Spicy Chicken with Cashews

Gluten Free Chicken with Cashews

Spicy Chicken with Cashews is my answer for a quick Chinese take-out meal when your wallet is a little light from all that holiday spending.  But beyond this dish being cheaper than takeout, it’s also easier to customize a dish when you make it yourself at home.  I like mine spicy and most chicken with cashew dishes are on the milder side.  Sure you can ask them to add some chilies but when you do it yourself you get to control the level of heat.  Plus you can customize the veggie combination, the sodium level or any number of details to have this dish suit your own tastes.  And with this one being loaded with fresh vegetables and lean protein, it’s a nice option for that healthy eating plan you probably adopted when 2013 went into the history books.

Spicy Chicken with Cashews

Prep time: 10 - 15 min

Cook time: 10 min

Ingredients:

• 12 oz chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 small bell pepper chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
• ½ cup cashews
• 2-3 tbsp oil

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 cup of chicken broth
• 1 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar or cider vinegar
• 1 tsp sriracha
• 1 tsp sambal
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 1 tbsp honey

Video Tutorial:

Instructions:

1. Stir the chicken together with the egg white, 1 tablespoon of gluten free soy sauce and cornstarch.  
2. Get the sauce ready by stirring together all of the sauce ingredients until well incorporated and the cornstarch dissolves.
3. In a large nonstick skillet over a medium high heat, add a drizzle of oil, and about half the chicken pieces.  Sauté for 3 minutes on the first side or until golden and 1-2 minutes on the second side then remove them from the pan and repeat with the rest of the chicken. 
4. Set the chicken aside and add all of the veggies to the pan with a little more oil and sauté over a medium high heat for 3 to 4 minutes until the veggies start to soften and get a bit of color.
5. Add the cashews, chicken and sauce to the pan.  Be sure to stir the sauce before adding since the cornstarch tends to settle and you’ll need it in the pan to thicken the sauce.
6. Once the sauce reaches a boil, it will thicken nicely.  Stir to get everything well coated and serve. 

Notes:

1. I like to add the chicken pieces one at a time so they don’t clump together.
2. Be sure that all of your ingredients and sauce are prepped in advance of starting the preparation.  This dish moves very quickly and you won’t have time to do it once you have started.