Cashew Chicken

A few days ago, one of my pregnant friends had a hankering for this.  Though I'm far away from her and can't whip it up for her to eat in person, I put this recipe together for her. 

I miss you, lady.

Anyhow, I made it and it was good.  It even got a thumbs up from the biggest food critic in the house, which is saying a lot.  Tom said it's as good as Panda Express, though I was hoping to shoot a little higher. 

Cashew Chicken
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp corn starch
- 1 cup salted roasted cashews
- 1 green bell pepper cut into thin slices
- 1 medium onion, cut into larger pieces, layers separated
- 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cups sugar snap peas
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh minced ginger (or 1/2 tsp ground)
- 1/2 cup sherry
- steamed rice to serve

Combine soy sauce and corn starch in a larger shallow bowl until fully dissolved, then soak the chicken in the mixture.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in large, deep skillet on medium high and cook cashews until they brown, stirring constantly.  Remove from pan, reserving oil. 

Add another tbsp oil to pan.  Take chicken pieces from soy sauce mixture, reserving it for later.  Cook chicken until done, then remove from pan, leaving oil in pan.

If needed, add a little bit more oil and cook the vegetables  (and ginger)  until crisp tender.  Mix sherry in with reserved soy sauce blend and add to pan, cooking until thickened. 

Return chicken and cashews to pan, tossing and heating through.   Serve over rice.