | Hoisin sauce |
| 8.3 g | Dark soy sauce (for sauce) |
| 1 g | Five-spice powder |
| 45 g | Water (for sauce) |
| 3.8 g | Cornstarch (for sauce) |
| 41 g | Cooking oil |
| 30 g (about 10 cloves) | Garlic |
| 8 g (about 1/2 inch) | Ginger |
| 45 g (about 3) | Scallions |
| 70 g | Red bell pepper |
| 70 g | Green bell pepper |
| 70 g | Carrot |
| 75 g | Cashews |
| 30-45 g | Water, as needed (for stir-fry) |
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breast into 2/3-inch (1.7cm) thick strips, and then dice into 2/3-inch (1.7cm) cubes. In a mixing bowl, combine the chicken, salt, baking soda, cornstarch, dark soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, and ground white pepper and stir well. Set it aside for 15 minutes.
- Combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, dark soy sauce, five-spice powder, water, and cornstarch in a bowl and stir until there are no lumps. Set it aside.
- Peel 10 cloves of garlic and cut them into halves. Slice the ginger thinly. Dice the scallions and separate the white and green parts.
- Cut the red and green bell pepper into small diamond shapes. Cut the carrot into bite-size pieces. (Souped Up Swap: The different colors of vegetables make this dish pretty in presentation. However, feel free to switch them with whatever you have in your kitchen.)
- Add oil and the cashews to the wok and stir over medium heat for 1 minute or until the nuts are slightly golden. Remove the cashews from the wok, leaving the oil behind. (Souped Up Swap: The cashews can be replaced with walnuts, pecans, or peanuts.)
- Turn the heat to high and add the marinated chicken to the wok. Stir for 3 minutes or until the chicken is nicely charred. Remove the chicken from the wok but leave the oil behind.
- Switch the heat to medium, and then add the garlic, ginger, the diced white parts of the scallions, and the carrot to the same wok and stir until fragrant.
- Add a tablespoon of water and cover the vegetables with a lid; wait for 2 minutes to allow the steam to cook the carrot through.
- Add the red and green bell pepper and pour in the sauce. Introduce the chicken back to the wok and stir well. If the wok looks dry, you can add another tablespoon of water to help to mix everything.
- Before serving, add the nuts and diced green parts of the scallions and toss thoroughly. Serve with white rice or noodles.