Cashew Chicken

Thirty-five weeks. Mama leaves Friday morning to fly home to Sapulpa. The apartment freezer has thirty-eight postpartum meals stocked across three shelves and the lower drawer, organized by category and labeled in Mama’s block letters. Dustin and I are now five weeks from the due date. The OB has cleared me to continue normal activity but recommends light walking only and no strenuous exertion. The hospital go-bag is packed and sitting by the front door.

Sunday I made cashew chicken because Cody had FaceTimed Saturday asking for the cashew-chicken recipe to add to the cafe’s Sunday-special rotation. The cafe is opening in exactly one week — March seventh, the soft-launch — and Cody has been finalizing the rotating Sunday-special menu. He’d been thinking about the cashew chicken I’d made for him in February of last year and wanted me to refine the recipe for cafe scale.

I refined the version Sunday: less brown sugar (down from three tablespoons to two; the original had read slightly too sweet), more rice vinegar (up from a teaspoon to two tablespoons; the additional acid balances the sweetness better and brightens the sauce), and a teaspoon of fish sauce stirred in for umami depth (the same Pong-influenced fish-sauce trick I’d been using on Asian-leaning dishes since 2019).

The technique: a pound of boneless skinless chicken thighs cubed, marinated thirty minutes in two tablespoons of soy sauce, a tablespoon of cornstarch, and a teaspoon of sesame oil. Stir-fried in a hot wok for four minutes until golden. Out to a plate.

The sauce, whisked in advance: a half-cup of low-sodium soy sauce, three tablespoons of oyster sauce, two tablespoons of brown sugar, two tablespoons of rice vinegar, a teaspoon of fish sauce, a cup and a half of low-sodium chicken broth, a teaspoon of sesame oil, two tablespoons of cornstarch slurry. Poured into the hot wok, brought to a simmer, thickened in two minutes. Four cloves of garlic minced added with the sauce.

The chicken returned. A cup of roasted unsalted cashews stirred in. Off the heat. Served over jasmine rice with sliced scallions.

I FaceTimed Cody Sunday night with the photo of the plated dish. He approved the refinements and added the recipe to the cafe’s Sunday-special file. The cafe opens Monday a week from now.

Less brown sugar, more rice vinegar, fish sauce for depth. The refinements that landed. Here’s the build.

Cashew Chicken

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup roasted unsalted cashews
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 3 green onions, sliced (whites and greens separated)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Cooked white rice, for serving

Instructions

1. Marinate the chicken. In a bowl, toss the chicken pieces with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, and black pepper. Let sit for 10 minutes while you prep the remaining ingredients.
2. Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, chicken broth, and remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Set aside.
3. Cook the chicken. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 3 minutes, then stir and cook another 2–3 minutes until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
4. Cook the vegetables. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add the bell pepper and the white parts of the green onions. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook 30 seconds more, stirring constantly.
5. Combine and sauce. Return the chicken to the pan. Give the sauce a stir and pour it in. Toss everything together and cook for 1–2 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken.
6. Finish and serve. Remove from heat. Stir in the cashews and the green tops of the green onions. Serve immediately over white rice.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 390 | Protein: 30g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 17g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 710mg