Park City Cashew Chicken

I was thumbing through Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats cookbook the other day when I came across a recipe I'd seen over at One Year Project and in RR's magazine for Park City Cashew Chicken. The version in 365: No Repeats doesn't include water chestnuts or peas, but the rest of the recipe is the same.


When I first read the list of ingredients I was skeptical (chipotle mixed with honey and maple syrup?) but the end result was really tasty. It had a definite Chinese stir-fry flavor and the heat from the chipotle worked well with the sweetness from the honey and syrup. We added broccoli for color and as an additional vegetable as well as scallions for crunch. I would add the water chestnuts next time, but peas don't seem to go with this dish. Overall we both thought this was a real winner and we'd definitely make it again.

SP made this recipe and like all RR recipes he had a few issues with the instructions. I swear no one tested this cookbook before it was printed. Heating a pan so it's "screaming hot" and then adding oil is never a good idea, nor is heating the oil to smoking and then adding something to the pan. I think the key to making RR recipes is to read them in advance and then anything that doesn't makes logical sense should be reworked.