Cashew Chicken

Chinese food is one of my favorites. It's also full of carbs when you eat it with rice. But rice, to me, really is part of eating Chinese food. Without it, could anything actually be satisfying?

I decided to give Cashew Chicken from Pioneer Woman a try, and keep the rice out. This is a good recipe. I doubled the sauce (I do love my sauce) and that was a mistake. Even though I used low sodium soy sauce, it turned out too salty. Rice really would have helped. But alas...I sucked it up. If I make this again, and if I double the sauce, I'd do half in soy and half in water.

The best part was I was about 4 bites into my meal before I realized I hadn't put in the cashews!

I also added a handful of snow snap peas. I needed a vegetable to add more to it. I think you could add any veggie and it'd be good.

I tried to find the carbs for this and I think it ended up being about 20 grams. Which I think is too many for me to repeat this. But it was good and worth a try.

Cashew Chicken
Recipe from Pioneer Woman
8 Servings

1/2 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Packed Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Oyster Sauce
1/2 teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil
3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
6 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs, Cut Into Small Cubes
Kosher Salt To Taste
1 Tablespoon Chopped Garlic
1 Tablespoon Chopped Fresh Ginger
1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Chopped (I didn't add this of course)
1/4 cup Sherry Or Chicken Broth
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1/2 cup Drained Canned Water Chestnuts, Coarsley Chopped
1 cup Unsalted Cashews (be Sure To Use Unsalted)
2 whole Green Onions, Thinly Sliced

In a bowl, mix together the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, oyster sauce, and sesame oil. Set aside.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat and add the chicken in a single layer. Sprinkle with a small amount of salt, then leave it alone for at least a couple of minutes to give the chicken a chance to brown. When the chicken has turned golden, stir it around so that it can brown on all sides. Throw in the garlic and ginger and stir to combine. Stir in the bell pepper and let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

While the pan is still hot, pour in the sherry. Stir it around, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen all the flavorful bits. Turn the heat to medium-low and pour in the sauce mixture, then mix the cornstarch with 1/4 cup water to make a slurry and pour it in. Stir the sauce for 1 to 2 minutes to thicken, then add the water chestnuts and cashews and stir to coat everything with the sauce, adding a splash of water if the sauce is too thick.

Finally, sprinkle on the green onions. Serve with cooked rice or noodles.