Quick and easy recipes that the whole family will eat are like gold in our house. Having a toddler restricts our meal choices drastically. It also limits the amount of time we can spend in the kitchen. Sometimes we go the safe route and cook up some macaroni & cheese but we all know that’s not a balanced meal.

One of our all time favorite meals just happens to also be one of the quickest to prepare. So, this week I thought I would share a great recipe for cashew chicken. This dish can easily be ready to eat in less than 30 minutes and in our house everyone cleans their plates. If you don’t eat meat just bulk up on the veggies or add tofu and extra cashews. Enjoy!

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Cashew Chicken

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs ½ inch cubes

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

4 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 green onions, sliced thin on a bias

2/3 cup unsalted cashews

½ red bell pepper, diced ¼ inch

2 celery ribs, diced ¼ inch

2 large shallot, diced ¼ inch

Directions:

In a small mixing bowl combine oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil and red pepper flakes. Marinade chicken an hour ahead of time with soy sauce in a separate container, have it ready to go. Heat a wok to a high heat and add your vegetable oil.

Once the oil is hot carefully add chicken cooking it until lightly browned on all sides. Add shallot, celery, bell pepper, garlic, and cashews and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Add sauce and cook until it thickens and all ingredients are fully cooked.

Serve hot with steamed rice and garnish with green onions.

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Brown Paper Tickets has a bunch of great food events coming up with a focus on Asian cuisine. Check these out:

Thursday, February 28 I Asian Home Chef Cooking Class: Fun, Creative Sushi Rolls! – Atlanta, Georgia

Saturday, March 9 and Sunday, March 10 I Flavors of Southeast Asia Cooking Class by Fire and Earth Kitchen – Shoreline, Washington

Thursday, March 14 to Sunday, March 17 I Cajun Asian Taste Persuasions – Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

Saturday, March 23 I Asian Feast – presented by Gualala Arts and Action Network – Gualala, California