The secret ingredient was discovered by complete accident when I tried to remember {my memory is terrible when it comes to remembering how I make something ... which is one of the main reasons for starting this blog in the first place!} a recipe for Outback green beans off of Pinterest that I had made multiple times, but was too lazy to pull it up. I knew there was one ingredient I always had to substitute for and for whatever reason steak seasoning was what I thought I always used.
My go to steak seasoning is of course from Aldi, 1) because it's inexpensive and 2) because it's delish so here is my first attempt at coming up with a recipe that compares to this!
Homemade Steak Seasoning
2 tablespoons salt (coarse salt or sea salt is best)
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper
1/2 tablespoon crushed dill seed
1 teaspoon cumin or 1 tablespoon crushed coriander
1 teaspoon crushed celery seed or 1 tablespoon fennel
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
Now for the cashew chicken. I do have to admit this is usually a throw together meal but the basics are the same and it's easy to tweak to your own liking! I also have two version detailed {when I don't have the basics} and simple {when I do}.
Homemade Cashew Chicken - detailed
Rice -3 cups long grain white rice
5 cups water
Put water in sauce pan. Bring to boil. Add rice. Cover and simmer for 15-18 minutes until majority of the water has been absorbed. Remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. I always go for a moister rice.
2 tbsp olive oil
2 chicken breast
8 ounces cashew halves
1 1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
+ 1 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoon rice vinegar (wine vinegar or regular vinegar would work just fine)
2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoon honey
2 cloves of garlic, finely grated or minced
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toast cashews for 5—6 minutes. Split and slice chicken breast. Heat oil in pan and fry until fully cooked. Mix remaining ingredients in bowl. Add sauce and toasted cashews to skillet and cook for 5 minutes.
Butter Sauce
8 tbsp butter
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon steak seasoning
1 tbsp worchestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
Melt butter in sauce pan. Whisk in remaining ingredients. Simmer for 3-5 minutes.
Serve chicken and cashews over rice drizzle with butter sauce. A side of fresh steamed green beans is always a must for us. :)
Serve chicken and cashews over rice drizzle with butter sauce. A side of fresh steamed green beans is always a must for us. :)
Simple Cashew Chicken
2 tbsp olive oil
2 chicken breast
8 ounces cashew halves
1 to 1 1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 to 1 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce (optional - usually make my own, but recently just found some at Aldi and tried it out)
1/4 cup hoisin sauce (optional - usually make my own, but recently just found some at Aldi and tried it out)
1/4 cup oyster sauce (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toast cashews for 5—6 minutes. Split and slice chicken breast. Heat oil in pan and fry until fully cooked. Add remaining ingredients and toasted cashews to skillet, stir, and cook for 5 minutes.
We aren't big rice (or pasta) eaters around here, but this meal as become a favorite ... especially since my accidental steak seasoning mix-up :)!
We aren't big rice (or pasta) eaters around here, but this meal as become a favorite ... especially since my accidental steak seasoning mix-up :)!
