Cashew Chicken Recipe

Lately I've decided that I actually need to cook at home and stop wearing out my Postmates app...which led to a lot of online recipe searching. When I see recipes, I think a lot seem either too difficult or like something I wouldn't like. In fact, I've lived in my apartment for over a year and realized this recipe, that I first made maybe a month ago, was the first time I've ever cooked chicken in this apartment.I stumbled upon this Cashew Chicken Recipe from Ree Drummond/The Pioneer Woman...I like watching her show, so I figured this one would be a winner. Since this was my second time making it, I was able to fix the few errors it had (i.e. too much corn starch in the sauce). I'm also a really picky eater, so this has corrections to suit my taste.

Cashew Chicken Recipe (adapted from The Pioneer Woman)

• 1/2 cup 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
• 1 lb chicken tenders, sliced into small pieces
• 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
• 1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Ginger
• 1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Chopped
• 1/4 cup Chicken Broth
• 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
• 1/2 cup Drained Canned Water Chestnuts, Coarsley Chopped
• 1 cup Unsalted Cashews

Cut chicken into small, bite sized pieces. Place into pan with vegetable oil on high heat. While that cooks, cut your bell pepper & water chestnuts and make the sauce. For sauce, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, oyster sauce, and sesame oil and set aside.Once chicken is cooked and browning, add minced garlic and ginger. I like it minced so you don't bite into any large chunks. Cook this for a few minutes, then add the bell pepper and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes to soften.With pan still hot, add in chicken broth to loosen any stuck-on bits. Turn the heat onto medium-low and pour in the sauce. Stir sauce and then mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup water to make a slurry. Mix into sauce for 1-2 minutes to thicken. Lastly, add water chestnuts and cashews to finish. Serve with steamed rice.

Hopefully you guys love this recipe, I think it personally tastes better on day 2, where the peppers & cashews have had time to soften. This recipe is super easy to make and will only be ~30 minutes from start to finish, but it's packed with flavor & bound to impress in less time than it takes to get Chinese delivered.