Cashew Chicken

• servings: 4 servings
• total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

¾ cup roasted, unsalted cashews

¼ cup water

2 teaspoons cornstarch

4 tablespoons hoisin sauce, best quality such as Kikkoman or Lee Kum Kee

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins, cut into 1½-inch pieces

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

6 medium garlic cloves, minced

8 scallions (1 bunch), white and green parts separated, each cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

¼ teaspoon Asian sesame oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Place the cashews on a baking sheet in a single layer. Toast in the oven until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Set aside; they will crisp up as they cool.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: in a small bowl, whisk together the water, cornstarch, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce. Set aside.

Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil over high heat until very hot. Add half of the chicken to the skillet and stir-fry until lightly browned but not cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add the remaining tablespoon vegetable oil to the skillet; then add the remaining chicken, garlic and white parts of the scallions. Stir-fry until the chicken is lightly browned but not cooked through, about 3 minutes. Return the first batch of chicken to the pan. Turn the heat down to medium and add the rice vinegar; cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds.

Add the sauce mixture to the chicken; cook, tossing, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is nicely thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Stir in the scallion greens, cashews and sesame oil. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: about 1 1/4 cups each
• Calories: 464
• Total Fat: 24 g
• Saturated Fat: 4 g
• Cholesterol: 125 mg
• Sodium: 855 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 19 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2 g
• Total Sugars: 7 g
• Protein: 45 g