Roasted Cashew Chicken & Rice

When we lived in Oregon, we had a favorite little Thai restaurant that served THE BEST Cashew Chicken Gai. I mean, it was perfect. Spicy. Full of flavor. Served over a wonderful Jasmine rice. Way more food than you could eat in one sitting.

I’m not ashamed to say this was one of the few things we regret leaving behind us when we moved.

I know, I know. I can hear you whispering…there are other Thai restaurants Sean…and yes, you’re right. There are. But one cannot simply just walk into any Thai restaurant and find the same experience. I’m a little partial.

In the absence of our favorite Cashew Chicken, I set out to find a suitable replacement that I could make myself. This recipe comes close, friends. But I’m not going to toot my own horn. After all, this recipe had big shoes to fill.

Sooooo if you’re also looking for a good Cashew Chicken recipe, I think you’ll like this one.

Making the recipe as outlined below will give you a dish that is slightly spicy but not too hot for the kids. My favorite Thai restaurant would call this a level 2. If you want to heat it up a little more, just add a little more Sriracha or garlic chili sauce. If you’d rather have no heat at all, back those ingredients down a bit to your liking.

Enjoy! And share with someone you love.

Roasted Cashew Chicken

Sauce Mix Ingredients

• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/4 cup oyster sauce
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce
• 1.5 tbsp Sriracha
• 4 tsp raw sugar
• 2 tsp black pepper

Other Ingredients

• 2 lbs chicken thighs
• 1/2 tsp corn starch
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tbs fresh minced garlic
• 3 tsp grated ginger
• 1 medium onion
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup diced pineapple
• 1 tbs tomato herb pesto (go here to learn how to make it)
• Sesame oil
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• 3/4 cup roasted cashews

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Instructions

1. Mix together all ingredients to make sauce mix. Set this aside for later use.
2. Cut up chicken thighs into small chunks. Then toss with baking soda, corn starch, sesame oil, black pepper and a small amount of the sauce mix.
3. Add a little olive oil to a cast iron skillet, then heat up skillet on high. When hot, stir fry the chicken until it’s brown. Remove the chicken and set aside and drain the skillet of any fluid.
4. Dice up the onion and the bell pepper. In the same skillet you used to brown the chicken, saute the onion, pepper, garlic and ginger until everything is soft and tender. Then add the sauce mix and let it cook on medium for a few minutes to slightly thicken.
5. Add your chicken to the skillet and let everything cook until the sauce begins to boil.
6. Bring the burner down to low. Then add cashews, pineapple and tomato herb pesto. Let everything cook for ten minutes, or until the cashews are soft.
7. Serve over white, brown or Jasmine rice.

NOTE: You can omit the tomato herb pesto if desired. But I think this gives the dish added flavor.

NOTE: If you want a spicier dish, increase Sriracha and chili garlic sauce but 1 tsp each.

ROASTED CASHEWS: You can either buy non salted roasted cashews or try roasting them yourself. To roast, simply spread out raw cashews on a baking pan. Drizzle with a little olive oil and bake in the oven at 250 degrees until golden brown.