Cashew chicken is one of my most favorite meals ever, and it's the cashew chicken you can't get anywhere else other than southwest Missouri, where I'm from. If you order cashew chicken anywhere else it's totally different, I've had to learn that the hard way. Springfield-style cashew chicken is one-of-a-kind; it even has its own section on wikipedia. It's pretty legit.
This recipe comes from an older cookbook that my dad has from home. I have been unsuccessful finding a great recipe on the internet, so I stole this one last time I was home so that I could make it when I get homesick or so that I can make it for some nonnatives. My dad's made it a tradition to make cashew chicken every Christmas for dinner when we all get together. Although it doesn't quite have the total authentic taste that comes from an Asian restaurant, it definitely gets rid of my cashew chicken fix until I get to go home again.
The only thing missing in the picture are the cashews. I don't like them so I never buy them, but Travis always goes, "It's not cashew chicken without the cashews!" I get it, it's kind of an oxymoron, but I don't care =)
Springfield-style Cashew Chicken
Servings: 4
Time: 30-45 minutes
Ingredients:
Chicken:
2 lbs. fresh or frozen chicken breasts, cubed (if frozen, make sure it's thawed out before cooking)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
lots of flour
1-2 tsp salt
1-2 tsp pepper
peanut, vegetable, or canola oil
Cashew Sauce:
4 cubes chicken bouillon
4 cups water
1/2 cup diluted cornstarch (cornstarch + cold water)
6-8 TBS oyster-flavored sauce
Fried Rice:
2 cups water
2 1/2 cups Minute Rice
4-5 TBS butter
2 eggs
4-5 TBS soy sauce
**You can add whatever vegetables you would like, such as carrots, peas, onions, etc.
Steamed Rice:
3 cups Minute Rice
3 cups water
1 tsp salt
Toppings:
chopped green onions
cashews
Directions:
1. Cube the fresh or thawed chicken into bite-size pieces. Dump some flour on a sheet of wax paper or a baking sheet and add the diced chicken. Mix the chicken around in the flour until they are all coated and let them sit for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, mix the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a bowl. You can also start the rice here. You can either fry or steam your rice. If you just want to steam your rice, just bring the water and the salt to a boil, then stir in the rice, remove from heat, and let it sit until it is ready to serve. SO easy! If you want to fry your rice, do the EXACT same thing as you would the steamed rice up the point where you let the cooked rice sit for 5 minutes. Then you scramble the eggs in a frying pan. Either in that pan or a different one, melt the butter over medium high heat, then add the scrambled eggs, cooked rice, soy sauce, and whatever veggies you want. Fry the mixture for about 5-10 minutes over medium-high heat. When done, cover, and set aside.
3. After the chicken has sit in the flour for 15 minutes, put the coated chicken into the egg mixture; let sit for an additional 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, dump in a few cups of flour; set aside.
4. Heat the oil to about 350 degrees in a deep fryer or dutch oven.
5. While the chicken is still sitting and the oil is heating up, start the cashew sauce. Boil water and dissolve chicken bouillon cubes. Remove from heat and let cool. When lukewarm, add the diluted cornstarch and oyster-flavored sauce. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened, adding more diluted cornstarch as needed to get the desired thickness. Depending on how much oyster-sauce you use, the sauce can be a light brown or dark brown color; the darker the color, the more rich it will taste. When it has reached the desired thickness and taste, keep it warm on medium low heat.
6. When the oil is heated, take the egg coated pieces of chicken and dip them in the bowl of flour to coat the chicken once more, then piece by piece, add the chicken to the oil. (This makes a lot of chicken, so you may have to do 3-4 different batches of chicken based on how much room their is in your fryer). Cook the chicken in the oil for about 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown. If you're not sure if it's cooked al the way, just take a piece out and pull it apart. The meat should be white all the way through, if it has a tint of pink or looks rubbery, it needs to cook longer.
7. If the chicken is all done before the sauce and fried rice are done, just keep the chicken in a dish covered with tin foil.
8. To assemble: I like to put the rice in the middle of the plate first, then top it with the chicken, then the sauce, then green onions and/or cashews. Serve and enjoy!!
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