Stir-fry chicken with cashew nuts is a heart healthy and high in potassium and diabetes appropriate. This dish contains vegetables and meat, but you can make it vegetarian friendly when you use imitation chicken, tempe or tofu. Serve stir-fry chicken with cashew nuts as a standalone dish, atop brown rice or inside a whole wheat wrap.
Prepare the Vegetables: Prepare your vegetables and keep them separate until cooking. Start by washing each vegetable. For example you could slice a half-pound of fresh mushrooms – button or shitake mushrooms taste good with stir-fry – into bite-sized pieces. Peel two medium carrots, trim off the ends, make a cut length wise and cut in ¼-inch slices. Remove the stem from a half-pound of snow peas. Remove the root end and about 3 in off the green end of five scallions and slice into 1-inch pieces. Take off the skin of three cloves of garlic, cut off the root-end and chop finely. You could also try a vegetable medley of cauliflower, red bell peppers and zucchini.
Prepare the Chicken: Select 1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken breasts at the store and use it within two days to make your stir-fry. Trim off any fat with a sharp knife. Cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces with a sharp knife. Wash your hands thoroughly after touching raw chicken to avoid cross-contamination with other food and utensils.
Cook the Chicken: Preheat a wok or large sauté pan over medium-high heat for two minutes and add 1 tbsp of peanut oil, canola oil or sunflower oil. Cook the chicken for your stir-fry by adding it to the pan, stirring immediately to coat it in oil and stir t often enough that the chicken cooks evenly and does not burn. Stir-fry the chicken until it is completely cooked and no longer pink on the inside. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside.
Cook the Vegetables: Add another tablespoon of peanut oil to the pan. Stir-fry the mushrooms and carrots together. Add the rest of the vegetables when the carrots are tender. Sprinkle a ½ tsp of ginger powder on top and cook until the snow peas are tender, but still crisp. Anticipate that the snow peas will take about 2 to 3 minutes to cook, but the exact time depends on the size of your pan and how hot it is.
Final Step: Add the chicken, stir it in to the vegetables until it is evenly dispersed and take it off the heat. Spoon it into a serving dish. Sprinkle a half-cup of whole, unsalted cashew nuts on top. Place low-sodium soy sauce on the table so your guests can regulate the amount of sodium on their plate.
*Please feel free to post a link to this easy chicken stir-fry tutorial on your blog or website.
References:
Medline Plus: Potassium in Diet