Chicken, Cashew, and Red Pepper Stir Fry

I guess I'll preface this recipe with the fact that 35 people gave this an average of 5 out of 5. It's that delicious.  This is another superfast weeknight meal that comes together quickly, especially with 90 second brown rice.  Most of the ingredients you can keep on hand.  The thinner you cut your chicken, the more quickly it will cook.  The cashews are a MUST. You cannot skip the cashews. They give this a perfect crunch. 

In the past, we've added water chestnuts and broccoli to add vegetables and texture to this dish.  But this time, we made it strictly by the recipe.  The recipe gives you enough sauce for the rice. 

We've made this a few times and honestly I had forgotten just how tasty it is. I can say we'll be making this more in the future. 

Add it to your rotation, you won't regret it.

Recipe by Barbara Lauterbach, Cooking Light, April 2009

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 3 3/4  teaspoons  cornstarch, divided
• 2  tablespoons  low-sodium soy sauce, divided
• 2  teaspoons  dry sherry
• 1  teaspoon  rice wine vinegar
• 3/4  teaspoon  sugar
• 1/2  teaspoon  hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
• 1  pound  chicken breast tenders, cut lengthwise into thin strips
• 1/2  cup  coarsely chopped unsalted cashews
• 2  tablespoons  canola oil
• 2  cups  julienne-cut red bell pepper (about 1 large)
• 1  teaspoon  minced garlic
• 1/2  teaspoon  minced peeled fresh ginger
• 3  tablespoons  thinly sliced green onions

Preparation

1. Combine 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and next 4 ingredients (through hot pepper sauce) in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.
2. Combine remaining 2 3/4 teaspoons cornstarch, remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and chicken in a medium bowl; toss well to coat.
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add cashews to pan; cook 3 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring frequently. Remove from pan.
4. Add oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add chicken mixture to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove chicken from pan; place in a bowl. Add bell pepper to pan; sauté 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and ginger; cook 30 seconds. Add chicken and cornstarch mixture to pan; cook 1 minute or until sauce is slightly thick. Sprinkle with cashews and green onions.
Quick rice pilaf: Cook 1 (10-ounce) package frozen white rice (such as Birds Eye SteamFresh) according to package directions. Combine cooked rice, 2 tablespoons drained chopped water chestnuts, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 324

Fat: 16.6g (sat 2.5g,mono 9.2g,poly 3.8g)

Protein: 30g

Carbohydrate: 13.5g

Fiber: 2g

Cholesterol: 66mg

Iron: 2.4mg

Sodium: 350mg

Calcium: 33mg