Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken

Once again, I was perusing Pinterest for recipes when this one for Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken caught my eye.  It reminded me of my favorite dish from Keo's Thai Cuisine, which has sadly closed (temporarily, I hope).  So, I decided to give it a try.

INGREDIENTS

• 
  
• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (About 4 pieces) (I actually used boneless skinless chicken thighs instead)
• 3 Tbsp cornstach
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbsp canola oil
• ½ cup soy sauce
• 4 Tbsp rice wine vinegar (I couldn't find rice wine vinegar so I used seasoned rice vinegar)
• 4 Tbsp ketchup
• 2 Tbsp sweet chili sauce (the one I found was called sweet and spicy chili sauce)
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 cup cashews

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine cornstarch and pepper in resealable food storage bag. Add chicken pieces. Shake to coat with cornstarch mixture.
2. Heat canola oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken pieces about 2 minutes on each side. Place chicken pieces in slow cooker.
3. Combine soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, sweet chili sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and cashews* in a small bowl; pour over chicken. *Cashews will get "softer" if added at this point and cooked with the chicken, if you want more of a crunch, add them right before serving.
4. Cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours.
5. Serve over rice. Makes 4-6 servings.

The Ingredients (except for the chicken)

Brown chicken pieces about 2 minutes on each side.

Combine soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, sweet chili sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and cashews* in a small bowl

pour over chicken.

Cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours.

We enjoyed the taste of the Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken very much.  The original recipe states that it can be made without browning the chicken first, so I will probably do that next time to save time (even though it states that it is better with the breading)  Also, I was a little worried that it was going to be too spicy, but thankfully, it was not.  I liked that the sauce was a little on the "thicker" side as opposed to other dishes I've made where the sauce is more "liquid" 

Will definitely make this meal again!