Stir Fried Asparagus, Chicken and Cashew Nuts

This easy, but excellent dish was inspired by the cashew and asparagus side-dish I have recently seen at Shu Han’s Mummy, I can cook!. She has chosen my beloved vegetable and my favourite nuts, preparing them in one of the most frequent cooking methods I use, so when I saw her post I realised once more how enriching are my regular peeks at my blogging friends’ adventures… Needless to say, I instantly bookmarked the recipe and waited only for my following visit to farmers market.

Since I needed a quick one-bowl lunch, I have transformed Shu Han’s side-dish into a main course, adding chicken breast pieces I often fry with cashew nuts and serving it in a bowl, on top of steamed rice. I have also slightly changed the sauce ingredients, still binding it with corn starch. Crisp asparagus, roast crunchy cashew nuts and delicate chicken pieces seasoned with a light, slightly sweet sauce created a very interesting, complex combination of flavours. I am really glad to have a new, excellent recipe on my list of asparagus dishes. Thank you, Shu Han, for this brilliant idea! (If you want to see Shu Han’s original version, click here.)

If you look for some asparagus cooking ideas, here are some suggestions:

-Tama Konnyaku and Asparagus Skewers

-Asparagus Teriyaki Pork Rolls

-Asparagus Tempura

-Asparagus Maki Sushi

Preparation: 20 minutes

Ingredients (serves one):

1/2 chicken breast

7 thin green asparagus spears

10 cashew nuts

oil

salt, pepper

Sauce:

1 tablespoon soy sauce (or more if using low-sodium sauce) 

1 teaspoon water

1 teaspoon sake

1 teaspoon syrup or sugar  (I used agave syrup)

1 teaspoon corn starch

Cut up the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces and season it slightly with salt.

Cut up the asparagus spears into bite-sized pieces too.

Combine the sauce ingredients in a glass or small bowl.

Heat a small amount of oil in a pan or wok. Roast the cashew nuts until slightly golden. Put them aside.

Add more oil and stir fry the chicken pieces for about five minutes, add the asparagus spurs and stir fry for about 5-7 minutes (or more, until the chicken is well cooked).

Add the cashew nuts, the sauce and heat, constantly stirring, for about one minute until the sauce thickens.

Sprinkle with ground pepper.
Serve with rice.

44 Replies to “Stir Fried Asparagus, Chicken and Cashew Nuts”

  1. Sissi, I`m so hungry now looking at those lovely asparagus and cashew nuts! Can I come over to your how now 😀 I always feel intrigued when I see people incorporate cashew nuts in their dishes. Your dish sure looks so tasty and I`ll remember about this recipe when I have cashew nuts in hand.

  2. I really love the addition fo cashews into the dish and yes, now is really the time to eat as much asparagus as possible when they are at their best!

    I only discovered Shu Han’s blog and love it! Find it quite cool that she manages a farmer’s market on the weekends

  3. Hi Sissi! It must be asparagus season at your area, I am really enjoying these recipe! I’ve never thought about skewer, or combine them with cashew, though it makes perfect sense in my mind now I’ve seen your post.

    I’ve stumbled across Shu Han’s blog before, just saw she has a FB page set up, thank you for the link back to her site!

    1. Thank you so much, Jeno. Yes, it’s asparagus season here (I suppose it’s already over in Texas…).

    1. Thank you, Tessa. (I have bought this bowl in a Japanese grocery shop and unfortunately it was the last one they had… Have never seen it since, so I take good care of it because I really like it!).

  4. When they say you eat with your eyes first, they must have been thinking of this dish. I just love how fresh the colours are, and the cashews are a wonderful crunchy and creamy addition. The flavours sound amazing too. Very nicely done.

    1. Thank you so much, Eva. I love cashews in most stir-fries (unless I put roasted sesame seeds).

  5. Mmm… I’m loving all the fresh, seasonal asparagus I’m coming across these days. It’s hard to beat the simplicity of a stir-fry and this one looks so yummy with its soy sauce dressing and cashews for texture and flavour. Lovely idea Sissi and thanks for including the links to other asparagus recipes… yum!

    1. Thank you so much, Kelly. I sometimes tend to overload my stir-fries with leftover vegetables (I can put as much as four or five) and then I never post them because they look like “trash” food 😉 In this one I somehow managed to stick to just asparagus.

  6. I made a dish similar to this recently. However I usually add the cashews to my beef and broccoli. This dish mixes the best of both dishes into one — which makes it sure to be a winner. I’ll have to try out your version next time Sissi. I like it because it works as a weeknight dish as it is not complicated to make.

    1. Thank you, Barb. It is a very quick dish indeed. I add cashews to most stir-fries (or sesame seeds, but most of the time there has to be a nutty crunch).

  7. This dish looks like my favourite dinner – sub some soya sauce soaked tofu in for chicken and I could live on it 😀
    Awesome!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

    1. Thank you, Shu Han. I’m happy you like it, but the only thing I did was to add some meat 😉 You were the one who had this excellent asparagus and cashew nuts combination idea. Thank you again!

    1. Thank you, Elisabeth, for this kind comment and the compliments. I am hopping to see your blog.

  8. This is the type of food I like to make. Quick but yet so delicious, and healthful. Thank you for the recipe and other recipes you have on asparagus.

  9. Hi Sissi! I haven’t put nuts in my savory dishes at home but I do love eating them at mostly Chinese restaurants. Love how easy this dish is and it goes well perfectly with the rice and miso soup… my weeknight dinner is like that. =D

    1. Thank you, Nami. It’s a perfect week dinner indeed. (And it was great with Japanese rice 😉 ).

  10. Love the way you took a side dish and turned it into a meal and still keeping it simple! Great recipe from the both of you!

  11. Hi Sissi, this looks delish – I remember well Shuhan’s post and you’ve really made a great main out of it. I adore cashew nuts in cooking, though I never seem to be able to get them like they are in Chinese restaurants… need to work on that!

    As you know, I’m the weirdo who doesn’t like chicken (actually, as time goes by I like it less… I thought I’d start enjoying it again but apparently not 🙁 ) – I think some beef might work excellently here, or maybe even shrimps? The sauce sounds delicious!

    1. Thank you, Charles. I remember you don’t like chicken, but then many men (at least in France and strangely not women…) I know don’t care for it either saying it doesn’t have much taste, is bland, not real meat etc.. so I’m not really surprised. I have always been a huge chicken fan and I have chicken practically every other day (sometimes even 5 days a week, I suppose because chicken has such a delicate flavour and it’s difficult to get bored because it absorbs easily spices and sauces), so I always experiment with chicken (or pork sometimes too), but I’m sure beef would be nice and maybe shrimps too. If you experiment with either, please let me know!

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