Chinese Cashew Chicken

My family and I love Chinese take-out, but we don’t love all the preservatives found in the recipes. A simple solution was to make my own. I started with a great recipe from Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman and altered it slightly. 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 3 tablespoonslow-sodium organic soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon organic tamari sauce - if you don't have just use more soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
• 10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into small cubes
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into small cubes (for a mild pepper flavor use orange or yellow)
• 1 oz dry sherry, white wine or chicken broth (for deglazing)
• 3/4 cup whole roasted, unsalted cashews
• 1/3 cup water chestnuts, chopped
• 1-2 scallions, thinly sliced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

• In a bowl, combine the vinegar, honey, sesame oil, 1/4 cup of the soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of tamari sauce and 1 tablespoon of the ginger. Set aside.
• Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sauté until cooked through 7 to 9 minutes.
• In the same skillet, stir-fry the garlic, peppers and remaining 2 tablespoons ginger.  Deglaze the skillet with the sherry or wine and scrape up any brown bits.
• Add the reserved soy mixture and cook until the mixture begins to thicken about 1-2 minutes.
• Add the cashews and water chestnuts. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. You can add a little organic cornstarch to thicken if necessary. 
• Serve garnished with the scallions.