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I can never resist a quick Asian inspired stir fry chicken recipe. This tasty Easy Cashew Chicken is no exception! Better than take out!

Easy Cashew Chicken in a white serving bowl

Why You’ll Love this Chicken Stir Fry

  • This tasty recipe can be whipped up more quickly than the time it takes to get takeout or delivery.
  • You can tweak it with your favorite vegetables!
  • Don’t want chicken? It will work with beef and pork, too! So versatile.

I’d much rather spend the day dusted in flour and covered with chocolate drips preparing a decadent dessert than making dinner. I DO want to eat something spectacular for my evening meal, but my heart isn’t always into fixing a recipe with a multitude of steps. Thank goodness McCormick has come to the rescue. I selected their Sesame Chicken Stir-Fry Skillet Sauce in hopes of creating a quick dinner that would please my hubby’s picky palate.

The result was better than takeout stir fry chicken. More wholesome ingredients and the bonus of knowing all the ingredients in your meal! Plus you can shake up the veggies to make your cashew chicken exactly how you want it.

 
Cashew Chicken ingredients on a white platter

Tips for Making a Stir Fry Recipe

  • Are you familiar with the French term mise en place? The literal translation is set in place and refers to having all your ingredients measured, chopped, and ready to go before you start cooking. This process can happen early in the day so when dinner time approaches, the task of cooking or baking is less daunting. This is a terrific help for baking and cooking. Do the prep earlier in the day.
  •  As pictured above, when making this easy cashew chicken, have the meat and vegetables cut and cashews toasted. Sauces can be mixed ahead of time, too. This allows for more efficiency when it’s time to cook, just like a restaurant chef. Give it a try. 
  • Marinate the chicken (or other protein) while prepping the other ingredients. Seafood does not need a long marinating time, but beef and pork can handle up to a few hours.
  • Stir fry your ingredients in batches of what takes a similar cooking time. For example, hard vegetables like carrots take longer than cabbage.
  • It took me less than a half-hour to have this better than take out stir fry chicken ready and—drum roll—Bill gave it two thumbs up. So this cashew chicken was quick, tasty, and a hubby pleaser. Can’t beat that!
  • If the packaged stir fry sauce is unavailable, try the tasty marinade in this chicken stir fry recipe.

Overhead view of stir fried Cashew Chicken in a white serving bowl

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It still shocks me that the picky hubby, who didn’t grow up with any ethnic dishes unless you count pizza, loves the Asian food I make at home. Here are a few more recipes from our kitchen:

 

Cashew Chicken
The Recipe:

Easy Cashew Chicken

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Yield 4 servings

A quick and healthy meal that will please your palate!

Ingredients

  • 1/2-3/4 cup toasted cashews (toast in a 350º oven for 5 minutes or until fragrant, watch carefully)
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dry sherry
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch slices
  • 1 1/2 cups snow peas
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
  • Vegetable oil
  • McCormick Sesame Chicken Stir-Fry Skillet Sauce
  • Cooked rice, for serving

Instructions

  1. Combine oyster sauce, dry sherry and soy sauce in medium bowl. Add sliced chicken, toss to coat and set aside while prepping ingredients.
  2. Using a large skillet or fry pan, heat about a teaspoon of oil and add bell peppers. Sauté till they just start to soften, about 2 minutes. Remove to large bowl. Repeat with snow peas, adding another teaspoon of oil to the pan and sauté the snow peas till they turn bright green and soften slightly. Remove to bowl. Add scallions to bowl with vegetables.
  3. Add about a tablespoon of oil to the pan and sauté the chicken in one layer till browned on both sides. Add the McCormick Sesame Chicken Stir-Fry Skillet Sauce and cook till hot and chicken is cooked through, just a minute or two.
  4. Add the scallions, peppers, and snow peas and sauté for 1-2 minutes till hot. Add cashews and serve immediately over rice.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 647Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 116mgSodium: 1037mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 5gSugar: 9gProtein: 54g

HOW MUCH DID YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE?

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© Liz Berg
Cuisine: American, Asian-American / Category: Entrees