Cashew Chicken
By America's Test KitchenPublished on July 15, 2011
Time
50 minutes, plus 30 minutes marinating
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Marinade and Sauce
½ cup mirin 6 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil 2 tablespoons plus 4 teaspoons cornstarch 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds), cut into ¾-inch pieces1 cup low-sodium chicken broth (see note)3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauceStir-Fry
2 tablespoons vegetable oil 8 ounces snow peas, stems snapped off and strings removed, halved crosswise1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 6 garlic cloves, minced¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and sliced thin (see note)1 cup toasted cashews (see note); half roughly chopped, half left wholeBefore You Begin
Toast the cashews on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Presliced water chestnuts can be waterlogged; for the crunchiest texture, use canned whole water chestnuts and slice them yourself. It is imperative to use low-sodium chicken broth in this recipe.
Instructions
- For the marinade and sauce: Whisk 3 tablespoons mirin, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, and 2 tablespoons cornstarch in large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
- Whisk broth, Worcestershire, remaining mirin, remaining soy sauce, remaining sesame oil, and remaining cornstarch in separate bowl; set aside.
- For the stir-fry: Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of chicken, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate and tent with foil; repeat with additional 2 teaspoons vegetable oil and remaining chicken.
- Add remaining vegetable oil to empty skillet and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook snow peas until bright green, about 1 minute. Add ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes to pan and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in water chestnuts and reserved broth mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Return chicken, along with any accumulated juices, to skillet and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in cashews. Serve.
Time
50 minutes, plus 30 minutes marinatingYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Marinade and Sauce
Stir-Fry
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Marinade and Sauce
Stir-Fry
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Marinade and Sauce
Stir-Fry
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
For moist, flavorful chicken, we marinated the breasts in a little soy sauce. The salt in the soy sauce penetrated the meat much like a brine, promoting juiciness and deep seasoning. We also turned to a technique called velveting, in which we tossed raw chicken with cornstarch and oil. This formed a thin coating around the chicken and protected it from heat. For the sauce, we selected soy sauce cut with chicken broth to mitigate its saltiness. We replaced the unseasoned rice vinegar and sugar with mirin, a sweet rice wine. Instead of Chinese black vinegar, we turned to Worcestershire sauce to give the sauce complex richness. We doubled the amount of cashews that other recipes called for and toasted them to intensify their flavor and crunch.
Before You Begin
Toast the cashews on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Presliced water chestnuts can be waterlogged; for the crunchiest texture, use canned whole water chestnuts and slice them yourself. It is imperative to use low-sodium chicken broth in this recipe.
Instructions
- For the marinade and sauce: Whisk 3 tablespoons mirin, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, and 2 tablespoons cornstarch in large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
- Whisk broth, Worcestershire, remaining mirin, remaining soy sauce, remaining sesame oil, and remaining cornstarch in separate bowl; set aside.
- For the stir-fry: Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of chicken, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate and tent with foil; repeat with additional 2 teaspoons vegetable oil and remaining chicken.
- Add remaining vegetable oil to empty skillet and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook snow peas until bright green, about 1 minute. Add ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes to pan and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in water chestnuts and reserved broth mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Return chicken, along with any accumulated juices, to skillet and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in cashews. Serve.
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Appears In
Key Equipment
More Like This
Keep Exploring
0 Comments