Chinese food is full of gluten! The sauces they use, the breading, it’s just not a very gluten friendly cuisine. Of course, there are some options out there. Leann Chin’s bourbon chicken is gluten free and PF Chang has several gluten free options too, but neither have a dedicated gluten free kitchen so the risk of cross contamination is pretty high.
It’s unfortunate that some celiacs are super sensitive to cross contamination and some aren’t. Regardless, we know that even if a celiac doesn’t react to the cross contamination, it’s still doing internal damage. Your best bet when it comes to Chinese food – make it yourself!
This gluten free cashew chicken is so good! Seriously, I made it for dinner last night and I’m planning on making it again tonight. Yes, it’s that good.
You’re going to need gluten free soy sauce or you can also use bragg’s liquid aminos, it’s a good soy sauce substitute. That’s what I used yesterday when I made this. You’re also going to need gluten free hoisin sauce and chili garlic sauce. The chili garlic sauce bottle doesn’t say gluten free, but according to the company (click here), it does not contain any gluten ingredients. That’s what I use and we’ve never had any issues. We also use their sriracha.
I like to sauté bell peppers and onions to add to mine. But, that’s completely optional. It taste amazing just as is served over rice!
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. It’s simple and taste oh so good.
Notes
You can roast your cashews on the stove in a pan over low/medium heat. Simply put a little olive oil in a pan, add the cashews and continue to toss for about 5-10 minutes until crispy.
Ingredients
- FOR THE CHICKEN:
- 1 1/2 pounds of chicken (breast or thighs) cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 TBS corn starch
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 TBS sesame oil
- 1 TBS vegetable oil
- FOR THE SAUCE MIX:
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or water
- 2 TBS soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 TBS rice vinegar
- 1 TBS hoisin sauce
- 1/2 -1 tsp sriracha – depending how hot you want it
- 1 tsp chili garlic sauce
- 1 TBS ketchup
- ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS:
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1 TBS minced garlic
- 1 small diced onion
- 3/4 cup unsalted roasted cashews
- OPTIONAL:
- Chopped green onion for garnish
- Sesame seeds
- Sauteed peppers
Instructions
- In a medium bowl whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce mix and set it aside.
- In a large bowl add your chicken pieces, baking soda, corn starch, salt and pepper and toss to combine.
- Heat the sesame oil and vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium to medium/high heat.
- Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink – remove the chicken and set it aside.
- In the same pan add the ginger, minced garlic and onion and saute until the onions are soft.
- Add the sauce mix to the pan – reduce to medium heat and cook until the sauce starts to slightly thicken – about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the chicken and toss well to coat. Cook for an additional couple of minutes to heat the chicken.
- Top with roasted cashews.
- If desired, garnish with green onions and sesame seeds or optionally, sauteed bell peppers if using.
