Cashew Chicken with Rainbow Vegetables

Cashews are delicious and I believe they are not used frequently enough in cooking, so I bring you my cashew chicken with rainbow vegetables. This is a delicious take on the Chinese takeout that perhaps you have had a few times, but this is better than takeout. Not only is it simple and quick to make, but it’s healthy with the added veggies and it’s not greasy like the mall takeout you might be familiar with.

While all of the components of this recipe are delicious, the stir fry sauce really brings it all together. This stir fry sauce recipe is actually my dad’s recipe. As the cook of the household, he would generally make stuff he was familiar with like the Syrian food he grew up with, the staple meat and potatoes, or his classic spaghetti sauce. However, every once and while, he would oil up his wok and make delicious stir fry not completely different from the recipe below.

So, as an added bonus, this stir fry sauce is versatile and it doesn’t only need to be used in conjunction with my cashew chicken with rainbow vegetables. You can use it for so much more including stir fried tofu, noodles, beef, pork, or even fried rice. So get creative with it and whip some Asian inspired delicacies, including this cashew chicken with rainbow vegetables.

Serves 4 – 6

Tools:

A wok would be ideal, but if you don’t have one, use a frying pan or skillet with high sides.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breast, cut into cubes

1 cup of purple cabbage, shredded

2 carrots, diced

1 red pepper diced

1/2 onion, diced

1 cup broccoli, parboiled for about 5 minutes. You can do this in your wok while you prep everything else.

1/2 cup cashews

2 cups of steamed rice

2 scallions, diced

For the Sauce:

1 thumb of ginger, minced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 Thai red chili pepper, minced

1/2 orange, juiced or a 1/4 cup of orange juice

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons of oyster sauce

dash of sesame oil

1 teaspoon of white pepper

1/4 cup of warm water

1/4 cup of cornstarch

Instructions:

1. In a large wok over high heat, pre-heat some cooking oil and begin cooking the chicken. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally or until it is mostly cooked.
2. Add in the purple cabbage and do not be alarmed if you your chicken takes on a purplish hue. Cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Add in the onion, red pepper, and carrots, cooking for another 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make your sauce by combining all ingredients except for the water and cornstarch.
5. Once your sauce is combined, make a cornstarch slurry by combining the warm water and cornstarch and mixing it together.
6. Back to the stir fry, add in the parboiled broccoli and cashews along with the sauce. Stir to combine.
7. Make a well in the middle of your stir fry and pour in the cornstarch slurry. Stir to combine.
8. The sauce should begin to thicken within a minute or two. Once that happens, remove from the heat and serve over white rice and top with some scallions.

If you like this then your going to love my deconstructed chicken stir fry! Or if you are looking for a shrimp stir fry recipe, look no further than my shrimp and pineapple fried rice.