Cashew Chicken with Sesame Garlic Sauce

I'm back...did you miss me? :) I missed you guys, but had a great time in Columbus, Ohio with my daughter and the other cheer parents. On our down time, we spent some time strolling the North Market; where I found some new spices I can't wait to experiment with and did a little shopping at Easton Town Center. The parent get togethers for lunch and dinner are always fun with a lots of laughs and thanks to a few recommendations, we had some great meals at Pasqualones, Barcelona, and Northstar Cafe.

And of course, we spent plenty of time soaking up the last time our senior girls would perform at a national competition. They did fantastic and after two days of competing, they took 2nd Place in their division!

Anyway, enough about my little break. For today's new recipe, I'm sharing Cashew Chicken with Sesame Garlic Sauce. Now, if you follow along here on the blog regularly, you know I don't usually purchase pre-made sauces because they're generally very high in sodium. However, when grocery shopping recently I came across a new line of sauces by Iron Chef and the Sesame Garlic version caught my eye. I don't make a lot of Asian food at home; nor do I eat it out that often. Occasionally when I am in the mood, I opt for some Eggdrop Wonton mixed soup or Moo Goo Gai Pan in a Brown Sauce (which is just some steamed chicken and vegetables).

So when I saw this sauce, I figured I'd make a quick stir fry with it one night for dinner. I mean after all, if you're going to use a soy or teriyaki sauce anyway, might as well use a pre-made one as they all contain a lot of salt. The sauce had a little bit of a kick, but it wasn't too overpowering for my palate (I don't like things that are too spicy) and I liked how quick it was to make this. Just put all of your ingredients in one pan and dinner is served! The family really liked my version of Cashew Chicken with Sesame Garlic Sauce and I served it over some brown rice and had enough for leftovers the next day too.  ~Enjoy!



Cashew Chicken with Sesame Garlic Sauce
Prep Time: 10 minutes     Cook Time: 20 minutes     Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. Stir Fry Oil
• 2 lbs. Boneless Chicken Breasts, large dice
• 3 Stalks Celery, diced
• 1/2 Red Onion, diced
• 1-14 (ounce) Can Baby Corn, drained
• 1-5 (ounce) Can Bamboo Shoots, drained
• 1- 8 (ounce) Can Sliced Water Chestnuts, drained
• 1-15 (ounce) Bottle Iron Chef Sesame Garlic Sauce
• 1 c. Cashews

Directions

1. In a large nonstick saute pan, heat oil over medium-high heat and add the chicken. 
2. Saute 5-7 minutes until chicken is almost cooked through; then add the celery and onion and cook for an additional 3 minutes until they start to soften. 
3. Next, add the corn, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and sauce and mix together until all ingredients have been coated; then stir in the cashews. Serve alone or over rice. 

Nutrition Facts per Serving
Calories 504, Carbs 41.2g, Fat 18.1g, Protein 40.6g, Fiber 3.9g, Sugar 30.3g

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into Calorie Count and may not be 100% accurate.