Chipotle Cashew Chicken

I’ve only made a couple of Rachael Ray’s 30 minute meals, and I must say that her 30 minute meals are a bunch of b.s. While this recipe is super tasty and we’ll make it again, it certainly takes longer than 30 minutes. Even the recipe on foodnetwork.com states that from start to finish it takes 40 minutes! I timed it and it took me 42 minutes, and I’m not slow on prep or cooking. Possibly if you have a commercial grade stove, where it takes 2 seconds for a pan to heat up and the sustained temperature is much higher than a regular stove, then maybe just maybe, this dish can be prepared in the advertised 30 minute meals.

Anyway, this dish is excellent, and spicy. You can easily bring the heat level down, or turn it up depending on how much chipotle you add. When spicy, definitely not kid friendly…our kiddos had fish sticks that night.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, 1/4 onion finely chopped, 3/4 thinly sliced
• 2 cups quick cooking brown rice–I used white rice
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 pounds chicken meat: tenders, boneless, skinless breasts or boneless, skinless thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning blend by McCormick)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons tamari dark soy sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 10 to 12 water chestnuts, whole
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 3 tablespoons chipotle in adobo (2 peppers and their sauce),or substitute 1 1/2 tablespoons ground chipotle powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 to 3 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup real maple syrup
• 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 cup raw cashews–I used peanuts
  

Assembly:

• In a medium pot over medium heat combine 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan, and 1 tablespoon butter. When butter melts into oil, add in the chopped onion, cook 2 minutes, then add rice and cook 3 minutes more. Add stock and cover the pot. Raise heat to bring stock to a rapid boil. Once the stock boils, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender, 17-18 minutes.
• While rice cooks, make the chicken. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add vegetable oil, 2 turns of the pan, then the chicken. Season the chicken with grill seasoning. Brown the chicken on both sides, season with soy sauce then move off to one side of the pan. Add the remaining onions, garlic and peppers. Cook 2 to 3 minutes then add water chest nuts and green peas and mix vegetables and meat together. Add the chipotles and cumin. Toss to coat. Glaze the mixture with honey and maple syrup and turn off the heat. Add in the chopped cilantro or parsley and the cashew nuts.
• Top rice with cashew chicken and serve.

Chipotle Cashew Chicken: