Sichuan Chicken with Bell Peppers and Cashews Recipe
This dish is a cousin of the famous gong bao chicken, but with cashews and more vegetables. In China, quick wok dishes like this are a typical weekday dinner – they come together in no time after work. The sauce is mildly spicy, salty-sweet and very aromatic, and the crunchy nuts add a lovely texture.
A quick, weeknight-friendly Sichuan-style stir-fry with a perfectly balanced salty-sweet-spicy sauce and crunchy cashews for extra texture. It delivers restaurant-style flavor with simple ingredients and minimal prep.
Chef's tips
Prepare and chop all ingredients before you start cooking – once the pan is hot, everything goes very quickly. Use high heat and avoid overcrowding the pan so the chicken stir-fries instead of stewing. Lightly toasting the cashews at the beginning deepens their flavor and keeps them crunchy in the finished dish.
How to serve
Serve in warm bowls over a bed of jasmine or basmati rice. Add a side of lightly pickled cucumbers or a simple cucumber salad with rice vinegar and sesame oil. Sprinkle with extra spring onion greens or a few sesame seeds just before serving.
Ingredients
- boneless chicken breast you can also use boneless chicken thigh - 400 g
- bell pepper - 1 piece
- bell pepper - 1 piece
- spring onion white and green parts - 4 piece
- unsalted cashews you can use peanuts - 70 g
- oil - 3 tablespoon
- dried chili peppers or 0.5 teaspoon chili flakes; omit for a mild version - 4 piece
- garlic - 3 clove
- fresh ginger piece about 3 cm - 15 g
- light soy sauce - 3 tablespoon
- dark soy sauce for color, can be omitted - 1 tablespoon
- vinegar can be replaced with apple cider vinegar - 1.5 tablespoon
- sugar you can use honey - 1.5 tablespoon
- potato or corn starch for thickening the sauce - 2 teaspoon
- water - 80 ml
- salt to taste, usually very little because of the soy sauce
Preparation
- Cut the chicken into thin strips or small cubes. Transfer to a bowl, add 1 tablespoon light soy sauce and 1 teaspoon starch, mix and set aside for 10 minutes.
- Deseed the bell peppers and cut them into strips. Cut the spring onion into pieces about 3 cm long. Peel and finely chop the garlic and ginger.
- In a small bowl, mix the remaining light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, water and 1 teaspoon starch. Stir until the starch dissolves.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large frying pan or wok over high heat. Add the cashews and fry for 2–3 minutes, stirring often, until lightly golden. Transfer them to a small plate.
- Pour the remaining oil into the same pan. Add the dried chilies (if using) and fry for about 30 seconds, stirring, until they become very fragrant but do not burn.
- Add the chicken. Stir-fry for 4–5 minutes over high heat, stirring frequently, until the meat turns white, is lightly browned and no longer raw in the center.
- Add the garlic, ginger, bell peppers and the white parts of the spring onion. Stir-fry for 3–4 minutes, stirring, until the vegetables soften slightly but are still crisp.
- Stir the sauce in the bowl (starch tends to sink to the bottom) and pour it into the pan. Cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens and coats the ingredients evenly.
- Add the toasted cashews and the green parts of the spring onion, mix. Taste and, if needed, season with a little salt or a bit of sugar if you prefer a sweeter sauce.
- Serve immediately with hot jasmine or basmati rice.
Storage
Przechowuj w szczelnym pojemniku w lodówce do 2 dni. Podgrzewaj na patelni z odrobiną wody, mieszając, aż sos znów będzie gładki. Możesz zamrozić do 2 miesięcy, najlepiej bez ryżu.
