Cashew Chicken with Noodles

Early February. The factory schedule has me Tuesday-Saturday on second shift this week, with Sunday and Monday off, which is the schedule I prefer because it gives me two consecutive days at home with Mama and lets me cook on a Sunday afternoon instead of cramming it into a small evening window. Dustin had been wanting Chinese-American food since New Year’s when we had eaten at the small Chinese place on Memorial Drive after his HVAC class. He had specifically requested the cashew chicken with noodles — the Tulsa-style variant of cashew chicken that runs at almost every Chinese-American place in central Oklahoma.

The Tulsa-style cashew chicken is unique to the central-Oklahoma region. The sauce is darker and sweeter than the standard Chinese-American cashew-chicken sauce, with a roux-thickened base instead of cornstarch slurry. Mama had explained the difference to me on the phone in November when I had first told her I was developing a home version. She had said her own mother Carol had made the dish at home in the early 1980s before any of the strip-mall Chinese places had opened, which suggests the Tulsa-variant might have originated in Oklahoma home cooking and migrated into the restaurants rather than the reverse.

I made it Sunday afternoon. Cubed chicken thighs marinated in soy and cornstarch, deep-fried golden in a Dutch oven, tossed with a sauce of soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, chicken broth, sesame oil, and a roux-thickened base. Roasted unsalted cashews stirred in. Served over lo mein noodles with sliced scallions. Dustin had three plates. Mama had one. I had two.

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

Ingredients

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
8 oz egg noodles or lo mein noodles
3/4 cup roasted cashews
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 cup snap peas
3 green onions, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook the noodles. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside, tossing with a small drizzle of sesame oil to prevent sticking.
Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch until smooth. Set aside.
Season the chicken. Pat chicken pieces dry and season lightly with salt and pepper. Toss with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch for a light coating.
Cook the chicken. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook 5—6 minutes, turning once, until golden and cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Saute the vegetables. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the same pan. Add the garlic and ginger and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the bell pepper and snap peas and stir-fry 3—4 minutes until just tender-crisp.
Combine everything. Return the chicken to the pan. Pour the sauce over the top and toss to coat. Add the cooked noodles and cashews and stir everything together over medium heat for 1—2 minutes until heated through and the sauce clings to the noodles.
Finish and serve. Top with sliced green onions and serve immediately straight from the pan.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cashew Chicken with Noodles — A Tulsa-Style Sunday Dinner