zenbelly

recipes for real life, safer skincare, clean crafted wine

  • About
  • Cookbooks
  • Recipes
  • Work With Me
  • House & Home
  • safer skincare
  • Catering

Orange Cashew Chicken Stir Fry

January 14, 2020 by zenbelly 1 Comment

When it comes to simple weeknight suppers, you can’t beat a stir fry. This Orange Cashew Chicken Stir Fry can be on the table faster than it takes to order takeout. Added bonus: It’s soy-free and gluten-free, and the subtle sweetness comes from orange juice, not sugar.

orange cashew chicken stir fry

Orange Cashew Chicken Stir Fry

My method for making stir fry looks about the same no matter what protein and veggies I use. Here are the key takeaways. Once you get the gist, you can turn just about any meat and veg into a tasty stir fry!

  • The marinade doubles as the stir fry sauce.
  • Mise en place is key – I always recommend prepping all of your ingredients before you start cooking. That is extra important when the steps happen as quickly as they do when making a stir fry!
  • A strategic order is implemented to cook the ingredients. While it may be easier to throw everything in the pan at once, the end result will be overcooked meat, undercooked vegetables and bland flavors.

The marinade doubles as a stir fry sauce:

But Simone, won’t we die of food poisoning if we do this? That’s an excellent question. And no, you won’t. The way it works: The simple marinade does indeed come into contact with the raw protein, yes. And then the protein does indeed get put back into the marinade. At this point, you absolutely do not want to eat either the marinade or the chicken.

But then! After the veggies are about half-cooked, you add the protein + marinade back into the pan, at which point the chicken cooks completely, and the marinade boils for long enough to make it totally safe to eat.

orange cashew chicken stir fry 3

Mise en place:

Mise en place is French for “everything in place”. When you prep all of your ingredients before you put a pan on the burner, your cooking experience will be much more enjoyable.

Aside from being more enjoyable, you will be less likely to burn things, or cut yourself because you’re rushing to get the next ingredient prepped.

Strategic cooking order:

But Simone, it’s a stir fry. Why can’t I just throw it all in a hot pan? I mean technically you can. But the result will be not great.

My method still involves only one pan, but you cook some of the ingredients separately. Clean up is still a breeze, and your stir fry will be delicious.

Print
clock clock icon cutlery cutlery icon flag flag icon folder folder icon instagram instagram icon pinterest pinterest icon facebook facebook icon print print icon squares squares icon

Orange Cashew Chicken Stir Fry

  • Author: zenbelly
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 11-15 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minute
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: chicken
  • Method: stir fry
  • Cuisine: Asian
Print
Pin

Description

This simple stir fry is even better than takeout, and almost as fast.


Scale

Ingredients

1/3 cup fresh orange juice + 3 strips orange peel (see note)
1/3 cup coconut aminos
1 tablespoon fish sauce (I like Red Boat)
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup roasted salted cashews
1 teaspoon tapioca starch
1 small onion
1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets (about 3 cups florets)

rice or cauliflower rice, for serving


Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, combine the orange juice, coconut aminos, fish sauce, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Set aside while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
  2. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cashews and orange peels and cook until they’re deep golden brown and fragrant. Remove with a slotted spoon to a small bowl and set aside. Discard the orange peels.
  3. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl and drain the chicken from the marinade, stirring it around to get it as dry as possible.
  4. Set the pan back on the burner and heat to high. Add the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes, turning occasionally, until it’s lightly browned on each side, about 4-5 minutes. While the chicken is cooking, whisk the tapioca starch into the marinade.
  5. Remove the chicken from the pan and place it back in the marinade.
  6. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan and add the onions and broccoli. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the onions are browned and softened, and the broccoli is about 2/3 of the way cooked (starting to brown, bright green, starting to soften)
  7. Stir the chicken back into the pan. Continue to cook until the sauce has boiled for at least two minutes, and the chicken is cooked through.
  8. Top with the toasted cashews and serve over rice or cauliflower rice.

Notes

  • Before juicing the oranges, use a vegetable peeler to remove 3 strips of peel. Try to get mostly peel, but some pith is fine.
  • The tapioca starch will thicken the sauce a bit, but if you would rather omit it, that’s fine.

Keywords: orange cashew chicken stir fry

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @zenbelly on Instagram and hashtag it #zenbelly


All of the links on zenbelly.com are for information purposes, however some are affiliate links to books, products or services. Any sponsored posts are clearly labelled as being sponsored content. Some ads on this site are served by ad networks and the advertised products are not necessarily recommended by Zenbelly.

Filed Under: 30 minutes, Chicken, Dinner, one pot / pan / skillet Tagged With: chicken cashew stir fry, glutenfree asian food, glutenfree stir fry, paleo asian food, Paleo stir fry, soyfree chinese food

« Instant Pot Pork RagĂș – budget friendly (but tastes expensive)
Savory Dutch Baby with Smoked Salmon »

Comments

  1. ElizaB says

    April 17, 2020 at 6:06 pm

    This dish is delicious, simple, easy and clean. Would not change this recipe at all.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About Me (Hi! I’m Simone)

Hello, and Welcome! I'm so glad you're here. Does that sound disingenuous? Because it's not, I am truly happy you found my little corner of the internet. Why? Because my most favorite thing is to help home cooks feel like pros in ...

Read More »

Connect With Me:

Archives

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress