Recipe > Mains
Stir-fry Chicken with Cashew and Hoisin
This is one of my favourite stir frys recipes.

Serve with either rice or large egg noodles

If you can't get your hands on any shaosing wine, purchase some dry white wine and sweeten each 100ml with 1 tablespoon of sugar

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 Tblsp vegetable oil
4 x chicken breasts
4 spring onions
55g / 2oz mangetout
55g / 2oz baby corn
55g / 2oz cashew nuts
3 cloves garlic
110g / 4oz hoisin sauce
250ml / 9fl oz shaosing wine

Noodles or rice to serve

Mise-en-Place:
Slice the chicken breasts
Slice the mangetout in half, chop the spring onions(and if you wish to speed up cooking time split the corn in half)
Chop the garlic

Method:
In a wok, over a high heat:
Heat the vegetable oil
Fry the garlic for 30 seconds to 'brown off'
Add the chicken breasts, cook for 1 minute
Add the vegetables, fry for a minute longer
Add the hoisin and shaosing wine, allow to boil, then reduce to a simmer
(If you are using noodles, this it the time to add them to the wok. If you are using rice cook separately.)
Cook for 2-3 minutes
Add the cashew nuts and serve

Adjust:
The sauce should be quite thick and very rich in flavour
Sauce too thin: Add more hoisin / reduce liquid through rapid boiling
Too astringent: A possible result of using dry wine and not shaosing; add sugar

Presentation:
If you cooked the dish with noodles place in a bowl
With rice: Place the cooked rice in a bowl, pour the stir-fry over.

Science behind the dish:
Hoisin sauce, also known as 'suckling pig sauce' is made from fermented soy beans. It is the soy particles that thicken this sauce. As the particles are distributed through the shaosing the tiny particles stop and slow the free movement of the water, thus causing it to thicken