Cashew Chicken

As shown, this recipe makes a nice mild chicken flavored vegetable mix over chicken rice. However, just like fried rice, this recipe is a good place to use your left over vegetables from the refrigerator or add your own innovative items such as water chestnuts, jicama, and edamame or perhaps add a little zing and season with some red pepper flakes. The marinated chicken and the chicken broth sauce are a strong foundation for vegetable items of your choice. You can even serve it over noodles or ramen like lo mein.

Instead of steaming, you can stir fry the vegetables of your choice. The intent here is to have fully cooked vegetables, still intact and in full color. To that end it performs very well and makes a nice presentation.

• 1 tablespoon chicken base
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon sugar.
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• ½ teaspoon salt
• White pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons fruit or sweet wine
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon chicken base
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

• 1 14 1/2 –ounce can chicken broth plus water to make 2 cups
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon MSG (optional)

• 4 stalks celery, sliced
• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 1 Maui onion, coarse chunks
• 1 cup mixed red and green Bell pepper chunks
• 2 green onions, sliced, for garnish

• 1 cup baby carrots 2 cups pea pods (3-ounces) de-stringed
• 2 cups mung bean sprouts
• 2 cup slice mushrooms
• 1 1/2 cup cashew nuts

1. Mix the marinade ingredients, the chicken base, sesame oil, sugar, garlic, salt, pepper and wine , in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Place in a non-reactive metal of glass bowl and add the marinade. Toss to coat evenly and thoroughly. Cover and marinate for four hours; overnight is better. At intervals, stir the mixture to keep the pieces evenly coated.

   

3. Prepare the vegetables ahead of time. Cut into mostly bite-sized pieces.
4. Add water and lots of ice to a large bowl and set aside.
5. Steam the carrots and celery together for about 15 minutes or until fork render. Pour the vegetables in to the ice water. Repeat for the other vegetables, except the broccoli, steam for about 8 minutes or until fork tender. Pour into the ice water.

   

6. Steam the broccoli, about 10 minutes, or until tender. Pour into the ice water. Leave the vegetables in the ice water until you start stir frying the chicken.
7. To ½ cup of the chicken broth, add the chicken base, honey, soy sauce, vinegar and sesame oil. Stir to mix well. Add the MSG and ginger to the cornstarch. Just before stir frying the chicken, mix the cornstarch mixture and the broth mixture together and make a smooth slurry. Set aside.
8. While the chicken is cooking, carefully pour the iced vegetables into a strainer and allow to drain thoroughly while you finish cooking the chicken.
9. Heat the wok. Add two tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add the chicken and any marinade to the wok and stir fry until the chicken is cooked through, about five minutes

   

10. When the chicken is cooked through, add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the chicken for a 3 or 4 minutes.
11. Add the cornstarch slurry to the chicken. Stir and cook until the broth starts to thicken.
12. Add the vegetables and cashew nuts, fold to combine the sauce and the vegetable mixture. Remove from heat

    

13. Serve with desired side dishes. Here it is serve family style, over rice with egg rolls on the side.
14. Make chicken flavored rice: 2 cups short grain rice, 2 14 ½-ounce cans of chicken broth plus enough water to make almost 4 cups. Add a large dollop of butter. Bring to a boil, stirring, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, still covered for 10 minutes. Remove cover, fluff with a fork. This makes a nice chicken flavored, fluffy rice.