Thursday, May 16, 2013

Sweet and Spicy Cashew Chicken with Quinoa

 

Here is another quick and delicious meal that I prepared recently when we had our two little grandsons all day and our daughter came for dinner later.  I had seen it on two of my fellow blogger's sites - Highlands Ranch Foodie and Saving Room for Dessert and thought it looked delicious.  It was!


The recipe is originally from Cooking Light and called Honey Cashew Chicken with Rice but the Sriracha adds a nice kick to this dish so I renamed it Sweet and Spicy Cashew Chicken.  Rather than edaname, I used snow peas and instead of rice, I served it with quinoa which made it even more healthy.


I'm a firm believer in getting as many things done in advance as I can on our days with The Boys. I had the vegetables cleaned and cut and the chicken breast cut into pieces the night before. I measured the spices and kept those covered in little prep bowls.  I also had the sauce ingredients mixed together in advance. I made the quinoa in between play times :) All that was left to do was the saute part of the recipe and that is doing is a jiffy!


Sweet and Spicy Cashew Chicken


Serves 4 (serving size: 1/2 cup quinoa or rice and 1 cup chicken mixture)
 
1 cup rice, or quinoa (I use Ancient Harvest brand because it does not need pre-rinsing)

2 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch cubes (I used 3 breast halves)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup frozen shelled edamame (green soybeans) (I used Snow Peas)
Water chestnuts - optional
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 cup dry-roasted cashews, unsalted
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon Sriracha

Cook quinoa or rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

Combine chicken and next 3 ingredients in a bowl; toss to coat.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add canola and sesame oils. Add chicken mixture, and sauté for 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Increase heat to high, and add broccoli and the next 4 ingredients (through red bell pepper). Cook 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender and chicken is done, stirring frequently. Stir in cashews.

Combine vinegar and remaining ingredients in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Add vinegar mixture to chicken mixture; toss to coat.

Serve with cooked quinoa or rice.

Notes:  The serving sizes noted in the recipe are quite small so for 4 people you may wish to double this recipe.  I used a very large saute pan to accommodate all of the ingredients.

59 comments:

  1. Lots of big flavors here Susan, I know I'd love it! Have fun with the kids:@)

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  2. This is so much our kind of meal..we are having the alphabets tomorrow and it will be a meal that is easily prepped..they will only have le lunch with us and then we will check the beach out..the tide is so high..there is no beach..but the walk is lovely.
    Sesame oil..rice vinegar..honey..soya sauce etc..

    Spells Monique and Jacques:)
    Thank you!

    Did you ever think more than 10 yrs ago we would be saying "OUR DAYS WITH THE BOYS?:)"

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  3. It's almost dinner time here and this is making me so hungry! I love the unexpected use of quinoa.

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  4. This looks delicious. I have discovered that sriracha adds kick to everything and I love it.

    Great dish.

    Velva

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  5. I love how much I learn from blogs. I've just googled Sriracha, as I'm not familiar with it, but have noticed it in a few recipes lately. This dish sounds like something we'd like at Pondside.

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  6. These flavors are my favorite! I would probably want to double the recipe too :)

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  7. Looks and sounds yummy! Thanks for sharing. I would also have used the snow peas instead of the edamame as not a fan, and not the spice - I am a wimp. :)
    Hope you have had a great week.

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  8. Sounds delish, although I have never tasted sriracha. Those are definitely "diet" servings! lol xo

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  9. This looks so delicious! I have all the ingredient sin my frig and cupboard so I'll be making this soon, Susan. I love cashews :)

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  10. this looks so good, lucky grand babies and daughter :-)

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  11. This looks delicious Susan, perfect for me, I love cashews! have a nice weekend my dear, a hug from Italy....

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  12. Hot and sweet...I love the flavours, Susan.

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  13. Sounds very good Susan and great presentation and photos.

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  14. Your Sweet and Spicy Cashew Chicken looks beautiful plated Susan! Colorful, healthy, and satisfying too!

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  15. We love stir-fries. What a pretty dish, all lively with color and texture. Sounds divine.
    Sam

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  16. This does sound delicious and from the looks of your photo it's beautiful as well. I love that you used quinoa, it's such a healthy grain and is the perfect replacement for rice. In fact I love everything about this dish. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

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  17. I use Sriracha quite a bit, even to give my tuna sandwich a little bite. This sounds delicious, especially with the quinoa which is a favorite around here.

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  18. Great little recipe. FUnny that I just made a spicy chicken salad and served it with quinoa last night... just loved it. I love cashews with chicken and hot spice and can't wait to try this recipe. Also, love those little prep bowls. I got some little glass ones online last year that come with snap on lids. I use them all the time and LOVE them. They make setting up a complicated dish so much more organized and they don't require plastic wrap!

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    1. I'll have to look for those with the lids, Deanna. Thanks!

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  19. Love your substitutions, it looks delicious! Count me in for any with Sriracha, good stuff.

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  20. I am loving the ingredients in this my friend, do you think it would work for soy meat?

    Cheers
    CCU

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    1. Since most of the flavor comes from the sauce and spices, I would think it would soy meat would work just fine, CCU.

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  21. Sriracha is too hot for me, but I love the Chinese Garlic hot sauce... not too spicy... always fun to fry up exotic flavours! Bedding them on the quinoa is more than a little out of the box. Good for you!
    :)
    V

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  22. I love Chinese and your pics are making me drool Susan. I have a package of quinoa in my closet and this seems to be the right meal to use it in!

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  23. Need to try this.. We are on a quinoa kick and are constantly looking for new ways to use it.

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  24. I truly wasn't even going to look at this recipe because it has "quinoa" in it. I looked for it once around here & gave up. I'm so glad I went down & scanned the ingredients because I bet I would LOVE this over rice!

    Also, unlike Lynn up there, who ADORES hot stuff, I'm a wimp & have never tried Sriracha. I will, however, look for some Chinese Garlic hot sauce to substitute.

    I agree with Pondsie...we learn so much from each other.
    Thanks for adding a new wrinkle to the brain cells.

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  25. Looks like a meal Howard would love, me not so much. I have tried and tried to like quinoa, but just can't. I will make this for him one night next week and report back to you!

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  26. This look really delicious Susan!;)

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  27. I can eat Chinese food anytime, and this looks like something that should be added to my repertoire. I had to laugh at the comments on quinoa. Quinoa, like couscous, always tastes like dust to me, but nonetheless I find that I've developed a taste for it.

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  28. Oh...what a flavorful dish. I love stir fry dishes a lot (I probably make them 5 nights a week). As you said, it's so quick to put together after a little prep work done, so they are perfect weeknight meals. This Sweet and Spicy Cashew Chicken loos particularly good. I love that you substitute rice with quinoa. Very healthy. :) And Sriracha is my favorite chili sauce. So I know this dish must be good.

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  29. I think you're trying to win me over to quinoa. :) And I'm more than willing to try with this marvelous stir fry. I wonder if it's quinoa in salads I don't like? I've never tried it in a hot dish. Am sure you won't mind if I don't use all that heat, but the crunch of the broccoli, cashews and water chestnuts balances everything perfectly.

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  30. Thanks so much for the shout out! I'm so glad you made this and liked it. And love your idea of serving over quinoa. I agree with the prep, do it in advance and this is a great mid-week meal. I must make this one again, we loved it.

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  31. This looks delicious. I love the addition of quinoa instead of the traditional rice. Hope all is well in your part of the world :)

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  32. What a fabulous dish!!! I have never made or eaten quinoa.. gotta try it! You make everything looks so darn good!

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  33. Yes, this is a little time consuming, but I am sure the flavors made it worth it. Your pear looks fantastic too.

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  34. It's too early in the day to suddenly feel this hungry, but the urge to pounce all over that is strong!

    Susan, I love cashew chicken, but the addition of Quinoa is one I need to take note of.

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  35. This looks absolutely delicious Susan!
    It's a brilliant idea to replace rice with Quinoa it's not only healthier but also so tasty.

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  36. This is a beautiful dish! I have never tried quinoa before, and it looks perfect served with cashew chicken.
    Sounds like you are having a swell time with your grandsons!

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  37. Stir fries are always a crowd pleasure around here! What a tasty and beautiful dish!

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  38. Hi Susan, this dish look superb. Love your generous ingredients, very flavorful. Nice click!

    Have a great week ahead.

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  39. I love the idea of pairing this delicious chicken with quinoa...I will definitely try this recipe Susan.
    Hope you are having a great week :)

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  40. Sounds wonderful, love fresh tasty dishes like this that you can prepare in advance and throw together quickly when dinnertime arrives. I have to admit though that I'm often not as prepared or organized as you!

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  41. That looks really good, and I do like snow peas! Hope you have a good weekend! I will have my FOUR boys and one girl, and it will be very busy!

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  42. this sounds really wonderful - I've bookmarked it. its great to find super chicken recipes!
    mary x

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  43. I'm connect with you but my english is terrible I forgot it because 16 year no used it. Your recipes are wonderfull and this with quinoa gnammmmm. I copy it. Have a nice we.

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  44. Yum! This looks delicious, and I'd probably use rice since the one and only time I tried cooking quinoa, it didn't turn out all that well. Probably the cook's error. LOL
    Have a great Memorial Day!
    Hugs,
    Babs

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  45. thanks for sharing this delicious recipe Susan, I love cashew ! Have a good weekend my dear, a warm hug from Italy!

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  46. Susan adoro la quinoa y seguro que su plato está muy delicioso,gran receta he publicado varias de la milenaria quinoa,hugs,hugs.

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  47. I'm on a quinoa kick lately, this is just lovely!! Cashews rock my world!

    I love your site, very pretty! (I found you through Valerie's website) Nice to meet you!

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    1. Thanks much, Magpie! I don't see a URL with your profile, otherwise I'd stop in for a visit :)

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  48. I love cashew chicken and yours sounds terrific. How clever you are to have done all your prep work the day before so that you could spend more time with the boys.

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  49. Great recipe with lots of veggies and texture. Cashew chicken is so yummy...I am sure your family loved it.

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  50. A wonderfully flavorful dish Susan ;-) This is just the kind of recipe that would make me very popular if it was on the dinner menu at my house ;-)

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  51. Susan, we loved this!! I'm making it again tonight.

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