Springfield Missouri a place, I called home for many years, has its own coveted way of making an American-Asian classic called cashew chicken. It’s a style all in its own and once you’ve had it, you don’t want it any other way. Anyone who has transferred away from Springfield onto other opportunities always remembers this dish and Always wants it! Here’s how to make it at home.
What you need:
Sauce (Yields 4 cups)
¼ cup cornstarch
¼ cup water
3½ cups chicken broth
¼ cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp oyster sauce
½ tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
¼ tsp ground white pepper
1 pinch ground ginger
⅛ tsp sesame oil
Springfield-Style Cashew Chicken
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp seasoned salt, divided
1½ tsp ground white pepper, divided
2 Tbsp garlic powder
½ tsp ground cayenne pepper (optional)
3 eggs
3 cups milk
2 lbs chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
sauce (recipe follows)
½ cup roasted cashews, for garnish
½ cup chopped green onion, for garnish
Let’s get started:
| Sauce | In a small bowl, add cornstarch and then water; whisk together until completely combined. (This is your slurry.) In a saucepan over high heat, add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add slurry and stir until sauce develops a gravy-like consistency. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.
| Springfield-Style Cashew Chicken | Set fryer to 350°F or heat vegetable or peanut oil in a cast iron skillet no more than half way up the skillet (you want the oil to reach half way up the chicken pieces). In a bowl, combine flour, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon white pepper, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and remaining salt and white pepper. With each piece of chicken, completely coat with flour mixture, dunk in egg-milk mixture and then coat again with flour mixture; place on a baking sheet. Transfer coated chicken pieces to fryer and fry, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from fryer and set on a paper towel-lined plate or wire rack. When ready to serve, refry chicken, 2 to 3 minutes; remove chicken from fryer and plate it with sauce. Garnish with cashews and green onion and serve hot.
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