Photo of Cashew Chicken by WW

Cashew Chicken

7
Points®
Total Time
37 min
Prep
25 min
Cook
12 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Moderate
This Chinese restaurant staple gets a lot of its sky-high fat content from oil. We lightened it significantly but kept a lot of the flavor and crunch.

Ingredients

Peanut oil

2 tsp

Garlic

2 clove(s), minced

Uncooked skinless boneless chicken breast

1 pound(s), cut into 1-inch cubes

Table salt

½ tsp, or more to taste

Black pepper

¼ tsp, or more to taste

Fat-free reduced sodium chicken broth

1½ cup(s), divided

Less sodium soy sauce

2 Tbsp, or more to taste

Celery

2 rib(s), medium, chopped

Canned bamboo shoots

8 oz, drained

Canned water chestnuts

8 oz, sliced, drained

Cornstarch

1½ Tbsp

Cooked white rice

2 cup(s), kept hot

Unsalted dry-roasted cashews

1¾ oz, chopped (about 6 Tbsp)

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper and add to skillet. Cook until browned on all sides, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes.
  2. Add 1 cup of broth, soy sauce, celery, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts to chicken and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
  3. Dissolve cornstarch in remaining 1/2 cup of broth; add to skillet and simmer until sauce thickens, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.
  4. To serve, divide rice among 4 shallow dishes. Spoon chicken mixture onto rice and sprinkle with cashews. Yields about 1 cup of chicken, 1/2 cup of rice and 1 1/2 tablespoons of cashews per serving.

Notes

For a burst of color, add 2 cups of chopped fresh baby bok choy in place of the bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. The tender greens will cook with the chicken in 5 minutes.