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7 things to know in a Cashew Chicken Recipe

Filed Under: Proteins Tagged With: , , , 4 Comments

We eat at our house, a lot. I used to be really good at documenting it. But lately I have been a little lax on blogging. Since I promised I was going to blog about food this month, I better get on it. Tonight we had Cashew Chicken for supper over white rice.

There are a 7 things you need to know about this meal. 
1. I didn’t grow it or raise it. 
2. The chicken came from Minnesota. I read the label.
3. The rice was Minute Rice. I am going to pretend or guess it came from Arkansas.

4. Cashews? I don’t think they are grown in America. I most often cook with California grown walnuts or almonds. I know walnut and almond farmers. But not any cashew farmers. Regardless of where they were grown, cashews are good, especially in this recipe.
5. The onion came from my grocery store. California maybe? Washington? I am not sure but I support my one and only small town grocery store and what they supply. Most of the seasonings too came from there. Otherwise I purchased them from Penzey’s and they showed up at my house in box. 
6. This meal was not labeled for GMO’s but even if it was I still would have eaten it. Because you know what? I trust where my food comes from. And I trust American food to be the safest in the world. Above all, I trust farmers are raising food I can feed my family.
7. That’s right. It is most important to me that Cashew Chicken fed my family tonight with my son saying “this is one of my favorite meals”. 
1 billion people are going to bed hungry tonight. That is 1 in 7 people. Can you even wrap your head around that number? I cannot. 
It might be your neighbors that our hungry. Or it might be millions of people living on the other side of the world from you. 
But Cashew Chicken seems extravagant to them. They would take the loaf of bread on your counter.
So tonight, I sit in my heated home, feeling behind on my blogging, trying to get a some laundry done after reading bedtime stories to my children, laughing with my son as he does his Algebra homework, while my husband is outside working, and I am feeling completely content and fed. 
Do me a favor? When you make this Cashew Chicken recipe, be thankful. For our food freedom. For our food choices. For the assurance that your family is fed.
This is from my Williams Sonoma Asian cookbook. I was out of green onions tonight and used regular onion. I serve it with steamed veggies. And when trying to feed little people, grapes or some type of fruit on the side. I have a 3 year old who snarls at anything green. 

Ingredients:

  • 3 Tbs. soy sauce
  • 1 Tbs. rice wine or dry sherry
  • 2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
  • 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into
      bite-size pieces
  • 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp. Asian sesame oil
  • 1/2 tsp. sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. cornstarch
  • 3 Tbs. corn or peanut oil
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 1 cup salted roasted cashews
  • Steamed rice for serving

Directions:

Marinate the chicken
In a large bowl, stir together 2 Tbs. of the soy sauce, the wine and ginger. Stir in the chicken to coat evenly and set aside for 15 minutes.

Make the sauce
In a small bowl, combine 2 Tbs. water, the remaining 1 Tbs. soy sauce, the Worcestershire sauce, sesame oil, sugar and cornstarch, and stir to dissolve the sugar and cornstarch.

Stir-fry the chicken
Heat a wok or large fry pan over high heat until very hot and add 2 Tbs. of the corn oil. Remove the chicken from the marinade, draining it well, and discard the marinade. Add the chicken to the wok and stir-fry until opaque, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a bowl.

Return the wok to medium heat and add the remaining 1 Tbs. corn oil. Add the green onions and stir-fry until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Return the chicken to the wok and add the cashews. Give the sauce a quick stir, add to the pan and stir until the sauce thickens slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately with the steamed rice. Serves 4.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, Asian, by Farina Wong Kingsley 

Learn today also about how to grill a perfect steak from my friend Leah and how much hormones are in your cut of meat from my friend Holly. 

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Comments

  2. J.Rhoades says

    I’ve pinned this to try later – it looks delicious! Your statement about being thankful for the food we have is so true. People are blessed to be able to complain and be picky about their food and choose organic, natural, and non-GMO. So many people would be thankful for any food at all!

    Reply

  4. sally says

    So I should buy two cups of cashews…one cup for me, and one cup for the recipe.
    Looks great – definitely going to try this soon. Thanks for posting it!

    Reply

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