Chicken & Cashew with Iceberg Lettuce

I ordered this the first time I ever went to a Thai restaurant. I can still remember how it blew me away with the tenderness of the chicken, the nutty crunch of the cashews and the exotic, pungent sauce. So it was only natural that it was one of the first Thai dishes I learned to cook.

Feel free to use a little sugar to season this. Traditionally is has quite a bit of sweetness, but I prefer it more salty.

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Chicken & Cashew with Iceberg Lettuce

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts finely sliced
• 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 100 g cashew nuts
• 3 green onions (scallions / shallots) (scallions), finely sliced
• 1 iceberg lettuce to serve (optional)

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• Heat a few tablespoons olive or peanut oil in a large wok or frying pan (skillet) over a high heat.
• Stir fry chicken for about 5 minutes or until chicken is just cooked through.
• Quickly add the sauces and stir to heat through.
• Taste and season with a little sugar if you like.
• Remove from the heat and toss in cashews and green onions (scallions).

[*NOTE Simple Meal Planners]
Serve stir fry with ice burg lettuce leaves and allow everyone to wrap their own and eat. It will look a little like this:

Leftover Potential

OK. You can reheat but I tend not to enjoy reheated chicken that much.

Variations for serving sizes

If you need to more than double this, best to cook in batches so you don’t over crowd your wok.

Variations

vegan – replace the chicken with firm tofu or tempeh cut into small chunks and replace the oyster and fish sauce with hoisin sauce.

vegetarian – replace chicken with sliced halloumi. Pan fry on both sides until golden and remove from the heat. Add sauces and allow to heat through drizzle over the halloumi. You could also try replacing the chicken with tofu, tempeh, chickpeas, beans or button mushrooms.

nut free – replace cashews with another chicken breast and toss in a large handful of fresh basil at the end.

no fish sauce? – replace with soy sauce or just use extra oyster sauce.

no oyster sauce – use soy sauce with a teaspoon of honey instead.

carb lovers / more substantial – serve with steamed rice or quinoa.

more substantial (low carb) – extra cashews. low carb veg like broccoli.

more veg – add chopped carrots, red and green bell peppers (capsicum).

paleo (grain, legume & dairy-free) – use sweet potato hummus.

Waste Avoidance Strategy

chicken – pop it in the freezer or poach and use within a week or so.

oyster sauce, fish sauce & cashews – keep in the pantry.

iceberg – keep in a plastic bag in the fridge for at least 2 weeks. Use the lettuce for something else if you won’t be making this dish longer than that.

green onions – keep in a plastic bag in the fridge for many weeks – just peel of any layers that are past it.

Problem Solving Guide

too salty – fish and oyster sauces vary in their level of saltiness. Next time try using less sauce but for now, sweeten with a little brown sugar to temper the salt.

too dry – sounds like you need a little more sauce. Add more of both the oyster and fish sauces in the ratio 3:1. A little water can help as well.

chicken too dry or tough– its really critical not to overcook the chicken when stir frying. Next time make sure your chicken is chopped really finely, that you use a high heat and only cook the chicken until it is no longer pink.

chicken still pink – ick, no one likes under cooked chicken. Best to pop it back in the pan for a few minutes. Next time chop the chicken into smaller pieces so it cooks quickly. Also make sure that all your chicken pieces are about the same size.

Serving Suggestions

Great as part of a Thai banquet.

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