I am always looking for a new and different slow cooker meal. I personally could eat a tomato-based sauce with meat over rice, pasta, polenta, you-name-it every day. My husband would prefer something new every now and then, which is fair. 🙂
So this time, I attempted to make a takeout favorite — Cashew Chicken!
This recipe is really simple, but it can become a legit salt lick if you aren’t careful about your ingredients. Be sure to use lower sodium soy sauce and unsalted cashews!
Ingredients:
- 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken (breasts and/or thighs)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil (or canola oil)
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 cup low sodium soy sauce (use a wheat free soy sauce to make gluten free)
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup sweet chili dipping sauce
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1 green or red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cups unsalted cashews
Cut your chicken into bite sized pieces. (Note: I used all chicken breasts, but you can do a combination of breasts and thighs, or use all chicken thighs.) Add to a ziplock bag with the cornstarch and shake to coat.
Add the oil to a large saute pan over medium high heat and add the chicken. Cook, stirring until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes total.
Add to your slow cooker.
In a medium sized bowl, add the ketchup, low sodium soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger and whisk to combine.
Pour over the chicken in the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
About 15 minutes before serving, stir in the bell pepper and cashews to fully coat in the sauce.
Serve over white rice.
It was so nice to have something a little different for dinner this week!
The sauce becomes nice and syrupy as the cornstarch from the chicken works its way into the sauce.
This makes enough for 6 so we had some yummy leftovers for lunch the next day!
Ingredients
- 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken (breasts and/or thighs)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil (or canola oil)
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 cup low sodium soy sauce (use a wheat free soy sauce to make gluten free)
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup sweet chili dipping sauce
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1 green or red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cups unsalted cashews
Instructions
- Cut your chicken into bite sized pieces. (Note: I used all chicken breasts, but you can do a combination of breasts and thighs, or use all chicken thighs.) Add to a ziplock bag with the cornstarch and shake to coat.
- Add the oil to a large saute pan over medium high heat and add the chicken. Cook, stirring until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes total.
- Add to your slow cooker.
- In a medium sized bowl, add the ketchup, low sodium soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger and whisk to combine.
- Pour over the chicken in the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. About 15 minutes before serving, stir in the bell pepper and cashews to fully coat in the sauce.
- Serve over white rice.
What do you think?