Cashew Chicken
Published June 23, 2021
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ½pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ⅓cup cornstarch
- 2tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine
- ½cup cornstarch
- ⅓cup all-purpose flour
- ¼teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛teaspoon baking soda
- 2cups canola or peanut oil
- ½yellow onion, cut into 1-inch pieces (about ½ cup)
- 1small carrot, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
- 1celery stalk, cut into 1-inch dice
- 4ounces (drained) canned whole water chestnuts or peeled jicama, cut into ½-inch dice
- 2ounces (drained) canned whole straw mushrooms
- 1tablespoon minced rehydrated garlic (or 4 fresh garlic cloves, minced)
- ½cup granulated sugar
- ¼cup soy sauce
- 1tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1cup whole roasted cashews
- 1tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
- 1teaspoon sesame oil
- 1pinch MSG (optional), such as Aji-No-Moto brand seasoning
- Steamed rice (optional), for serving
For the Chicken and Batter
For the Breading
For the Dish
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
1622 calories; 128 grams fat; 22 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 61 grams monounsaturated fat; 38 grams polyunsaturated fat; 100 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 30 grams sugars; 22 grams protein; 1413 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, batter ingredients and 2 tablespoons water. Mix them by hand until the dry ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Step 2
In a separate medium bowl, sift together the breading ingredients.
- Step 3
Working with one piece of chicken at a time, drop each battered piece into the breading and lightly toss it to coat. (Do not press the breading onto the chicken.) Shake the excess breading off, then place the breaded chicken onto a wire rack-lined baking sheet, leaving space between each piece.
- Step 4
Heat the oil in a large wok or skillet to 325 degrees. Gently drop the chicken into the oil one piece at a time, spacing them out evenly. Let them fry, undisturbed, for 7 to 8 minutes, until the pieces are deeply golden brown, then remove them with a spider or slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined tray to drain.
- Step 5
Turn off the heat and carefully pour out oil into a heatproof container or pot to discard once it cools. Carefully scrape out any specks from the wok or pan with a paper towel held by tongs. Do not rinse the wok.
- Step 6
Heat the wok over medium-high. Add the onion, carrot, celery, water chestnuts, mushrooms and garlic. Stir-fry until the garlic and celery become aromatic, about 2 minutes.
- Step 7
Push the vegetables to one side of the wok. Add the sugar to the center of the wok and don’t stir it for several seconds, to encourage it to caramelize a little. Then add the soy sauce and oyster sauce, and stir until the sugar has dissolved into the liquids. Toss the vegetables into the sauce. Let the sauce come up to a full boil and stir occasionally for 2 minutes, allowing it to slightly reduce and thicken.
- Step 8
Stir in the fried chicken and cashews. Give the cornstarch-slurry a stir and add it to the sauce, stirring as it thickens. Remove from heat.
- Step 9
Stir in the sesame oil and MSG (if using), and transfer to a serving platter. Serve with rice, if desired.
Private Notes
Comments
I love NY Time Cooking recipes. Having said that, the time estimates are often ludicrously too short. I may be a slow chef, but there's NO way you do all the prep required for even the "for the dish" ingredients in 30 minutes. Please, more realistic estimates on how long it takes!
I use Trader Joe’s chili lime cashews for a little heat- yummy!
Lovely recipe, and thanks for the shout-out to Springfield-style Cashew Chicken courtesy of David Leong. I’ve been eating it for 50 years.
I was so excited to make this but hesitated when I saw the amount of sugar called for. I decided to trust the process (kind of), and very much regret it. I doubled the recipe but used slightly less than half a cup of sugar for the whole, and it was appallingly sweet. I will make it again, but with maybe a tablespoon or two of sugar.
Didn't see the point in doing this as a batter. If you're still working (Retired here), skip the messy batter and toss the chicken with Shaoxing and then in a bag of salted corn starch. The chicken came out very good and was nicely crisped. Sauce was not bad. Found some snow peas and had a nice red pepper that I used. It was a pretty dish.
Could use a little more flair. More rice wine, spice, etc, just customize girl.
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