Cashew chicken stir-fry
Tender chicken, crunchy toasted cashews and crisp vegetables in a glossy garlic sauce, the takeout classic made even better at home.
- 40 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $3.30 a serving
- 710 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1½ cups jasmine rice
- 3 tbsp gluten-free tamari
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1½ lb chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 stalks celery
- 4 cloves garlic
- 4 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ¾ cup cashews, unsalted
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
From your pantry
- 2½ cups water, divided
- ¾ tsp salt, divided
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 4 tsp cornstarch, divided
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
Each serving has about 710 calories, 50 g protein, 75 g carbs and 23 g fat, and costs about $3.30 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No jasmine rice? Long-grain white rice or basmati rice works.
- No gluten-free tamari? Soy sauce works.
- No honey? Maple syrup works.
- No chicken breasts? Boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins work.
- No red bell peppers? Yellow bell peppers work.
- No green onions? Chives work.
- No cashews? Peanuts or almonds work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the rice, put it in a with 2¼ cups of the water and ½ tsp of the salt, and over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Cover, turn the heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid, then turn off the heat and leave it covered.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
the tamari, honey, rice vinegar, the last ¼ cup of water and 1 tsp of the cornstarch together in a small bowl.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
the chicken with the rest of the cornstarch and salt until lightly coated.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Dolly’s tip: The thin cornstarch coat helps the chicken brown and makes the sauce cling.Cut the bell pepper and celery into bite-size pieces, the garlic, and line everything up by the stove.
Mince. Mincing means chopping something into the tiniest pieces you can, smaller than a grain of rice. Tiny pieces melt into the dish, so you get the flavor without biting into a chunk of garlic.
How you’ll know: Every piece is tiny and about the same size, and the pile starts to look almost like a paste.
Dolly’s tip: Stir-frying is fast. Once the pan is hot there’s no time to chop, so have it all ready now.Toast the cashews in a large dry over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pan, until , then tip them into a bowl.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium heatTimer: 3 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Nuts go from golden to burnt in seconds. Stay right there.Add 1 tbsp of the oil and the chicken, turn the heat to medium-high, and cook 3 minutes without moving it, then 3 to 4 minutes more, until cooked through, and move it to a plate.
Stir-fry. Stir-frying means cooking small pieces fast over high heat in a little oil, stirring almost constantly. It moves quickly, so have everything chopped and ready before the pan gets hot.
How you’ll know: It sizzles loudly the whole time, and the vegetables turn bright and tender-crisp in minutes.
Medium-high heatTimer: 7 min
Food safety: Chicken is done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
Add the rest of the oil, the pepper, celery and green onions and for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds.
Stir-fry. Stir-frying means cooking small pieces fast over high heat in a little oil, stirring almost constantly. It moves quickly, so have everything chopped and ready before the pan gets hot.
How you’ll know: It sizzles loudly the whole time, and the vegetables turn bright and tender-crisp in minutes.
High heatTimer: 2 min 30 sec
Return the chicken, the sauce and pour it in, and for 1 minute, until glossy, then stir in the cashews.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Medium-high heatTimer: 1 min
Dolly’s tip: Cornstarch sinks to the bottom, so stir the sauce right before it goes in.Fluff the rice with a fork and serve the cashew chicken over it.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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