Crispy Chinese Chicken with Sweet Chili Sauce and Cashews

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp Sweet chili sauce
• 2 tbsp Ketchup
• 1 tbsp Dark soy sauce (for the sauce)
• 0.5 tbsp Sugar
• 0.5 tbsp Paprika or cayenne pepper (Choose one of the two.)
• 1 tsp Cornstarch (for the sauce)
• 2 tbsp Water
• 3.5 Chicken thighs (3–4 boneless, skinless thighs, cut into thin strips.)
• 0.5 tsp Salt (The source lists “salt / pepper” with a shared quantity of 1/2 tsp.)
• 0.5 tsp Pepper (The source lists “salt / pepper” with a shared quantity of 1/2 tsp.)
• 0.5 tsp Chili flakes (Or more, to taste.)
• 1 tbsp Dark soy sauce (for the chicken)
• 1 Egg
• 3 tbsp Cornstarch (for the chicken)
• 0.25 cup Neutral oil (For shallow-frying the chicken; approximately 1/4 cup.)
• 1 Cashews (A handful.)
• 5 Garlic (Cloves, minced.)
• 3.5 tbsp Green onion (3–4 tbsp, sliced; use half while sautéing and the rest at the end.)
• 1 tbsp Sesame seeds
• Cooked white rice (For serving; quantity not specified.)
• Ginger (Mentioned in the audio as part of the chicken seasoning, but it does not appear in the written recipe and no quantity is specified.)

Steps

1. 1

   Cut the boneless, skinless chicken thighs into thin strips.

2. 2

   Season the strips with salt, pepper, chili flakes, and dark soy sauce. Add the egg and cornstarch, mixing until the chicken is coated; the audio also mentions ginger, but the written recipe does not specify a quantity.

3. 3

   In a small bowl, mix the sweet chili sauce, ketchup, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, sugar, paprika or cayenne pepper, 1 tsp cornstarch, and water until combined.

4. 4

   Heat the neutral oil in a skillet for shallow-frying the chicken.

5. 5

   Add the chicken in a single batch or in batches, depending on the space. Cook for approximately 8 minutes, avoiding excessive movement so it browns and becomes crispy; then transfer it to a plate lined with paper towels to remove excess oil.

6. 6

   In the same skillet, quickly fry the cashews in the remaining oil. Remove them and set aside.

7. 7

   Remove most of the oil from the skillet, leaving approximately 1 tbsp.

8. 8

   Over low heat, sauté the minced garlic and half of the green onion for about 15 seconds, being careful not to burn the garlic.

9. 9

   Add the prepared sauce to the skillet.

10. 10

    When the sauce begins to bubble, add the cooked chicken.

11. 11

    Gently toss to coat the chicken well with the sauce.

12. 12

    Add the fried cashews, the remaining green onion, and the sesame seeds.

13. 13

    Serve with white rice.

Notes

The written recipe lists paprika or cayenne pepper as options; the audio specifies cayenne pepper and also mentions ginger in the chicken seasoning, although it does not appear in the written ingredient list. White rice is recommended, but no quantity is specified. The quantity of salt and pepper is presented jointly as 1/2 tsp in the source, so it was reflected as 1/2 tsp of each. No cooking temperature is specified.

Nutrition per serving

• dinner
• main course
• chicken
• Chinese-inspired
• crispy
• stir-fry
• spicy
• with cashews