Marc's Cashew Chicken - Poulet au cachoux de Marc

INGRÉDIENTS
* 4 poitrines de poulet sans peau, désossées (environ 1 1/2 à 1 3/4 lb au total), coupées en cubes de 1 po
* L'huile d'arachide (environ 3/4 tasse, peut remplacer d'autres huiles végétales)
* Poudre de chili (environ 3 c. À soupe)
* Tamari (environ 1/2 tasse) (si vous n'avez pas accès au tamari, vous pouvez remplacer la sauce soja, utiliser du tamari sans blé ou de la sauce soja si vous devez cuisiner sans gluten)
* Miel (environ 1/2 tasse)
* 2 tasses de noix de cajou non rôti
* Sel
* 3 tasses d'oignons hachés grossièrement (environ 2 gros oignons moyens)
* 3 tasses de champignons hachés grossièrement

Optionnel

* 1-2 cuillères à café de gingembre frais émincé
* 1/4 tasse de feuilles d'oignon vert hachées

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* 4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds total), cut into 1-inch cubes
* Peanut oil (about 3/4 cup, can substitute other vegetable oil)
* Chili Powder (about 3 Tbsp)
* Tamari (about 1/2 cup) (if you don't have access to tamari you can substitute soy sauce, use Wheat-free tamari or soy sauce if you need to cook gluten-free)
* Honey (about 1/2 cup)
* 2 cups raw cashews
* Salt
* 3 cups roughly chopped onions (about 2 medium large onions)
* 3 cups roughly chopped mushrooms

Optional

* 1-2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
* 1/4 cup chopped green onion greens

PRÉPARATION
1 Mariner le poulet. Placez le poulet en cubes dans un bol moyen. Ajouter l'huile. Ajouter le tamari jusqu'à ce que la marinade devienne brun foncé (environ 2 cuillères à soupe par poitrine). Saupoudrer la poudre de chili sur les morceaux de poulet en remuant, de sorte que chaque morceau de poulet soit bien enrobé avec la poudre de chili et la marinade. Incorporer le miel, environ 2 cuillères à soupe pour chaque poitrine. Ajouter le gingembre haché si vous utilisez. Faire mariner pendant 1/2 heure à plusieurs heures, le plus long sera le mieux.

2 Mettre les noix de cajou dans une casserole, couvrir d'eau, ajouter une cuillère à café de sel. Porter à ébullition et laisser mijoter jusqu'à ce que les noix de cajou soient tendres, quelques minutes (l'eau devient mousseuse). Retirer du feu, filtrer et réserver.

3 Chauffer une grande poêle à feu moyen-vif. Travaillez en lots si nécessaire pour ne pas encombrer la casserole, utilisez des pinces pour retirer les morceaux de poulet de la marinade et placez-les dans la casserole, en réservant la marinade supplémentaire. Faire sauter les morceaux de poulet jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient juste cuits, retirer de la poêle et réserver. Placer toute marinade supplémentaire dans la casserole et laisser mijoter pendant plusieurs minutes (pour tuer les bactéries). Verser tout sauf 1 cuillère à soupe de la marinade dans un bol séparé et réserver.

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4 Dans la même poêle, faire revenir les oignons à feu moyen-vif pendant plusieurs minutes. Ajouter les champignons et continuer à faire sauter jusqu'à ce que les oignons soient translucides et que les champignons soient cuits, quelques minutes de plus. Ajouter une marinade réservée à la poêle si nécessaire.

5 Mélanger le poulet, les champignons, les oignons et les noix de cajou. Incorporer les feuilles d'oignon (le cas échéant) juste avant de servir. Servir sur du riz.

Donne 4 à 6 portions.

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This cashew chicken recipe is one of my favorites on the site, and not just because it hails from my friend Marc Canter who I don't see nearly enough. I first posted it several years ago after a raucous and memorable dinner that Marc prepared, accompanied by his wife Lisa and their kids Mimi and Lucy (any dinner with little kids tends to be raucous and memorable, don't you agree?) Marc had been serenading me with stories of his famous cashew chicken, his trademark dish, tested and perfected over decades of crashing at the homes of old and new friends in exchange for his cooking. One of the things I like so much about Marc's cashew chicken is that it is a good base recipe from which one can easily expand. Several people suggested the addition of some ginger and onion greens, which I agree works well and I've added in this updated version as an option. I've also enjoyed it with some fresh chopped pineapple thrown in, giving it some sweetness. Others have added vegetables such as broccoli or snow peas. Note that the amounts are all approximate. Marc doesn't really measure; like most natural cooks I know, he "eyeballs" it. But with these ingredients, in approximately the right proportions, it's hard to go wrong.

You can whip this up pretty quickly if you first start with the marinade, then chop the vegetables and cook the cashews while the chicken is marinating. By the way, several people have suggested toasting the cashews in lieu of boiling them. I think that's a great idea; it will bring out even more flavor and the cashews will be crunchy. To toast them, heat a skillet on medium high heat, add the cashews, stir until lightly browned.

Method

1 Marinate the chicken. Place the cubed chicken in a medium bowl. Add the oil. Add the tamari until the marinade turns dark brown (about 2 Tbsp per breast). Sprinkle the chili powder over the chicken pieces while stirring, so that each piece of chicken gets well coated with the chili powder and marinade. Stir in the honey, about 2 tablespoons for each breast. Add chopped ginger if using. Marinate for 1/2 hour to several hours, the longer the better.

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2 Place cashews in a saucepan, cover with water, add a teaspoon of salt. Bring the water to a boil and simmer until the cashews are soft, a couple of minutes (the water will get foamy). Remove from the heat, strain and set aside.

3 Heat a large skillet on medium high heat. Working in batches if needed so you don't crowd the pan, use tongs to remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and place them in the pan, reserving the extra marinade. Sauté the chicken pieces until just cooked through, remove from the pan and set aside. Place any extra marinade back in the pan and simmer for several minutes (to kill any bacteria). Pour off all but 1 Tbsp of the marinade into a separate bowl and reserve.

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4 In the same pan, sauté the onions on medium high to high heat for several minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to sauté until onions are translucent and mushrooms are cooked, several minutes more. Add some reserved marinade to the pan if necessary.

5 Combine chicken, mushrooms, onions, with the cashews. Stir in onion greens (if using) right before serving. Serve over rice.

Serves 4-6.