Chicken & Cashews

(photo by Randy Mayor and courtesy of cookinglight.com)

I'm a sucker for all Asian food and tend to make quite a bit of it at home. My pantry is now stocked with most of the Asian dish essentials like sesame oil, fish sauce, hoisen sauce and red curry paste so I'm ready to cook up some Asian flare at any time. This Chicken and Cashew dish is from the May 2009 issue of Cooking Light and is definitely a favorite ours. We just gobble it up and I hope you do too!

Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, divided
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry (if you don't have sherry, use apple juice)
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch, divided
- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
- 3/4 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions (about 3 green onions)
- 1/4 cup chopped unsalted dry-roasted cashews

Preparation
1. Combine 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sherry, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, and chicken in a large bowl; toss well to coat. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, remaining 2 teaspoons cornstarch, broth, oyster sauce, and honey in a small bowl.

2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken mixture to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Remove from pan. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in pan. Add onion, celery, and bell pepper to pan; sauté 2 minutes. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Return chicken mixture to pan; sauté 1 minute. Stir in broth mixture. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with green onions and cashews. Serve over a simple rice pilaf like the one listed below.

Rice pilaf: Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup chopped onion and 2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger to pan; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in 1 cup water, 1/2 cup long-grain rice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 12 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; stir in 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro.

Nutritional Information (not including rice pilaf)
Calories: 257
Fat: 9g (sat 1.9g,mono 4.2g,poly 2.3g)
Protein: 26g
Carbohydrate: 17g
Fiber: 1.9g
Cholesterol: 63mg
Iron: 2mg
Sodium: 584mg
Calcium: 45mg