My chicken and cashew stir-fry. Velveted chicken breast, broccolini, and toasted cashews in a glossy oyster and soy sauce glaze. On the table in 20 minutes.
Category
Dinner
Servings
4
Prep time
10 minutes
Cook time
10 minutes
This is a great budget friendly stir fry sauce where you can swap out the protein to your liking.
First we're going to velvet the chicken in cornflour before cooking in the wok. This tenderises the meat making it nice and juicy rather than tough and dry. We do this beaucse we're cooking it over a high heat. The chicken is seared in batches and set aside, then the aromatics and vegetables build the base in the same wok before everything comes back together with the sauce.
The sauce is only two ingredients: oyster sauce and light soy sauce. Oyster sauce is thick, sweet-savoury, and fermented, and it coats the chicken and vegetables in a glossy finish that soy sauce alone doesn’t achieve. The toasted cashews go in at the end so they stay crunchy and don’t overcook in the hot sauce. The spring onion white parts go in early with the aromatics; the green parts finish the dish raw for a fresh, sharp contrast.
Ingredient Notes
Chicken breast: Breast is my favourite choice for this kind of stir-fry: it slices cleanly, browns quickly, and works well with the cornflour velveting technique. Thigh is a good substitute if you prefer more moisture and a richer flavour, though it takes slightly longer to cook through and doesn’t slice as cleanly when raw. Whichever you use, slice as thinly as possible across the grain: 3-4mm strips cook fast and stay tender.
Cashews: Toasted cashews give this dish its character: nutty, slightly sweet, and crunchy against the soft chicken and vegetables. Use pre-toasted cashews, or toast them yourself in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until golden: about 3-4 minutes. Watch them closely as they burn quickly. Raw cashews don’t have the same depth of flavour. Peanuts are an easy substitute and are used in some versions of this dish.
Oyster sauce: Oyster sauce is a thick, dark, sweet-savoury condiment made from oyster extracts, sugar, and salt. It’s the binding element in this sauce: thick enough to coat and glaze everything in the wok, with a depth of flavour that soy sauce alone doesn’t provide. For a vegetarian version, mushroom oyster sauce is a direct substitute and widely available in Asian grocers.
Equipment
- Chopping board
- Chef’s knife
- Wok or large frying pan
- Wok spatula or tongs
- Large bowl (for marinating)
- Grater or microplane
- Small saucepan (for blanching broccolini)
Ingredients
- 500g chicken breast, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1 tsp Shaoxing (Chinese cooking wine)
- 2 tsp (marinade) + 1 tbsp (sauce) light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp neutral oil (peanut/ canola/ vegetable)
- thumb-size piece fresh ginger, finely grated
- 4 cloves garlic, finely grated
- 4 spring onions, thinly sliced, green and white parts separated
- 1 bunch broccolini, blanched
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 75g (½ cup) toasted cashews (or peanuts)
- pinch MSG (optional)
- steamed rice, to serve
Directions
Marinate chicken
Place the chicken in a large bowl, add the cornflour and toss well to coat.
- Stir through the Shaoxing and 2 tsp light soy sauce, then marinate for 10 minutes to 1 hour.
- Blanch the broccolini in salted boiling water for 3 minutes, then drain and refresh under cold water.
Cook chicken
Heat half the oil in a wok over high heat.
- Sear the chicken in batches, until just browned, then set aside.
Create Your Stir Fry
Heat the remaining oil in the wok. Cook the white part of onions, ginger and garlic for 30 seconds, stirring.
- Add the and blanched broccolini and cook until they start to soften, tossing.
Return the chicken to the wok and stir in the oyster sauce and light soy sauce, cashews, green part of the onions and MSG (if using). Toss well then remove from the heat.
- Serve immediately with steamed rice.
Recipe video
Recipe notes
Substitutions
You can substitute the chicken breast for chicken thighs if you like, both will work well. Or go another protein like pork or beef.
You can throw in any veg you have lying around the fridge like snow peas, capsicum or baby corn.
You can also swap out the cashews for peanuts or remove the nuts all together.
Storage
Ideally eat this immediately after cooking, but if you have leftovers store them in an airtight container refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Serving ideas
You could serve this chicken with some egg or wheat noodles, or try rice noodles for a gluten free option other than the steamed rice.
