Ellens Cashew Chicken Recipes

SESAME CHICKEN WITH CASHEWS AND DATES

Steps:

• Season the chicken with salt and pepper while you heat a 12-inch skillet or wok over high heat until it's very hot, at least 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the sesame oil and swirl the pan; the oil should thin on contact. When the oil is hot, add the ginger, garlic, scallions and chile. Stir-fry until the garlic is golden at the edges, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the 2 remaining tablespoon oil, chicken and cashews, and stir fry until it starts to brown, 4 to 5 minutes (turn down the heat if the cashews are browning too quickly). Add the rice wine, soy sauce and dates; simmer until the sauce reduces to a syrupy consistency and the chicken cooks through, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Stir in the herbs, sprinkle with rice vinegar or lime juice, and serve over rice.

CASHEW CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the vinegar, brown sugar, oyster sauce, sesame oil, 1/4 cup of the soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of the ginger. Set aside.
• Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and saute until cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.
• In the same skillet, stir-fry the garlic, bell peppers and remaining 2 tablespoons ginger, keeping them crisp-tender. Deglaze the skillet with the sherry and scrape up any brown bits. Add the reserved soy mixture and cook until the mixture boils, about 1 minute. Whisk together the cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup soy in a small bowl, then stir the slurry into the skillet. Add the cashews and water chestnuts. Add 1/4 cup water to thin the sauce. Cook for another minute.
• Serve garnished with the scallions and cilantro.

CASHEW CHICKEN

Steps:

• Put the chicken in a bowl with the egg white, sesame oil, cornflour and 1 tsp salt, and mix well. Chill for 20 mins.
• If you are using oil for velveting the chicken, heat a wok until very hot and then add the oil. When it is very hot, remove the wok from the heat and immediately add the chicken, stirring vigorously to prevent it sticking. After about 2 mins, when the chicken turns white, quickly drain it and all of the oil into a stainless steel colander set over a bowl. Discard the oil. If you are using water instead of oil, do exactly the same but bring the water to the boil in a saucepan before adding the chicken. It will take about 4 mins for the chicken to turn white in the water.
• If you have used a wok, wipe it clean. Heat it until it is very hot, then add the 2 tsp of groundnut oil. Add the cashew nuts and stir-fry for 1 min. Add the rice wine or dry Sherry and soy sauce. Return the chicken to the wok and stir-fry for 2 mins. Scatter over the spring onions and serve immediately.

CASHEW CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, sherry, sesame oil and garlic powder. Pour half into a large resealable plastic bag; add chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 2 hours. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade. , Discard marinade from chicken. In a wok or large skillet, stir-fry chicken in canola oil for 2-3 minutes or until no longer pink. With a slotted spoon, remove chicken and set aside. , In the same skillet, stir-fry broccoli and carrots for 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Combine the cornstarch, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger and reserved marinade until smooth; gradually stir into vegetables. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cashews and chicken; heat through. Serve with rice.

CASHEW CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, batter ingredients and 2 tablespoons water. Mix them by hand until the dry ingredients are evenly distributed.
• In a separate medium bowl, sift together the breading ingredients.
• Working with one piece of chicken at a time, drop each battered piece into the breading and lightly toss it to coat. (Do not press the breading onto the chicken.) Shake the excess breading off, then place the breaded chicken onto a wire rack-lined baking sheet, leaving space between each piece.
• Heat the oil in a large wok or skillet to 325 degrees. Gently drop the chicken into the oil one piece at a time, spacing them out evenly. Let them fry, undisturbed, for 7 to 8 minutes, until the pieces are deeply golden brown, then remove them with a spider or slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined tray to drain.
• Turn off the heat and carefully pour out oil into a heatproof container or pot to discard once it cools. Carefully scrape out any specks from the wok or pan with a paper towel held by tongs. Do not rinse the wok.
• Heat the wok over medium-high. Add the onion, carrot, celery, water chestnuts, mushrooms and garlic. Stir-fry until the garlic and celery become aromatic, about 2 minutes.
• Push the vegetables to one side of the wok. Add the sugar to the center of the wok and don't stir it for several seconds, to encourage it to caramelize a little. Then add the soy sauce and oyster sauce, and stir until the sugar has dissolved into the liquids. Toss the vegetables into the sauce. Let the sauce come up to a full boil and stir occasionally for 2 minutes, allowing it to slightly reduce and thicken.
• Stir in the fried chicken and cashews. Give the cornstarch-slurry a stir and add it to the sauce, stirring as it thickens. Remove from heat.
• Stir in the sesame oil and MSG (if using), and transfer to a serving platter. Serve with rice, if desired.

ELLEN'S STIR-FRY CASHEW CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place chicken pieces in 2 Tbsp. soy sauce in a deep bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove chicken and drain on paper towels.
• Dissolve the cornstarch in the chicken broth and stir in the remaining 1 Tbsp. soy sauce, ginger, and hot sauce; set aside.
• Heat half of the oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir in the chicken; cook and stir until the chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet or wok and set aside.
• Pour the remaining tablespoon of oil into the wok/skillet and stir in the onion, broccoli, and water chestnuts. Cook and stir until the chestnuts are hot and the onion has softened, about 5 minutes more.
• Stir up the sauce to redistribute the cornstarch, then pour into the mixture and bring to a boil. If if appears too thick, just add water to desired consistency. Add the reserved chicken and stir until the sauce thickens, and the chicken is hot. Stir in cashews and serve over rice.