Chinese Cashew Chicken (Gluten-Free, Soy-Free)

Name: Chinese Cashew Chicken (Gluten-Free, Soy-Free)
Cook time: 16 min
Total time: 16 min
Yield: 3
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: For the Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry:; 1 lb Skinless Chicken Tenders (cubed); 2 TB Corn Starch (divided); 1 TB Canola Oil; 1 Tsp Minced Garlic; 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper; 1/2 Cup Roasted Cashews; For the Sauce:; 1/2 Cup Coconut Aminos; 2 TB Rice Vinegar; 1 TB Erythritol (or preferred granulated sweetener); 1 Tsp Sesame Oil; 1/2 Tsp Pureed Ginger; For the Veggies:; 1 Cup Sliced Bell Peppers; 1 Cup Sliced Snow Peas; 1/3 Cup Chopped Celery; 1/3 Cup Chopped Scallions

January 31, 2018 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 68 Comments

You won’t need to spend money on take-out anymore! The best Chinese Cashew Chicken made right at home, gluten-free, and soy-free! A healthier recipe you can make for dinner and have the best leftovers for lunch!

This is going to be recipe #1 of all my recreated take-out chicken dishes for Strength and Sunshine. Once I perfected the “mock-wok” cast iron skillet take-out chicken recipe, I went all out and whipped up every flavor! From this, the basic cashew chicken to sweet and sour, sesame, and so on. These Chinese chicken dishes are my family’s FAVORITES (even more than the slow cooker!) and no one cares that they’re all gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, and egg-free (of course, some have nuts, but that’s okay!)

Cashew chicken was the first in my line of take-out chicken dishes that I made. Cashew chicken was always one of my favorites to order when my family would get Chinese food from our local take-out place. My mom was the one who introduced me to the dish (it’s her favorite) and I was quick to fall deeply in love. I think it was the first signs of my later developing cashew addiction! The best nut…by far.

The aromas of this chicken while it was cooking on the stove literally made me feel like I was opening up those Chinese take-out containers and was about to dig into the goods! It was one of those recipes that makes you almost cry with tears of joy after so many years of no allergy-approved version of your favorite foods! I was so excited to dig in and so excited for the family to come over for dinner and try it themselves!

I still don’t have a wok (next on the kitchen “appliance” list), but I did have the trusty IRON! This chicken was also my opportunity to hone my “stir-frying meat” skills. Y’all know I’m not one to use much oil in my cooking, but to properly stir-fry chicken…we need some oil. We also need to make sure it’s actually cooked through. Low-and-behold, like many cooking techniques I’ve been timid to try, it was so much easier than I’d anticipated! (Not to mention, super quick!)

I always kick myself after these silly fears get busted! Stir-frying chicken is one of my favorite ways to cook it now. Pair the easy and quick chicken with that classic Asian sauce that just makes this dish authentic…it is such a meal win! Now, it’s common knowledge that leftover Chinese food is DELICIOUS and I can tell you that the leftovers (if there are any) of this cashew chicken…o my…game-changer! Sometimes those leftovers are even better than the “first day”. I’m totally a leftovers girl, after those flavors have had time to really seep in (plus, I think the microwave reheating adds some sort of magic to any dish).

Chinese Cashew Chicken