Rich and delicious Cashew Chicken - East Idaho News
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Rich and delicious Cashew Chicken

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EastIdahoNews.com Staff

Brenda Stanley, EastIdahoNews.com columnist

Watch how to make Belle’s Cashew Chicken in the video above!

Tales of the Dinner Belle

When I was working in Washington D.C., I fell in love with Cashew Chicken. I found a wonderful Chinese restaurant, and I loved this dish so much, I had it at least once a week. The chicken is tender and smothered in a rich and tangy hoisin sauce. That combined with the crunch of the cashews and topped with green onions, it was something I found myself craving after I returned to the West. That is when I found that this dish is completely different from one part of the country to the next.

When I ordered cashew chicken out west, I got cashews and chicken, but that was about all that was similar. It was nothing like what I was used to and loved. I kept trying different places and yet, nothing compared, so I spent numerous hours trying to concoct what I remembered. By trial and error I worked at it and now I can say “This is Cashew Chicken”. The secret is in the sauce.

It combines hoisin, which you can find in just about any grocery story, and rice vinegar simmered together with the chicken into a thick and decadent “stare off into space” taste sensation.

Belle’s Cashew Chicken

  • 1 pound (boneless, skinless) chicken, cut in one inch cubes (I use thighs for more flavor)
  • 2 tablespoons corn starch
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 8 green onions, coarsely chopped. Separate white part from green.
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1/3 cup hoisin sauce
  • ½ cup cashews, lightly chopped (raw or salted- depending on your taste)

Put the cubed chicken and cornstarch in a large plastic bag. Seal and shake until all the chicken is coated. Heat the oil to medium high in a large fry pan and cook chicken until no pink remains and the outside is golden. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and the white part of the onions, and cook until tender.

Add the rice vinegar and cook until it evaporates (about a minute). Add the hoisin sauce and 1/3 cup of water, along with the remaining green onions and cashews. Stir to coat all ingredients. Let simmer, covered, about 5 minutes. Serve over rice, if desired.

Try it with Belle’s Coconut Pineapple Rice. You can find the recipe on my website.

Meet Brenda at The Ultimate Show for Women in Idaho Falls

Brenda Stanley will be among the exhibitors at The Ultimate Show for Women at the Pinecrest Event Center in Idaho Falls on Sept. 21 and 22.

During the expo there will be cooking and baking demonstrations going on from food experts, including “Tales of the Dinner Belle” author and cook, Brenda Stanley. She will be showing easy
and quick dinner recipes from her cookbooks and the first fifty women through the door each day at the expo will receive a free copy of her cookbook “The Dinner Belle.”

“I’ll be showing complete meals that are typically made in one pan or dish and finished in about thirty minutes,” Brenda said. “They’re perfect for busy women who still want a nice meal for their family.”

Brenda Stanley is the mother of five children, including two sets of twins and a grandmother of seven. She is a cookbook author and novelist. For more recipes and information, visit her website www.brendastanleybooks.com.

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