Cashew Chicken

If I were to ask you what meals remind you of your childhood what would you say?  This has definitely got to be one of them for me (this and corn flakes with melted cheese haha don't ask).  My dad's favorite food is Chinese food and pretty much every time we order Chinese food there has to be an order of cashew chicken.  The only problem is that nowadays it's a little harder for me to get Chinese food that will be free of gluten, so I decided to try to come up with something myself.  The great thing about making it yourself too is that you can add the veggies you like and also be sure of what you're getting (no msg here! ha!).  This recipe makes a ton of food, but trust me you are going to want to make the whole thing because of the leftovers.  This is in no way a super quick meal to make, but all the steps are easy and totally doable for beginners.  I seriously make this recipe once a week because my family can't get enough of it, and honestly neither can I.  


C A S H E W  C H I C K E N  R E C I P E


Ingredients
Meat Marinade

☂ 2½ lbs. of chicken breast, thinly sliced
☂ 1 tsp. baking soda
☂ 2 tsp. sugar
☂ 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
☂ 2 Tbsp. tamari (gluten free soy sauce)
☂ 1 Tbsp. water
☂ 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Sauce
☂ ⅔ cup tamari
☂ ⅓ cup water
☂ 4 Tbsp. brown sugar
☂ 7 garlic cloves, finely minced
☂ 1½ Tbsp. cornstarch
☂ 2 Tbsp. dry sherry
☂ 4 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Additional Ingredients
☂ 2 bell peppers (i use one red and one orange), sliced
☂ 8 oz. of crimini mushrooms, sliced
☂ 1 head of broccoli, just the crowns
☂ ½ cup cashews (whole or pieces)
☂ olive oil
☂ salt and black pepper
☂ cooked rice

Directions
☂ Combine meat marinade ingredients and let it sit for at least one hour in the refrigerator.
☂ Prep the additional ingredients and then heat a pan onto medium high heat with a drizzle of olive oil.
☂ Start of by sauteing the bell peppers, adding a small sprinkling of salt and pepper, and saute them until they are almost all the way cooked.  Then repeat this step with the mushrooms and the broccoli. Set the vegetables aside in separate bowls.
☂ Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a liquid measuring cup so that is is easy to pour while cooking.
☂ Heat a pan to medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil.  Add 1/4 of the marinated chicken to the pan and let it cook on one side for a minute.
☂ Add 1/4 of each of the vegetables, 2 Tbsp. of cashews, and 1/4 of the sauce (make sure to whisk the sauce before pouring each time to make sure it isn't separating) and stir everything together. 
☂ Cook until the chicken has cooked all the way through and all ingredients have been warmed. 
☂ Repeat with the remaining three batches and serve with rice.
☂ WALAH!  Enjoy and start feeling nourished♥