Cashew Chicken

About 60 hours later, I only have a few more kinks to work out. I think. If you use an RSS reader like Google Reader to view my blog, you probably noticed the photos in my last post were ginormous. Whoops. I never claimed to know much about computers. Bear with me!

This recipe was recommended by a friend a few weeks ago, and pushed into the back of my mind. The other night I was craving Chinese food, which rarely happens, but of course WOULD happen when we live 30 minutes from the nearest take-out. But then I remembered this recipe, and it saved the day!

The recipe calls for hoisin sauce, which I couldn’t find here. After a quick Google search, I made my own using: 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 1/2 tbsp honey, 1 tsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp sesame oil and a shake each of garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne and black pepper. Worked like a charm and made just enough for this recipe!

Cashew Chicken

(adapted from Martha Stewart)

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 tbsp cornstarch
salt & pepper
2 tbsp canola oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch scallions, white and green parts separated, each cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
3/4 cup toasted cashews
Cooked rice, for serving

In a medium bowl, toss chicken with cornstarch until chicken is coated, and season with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Cook half the chicken, tossing often, until browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add remaining oil and chicken to skillet along with the garlic and white parts of scallions.

Cook, tossing often, until chicken is browned, about 3 minutes. Return first batch of chicken to pan. Add vinegar; cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds.

Add hoisin sauce and 1/4 cup water; cook, tossing, until chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in scallion greens and cashews.