Sticky Cashew Chicken
Sticky Cashew Chicken is a delicious juicy, sweet and savory sauce with freshly steamed rice and plenty of crispy cashews!
Ingredients
Rice
- 1 cup (300 g) medium or long grain rice
- 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) boiling water
Sticky Sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp ginger grated
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp Chinese cooking wine
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) water
Chicken
- 2 (600 g) large chicken breasts , sliced into strips
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 cup (160 g) corn starch divided.
- 8 tbsp vegetable oil
To Serve
- 1 cup (140 g) cashews salted or unsalted (see notes)
- 1 small bunch spring onion sliced
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
Rice
- Add the rice to a large pot that has a lid. Turn the heat to high and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the boiling water and stir. Cover with a lid and turn to low heat. Allow to cook for exactly 12 minutes, then set aside with the lid on top for 5 minutes to finish steaming. Do not take the lid off at any point during the cooking process.
Sauce
- Add the soy sauce, honey, hoisin and corn starch to a small mixing bowl or jug and whisk to combine. Add the garlic, ginger, sesame oil, Chinese cooking wine and water and whisk until combined. Set aside until ready to use.
Chicken
- Slice the chicken breasts or thighs into strips. Set aside.
- To a large bowl, add the egg, salt, onion powder, garlic powder and 2 tbsp of corn starch and mix using a spoon. Add the chicken strips and mix to coat the chicken. Add about 1/3 of the chicken into a bowl with the remaining corn starch and use your hands to coat well. Transfer to a large bowl. Repeat this until all the chicken is coated.
- Heat a large skillet on high heat. Add 4 tbsp of vegetable oil and add half the chicken on the frypan as single pieces. Cook on each side for about 3-4 minutes or until you reach an internal temperature of 75C / 165F and the chicken is crispy and golden. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Add the remaining oil and chicken and repeat.
- Turn the frypan down to medium heat and wipe the oil away with a paper towel. Add the sauce and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add the chicken and mix to coat.
- Finish by adding half the spring onion, half the cashews (I chopped mine) and all of the sesame seeds. Mix to coat. Serve with more cashew, sesame seeds and spring onion on top of steamed rice. Goes well with a crispy salad too.
Notes
Chicken - I used chicken breasts, but chicken thigh will also work. Buy your chicken from a good quality butcher if you can. Supermarket chicken is pumped full of additives to last longer and is not as fresh. To ensure your chicken is cooked properly, use a meat thermometer to ensure it’s reached an internal temperature of 75C / 165F.
Storage - Sticky Cashew chicken is best eaten the day it’s made but it can be stored in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a microwave with 1 tbsp of water to freshen up.
Cashews - Use unsalted cashews and toast them on a skillet or oven until golden. Alternatively, you can use roasted and salted cashews. Just keep in mind the sauce is already salty.
Nutrition - is based on per serving. This serves 2 people.
A note on measurements - all ingredients in this recipe are offered in Australian cup measurements and weight measurements. Australian cups are different to other cup measurements in different places in the world which means that no cup measurements anywhere are a reliable way to measure! Weight measurements are created by me, in my kitchen here in Melbourne Australia. The best way to get recipe success is to measure ingredients by weight, using kitchen scales.
Nutrition
Calories:1238kcal | Carbohydrates:132g | Protein:69g | Fat:48g | Saturated Fat:9g | Polyunsaturated Fat:12g | Monounsaturated Fat:22g | Trans Fat:0.04g | Cholesterol:227mg | Sodium:2300mg | Potassium:1478mg | Fiber:5g | Sugar:20g | Vitamin A:249IU | Vitamin C:5mg | Calcium:167mg | Iron:8mg
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