Sesame Chicken with Chili Lime Cashews

I haven’t made anything new from the Half Baked Harvest blog in a hot minute, and as soon as I started preparing this recipe I remembered why. So many components! So many ingredients! So many dishes! I kind of hoped this wouldn’t be good after all this, but damn, it really was. And it only used one pan, so I guess I’ll allow it.

I just find there are so many things happening in any given HBH recipe, but it helps me to break it down, eliminate any extras and streamline the ingredients/directions so it’s easier to follow. For this reason I almost didn’t make the Chili Lime Cashews with this, but I’m so glad I did because they were so good! Instead of getting tossed in the stir-fry with everything else, you make them separately and add them on as a garnish and they were such a tasty addition.

Other than that, you’ve got a pretty standard stir-fry situation happening here: chicken + veggies + sauce + rice. Oh and I love the slices of fresh cucumber added on top too. Logging this here so I actually remember to make it again.

Sesame Chicken with Chili Lime Cashews

Source: Half Baked Harvest

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp ketchup
  • 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1/2 tsp chili paste (more if you like heat)
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated with a microplane
  • 1/2 tbsp minced ginger
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Chili Lime Cashews

  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1/2 cup unsalted cashews
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • zest of 1 lime
  • salt

Chicken + Veggies

  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
  • salt & pepper
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 red or orange pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly torn

+ cooked jasmine rice, sliced cucumber, sesame seeds, lime wedges

Directions

  1. For the sauce, add all the ingredients to a jar with a lid and shake to combine.
  2. For the cashews, heat the sesame oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat, then add the honey, cashews, chili powder and turmeric and stir until toasted and caramelized about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and spread out on a plate lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with lime zest and salt.
  3. For the chicken and veggies, toss the chicken with the cornstarch and a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl or plastic bag.
  4. Wipe out the skillet you used for the cashews, place over medium heat and add the same oil. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides. Add the peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes until starting to soften. Add the sauce and cook until bubbly and thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil.
  5. Serve chicken over rice with chili lime cashews, sliced cucumber, a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a squeeze of lime.