Straightforward Cashew Hen | Cookies and Cups

This amazingly straightforward (and simply plain superb) Cashew Hen is a favourite weeknight dinner! Made out of juicy rooster stir-fried with tender veggies in a tangy, savory Asian-inspired sauce. This 25-minute home made recipe is 1,000,000 occasions higher than takeout.

In the event you love fast take out at dwelling impressed dinners, ensure that to strive my Beef and Broccoli recipe!

Higher-Than-Takeout Cashew Hen Recipe

We’re no strangers to takeout on this household. I’m a sucker for the comfort of a scorching and prepared meal from our favourite native take out spot, however I additionally know there’s nothing higher than home made! For the times when a craving strikes, this straightforward cashew rooster recipe has all of the acquainted Asian-style flavors that I like, made proper at dwelling (within the time it could take to have it delivered, too!). Like my Orange Chicken, this can be a restaurant-quality rooster dinner that anybody could make with a number of primary components and a skillet.

The spicy and tangy cashew rooster sauce is simply next-level scrumptious, and you may make this recipe as delicate or as scorching as your loved ones prefers. In the event you’re on the go all week lengthy, my cashew rooster is your new finest buddy. That is the kind of dinner you want in your life, belief me.

What Is Cashew Hen?

Cashew Hen is at all times my go-to order once we seize Chinese language take-out. It’s a preferred dish constructed from rooster and greens, stir-fried with cashew nuts in a mixture of hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil. The flavors are savory, slightly tangy, and a bit spicy (relying on how a lot chili is concerned). 

Enjoyable reality: You’ll discover totally different variations, together with Chinese language-style, like this one, and Thai cashew rooster, however cashew rooster was really invented in Missouri! It’s extra of an American dish that’s Chinese language-inspired, created at a restaurant known as Leong’s Tea Home.

What You’ll Want

There are two components to this cashew rooster recipe: the flavorful stir-fry sauce, plus the rooster and different add-ins. Beneath is an outline of the assorted components you’ll want for each. Bear in mind to consult with the recipe card for the complete ingredient quantities!

For the Sauce

• Hoisin Sauce and Soy Sauce: Each of those conventional Asian condiments pack in a great deal of umami taste. Like soy sauce, hoisin sauce is constructed from soybeans, with further spices, garlic, and chilies. It’s principally delicate, so that you’ll discover I spice it up with chili sauce afterward. You’ll discover hoisin sauce within the condiment aisle of most main supermarkets.
• Hen Broth: I like to recommend utilizing low-sodium rooster broth since components like soy sauce already comprise excessive quantities of sodium. You don’t need your sauce to return out overly salty.
• Honey: For a touch of pure sweetness. In the event you don’t have honey readily available, brown sugar can be utilized as a substitute.
• Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar is the most effective for seasoning and flavoring Asian-style recipes. In the event you don’t have it, apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar are good substitutes. 
• Sesame Oil: You’ll wish to get your palms on some. Sesame oil has a particular taste that basically can’t be substituted in Chinese language-style cooking!
• Ginger: I extremely advocate utilizing freshly grated ginger on this cashew rooster stir fry sauce. It’s straightforward to grate utilizing a zester, and also you’ll discover contemporary ginger root in most grocery shops or markets. Floor ginger works in a pinch, however the taste simply doesn’t evaluate!
• Cornstarch: To thicken the sauce.
• Sriracha and Crushed Pink Pepper: To beef up the spiciness of the sauce. I take advantage of sriracha for its barely candy chili taste. One other related chili sauce may also work. In the event you’d favor a extra delicate sauce, be at liberty to adapt the quantity of chili or depart it out altogether.

For the Hen

• Hen: I take advantage of boneless skinless rooster breasts, minimize into skinny strips. Some folks favor to make use of boneless rooster thighs, which is completely fantastic additionally! You’ll additionally want canola oil or vegetable oil for sautéing the rooster.
• Greens: I take advantage of a mixture of snow peas, thinly-sliced carrots (julienne-style is finest), and crispy water chestnuts in my cashew nut rooster, together with garlic for aromatics. You’ll be able to undoubtedly adapt this recipe with any greens you’d like. See afterward for straightforward variation concepts.
• Cashews: Everybody thinks the rooster is the star of the present right here, however actually, it’s the cashew nuts! Cashews develop into wealthy and nutty as they prepare dinner, lending a great deal of taste to the stir fry. Remember to use unsalted cashews so that you simply don’t wind up with a dish that’s too salty.
• Jasmine Rice: I serve my cashew rooster over a mattress of fluffy jasmine rice. In fact, you possibly can serve your stir fry nevertheless you’d like! Take a look at the part under for extra tasty serving ideas and aspect dish concepts.

Learn how to Make Cashew Hen

Don’t be stunned if this cashew rooster is probably the most ridiculously straightforward dish you’ll make this week! When you whisk up your stir-fry sauce, simply 20 minutes is all that you must sauté the components in a skillet. 

• Put together the Sauce: This half is tremendous straightforward. Merely whisk collectively all of the sauce components in a bowl, and set this apart for now.
• Brown the Hen: If in case you have a wok, now’s the chance to make use of it! In any other case, warmth a little bit of oil in a non-stick skillet on the stovetop. Give your rooster strips a sprinkle with salt and pepper, after which toss these into the skillet to sear on either side. I like to recommend working in batches, in order to not overcrowd the rooster items. Over medium-high warmth, the rooster ought to brown fairly rapidly.

• Prepare dinner the Veggies: Switch the seared rooster items out of the pan and onto a plate. Subsequent, decrease the warmth and add the carrots and snow peas to the skillet to prepare dinner till they’re crisp-tender. Afterward, stir within the garlic and water chestnuts.
• Mix: Now, it’s time to carry all of it collectively. Add the cooked rooster again to the skillet, and over low warmth, pour within the stir fry sauce. Sprinkle within the cashews, after which stir every thing to coat whereas the sauce thickens and cooks. Dish up your home made cashew rooster over rice or noodles, and dig in!

Suggestions for Success

Beneath are some last recipe notes to assist your cashew rooster come out precisely to your liking:

• Adapt the warmth ranges. In the event you’re catering to milder palates, you possibly can adapt the quantity of chili on this recipe as wanted. Use roughly scorching sauce, or omit the chili altogether.
• Toast the cashews. If in case you have the time, evenly toasting the cashews in a pan with some oil brings out an much more nutty taste. You may also use pre-roasted cashews.
• Make it vegetarian. You’ll be able to simply swap out the rooster for tofu if you happen to’re making a vegetarian stir-fry. Or, simply substitute the rooster with extra veggies! See under for straightforward variation concepts.

Straightforward Recipe Variations

I like meals like cashew nut rooster as a result of I infrequently run out of how to customise the components. A stir fry is an ideal method to make use of up nearly any leftover veggies, and so on. you might have kicking round within the fridge. Listed below are some straightforward cashew rooster variations to strive:

• Totally different Protein: Why not strive cashew beef? Or tofu with cashew nuts? Hen is a traditional, however go forward and blend it up with any protein you’d like. 
• Totally different Veggies: This recipe works with nearly any vegetable. Strive it with broccoli, bell peppers, zucchini, candy corn, onions, inexperienced beans, mushrooms, cabbage, or bok choy. Remember that totally different greens could have totally different prepare dinner occasions.
• Straightforward Add-Ins: Costume up this straightforward stir-fry recipe with bean sprouts, edamame, chives, or inexperienced onions.

What to Serve with Cashew Hen

All it takes is a aspect of rice or Spicy Sesame Noodles to show your cashew rooster right into a well-rounded meal. Simply another reason to like this recipe! In fact, if you happen to’re on the lookout for less difficult dishes to serve alongside a scrumptious plate of rooster with cashew nuts, under are a few of our favorites.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

Refrigerate leftover cashew rooster hermetic for as much as 3 days. Leftovers are straightforward to reheat within the microwave or in a skillet on the stovetop. You’ll be able to add slightly water to assist loosen up the sauce if wanted. 

Can I Freeze Cashew Hen?

Sure! This rooster stir fry freezes effectively. Retailer it hermetic in a freezer-safe container or resealable bag, and freeze it for as much as 3 months. Thaw the cashew rooster within the fridge earlier than reheating.

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