Cashew Chicken is one of my easy recipes that the kids can make. It is so very necessary to have those go-to easy, healthy meals that my kids can make on a busy day.
Yes, you read that right.
A recipe my kids can make.
One of our family’s traditions is to order tons of Chinese food on New Year’s Eve. We liked Chicken Cashew so much that we just had to find a way to create it at home.
And bonus! Making it at home is healthier and less expensive. Win win!
Chicken Cashew
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless, large chicken breasts
- 1 cup lightly salted cashew halves
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 TB sesame oil
- 5 TB hoisin sauce
- 2 TB rice vinegar
- 1 cup water or chicken broth
- 2 TB cornstarch
- 2-3 green onions (scallions)
- cooked white rice
Instructions
- For five people, bring 1 1/2 cups of rice in 3 cups of water to a boil. Once it boils, cover and turn off burner. Make sure it doesn't boil over.
- Heat sesame oil in skillet pan on low heat. (Sometimes I find that sesame oil can burn so I will add a little olive oil to the pan as well.) Add cashews and garlic to pan. You'll see the oil turn a bit cloudy as you bring out the nut oils. Don't burn the garlic as it can turn bitter. After a few minutes, remove the cashews and garlic from the pan. Put aside.
- With your skillet pan full of delicious flavors, add the cut up chicken. You may have to add a bit more oil. Cook the chicken thoroughly.
- Mix water and cornstarch together in a separate bowl. Add mixture to chicken in skillet.
- Add hoisin sauce and rice vinegar to chicken. Add cashews. Sauce will thicken.
- Chop the green onions.
- Serve rice with chicken mixture on top. Sprinkle green onions on top. Serve with chopsticks and fortune cookies!
If you like some “kick” to your meals and your kids can handle it, a 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes really take this recipe to a whole new level.
However, if you want some “kick” but not still not too hot, I would suggest adding about 1 teaspoon of red curry sauce.
This recipe is also very adaptable to your unique family tastes (my polite way to say “picky eaters”) and to what you have in the pantry.
There are SO MANY things you can add to this basic recipe to make it unique to you.
Here are a few things you can add: broccoli, red peppers, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, baby corn, tofu, etc. You get the idea! Make it your own.
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