Sesame Chicken With Cashews and Dates

By Melissa Clark

Sesame Chicken With Cashews and Dates
Jim Wilson/The New York Times
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(6,099)
Comments
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Dates add a touch of sweetness to this savory chicken and scallion stir-fry. If you don’t have a wok or a 12-inch skillet, you might want to cook this in two batches in a smaller pan. That will ensure a nice, browned crust on the meat. And if you want to substitute chicken breasts, stir-fry them for only 2 minutes in Step 2 before adding the rice wine.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 4tablespoons toasted (Asian) sesame oil
  • 12-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into about 12 “coins”
  • 6 to 8garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
  • 1bunch scallions (white and green parts), cut into 2-inch lengths
  • 3 to 4dried red chiles, or ½ teaspoon chile flakes
  • 2pounds boneless chicken thighs (preferably skin on, but skinless is O.K.), cut into 2-inch chunks
  • ½cup toasted cashews
  • ⅓cup rice wine or dry sherry
  • 3tablespoons dark soy sauce or tamari
  • 4pitted dates, thinly sliced
  • 3cups fresh basil or cilantro leaves, or a combination
  • Rice vinegar or lime juice, to taste
  • Cooked rice, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

606 calories; 40 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 17 grams monounsaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 30 grams protein; 569 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Season the chicken with salt and pepper while you heat a 12-inch skillet or wok over high heat until it’s very hot, at least 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the sesame oil and swirl the pan; the oil should thin on contact. When the oil is hot, add the ginger, garlic, scallions and chile. Stir-fry until the garlic is golden at the edges, 2 to 3 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Add the 2 remaining tablespoon oil, chicken and cashews, and stir fry until it starts to brown, 4 to 5 minutes (turn down the heat if the cashews are browning too quickly). Add the rice wine, soy sauce and dates; simmer until the sauce reduces to a syrupy consistency and the chicken cooks through, 5 to 7 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Stir in the herbs, sprinkle with rice vinegar or lime juice, and serve over rice.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
6,099 user ratings
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Comments

Jesse

Tried this again because it was so promising. made modifications based on my first attempt and suggestions here. 1. I used 1.5 lbs of chicken. It was more appropriate for the amount of sauce. 2. I minced the ginger. The coins were a bit too strong 3. I doubled the amount of dates to increase the sweetness which was lacking in the last iteration 4. Smoked Sesame oil has a very low smoke point. Use another oil in the pan and add half sesame oil when you add the chicken. Turned out great!

Virpilosus

Hey I just have to ask, is it even remotely possible that garlic put into a very hot oil will only turn slightly Brown at the edges after two to three minutes, as described in Direction number one of the recipe?? I think the garlic would be absolutely burnt to a crisp and therefore ruin the entire Dish as it would be just a bitter mess. Any comments on this by anyone?

Laurie

Usually toasted sesame oil is used as a seasoning and regular sesame oil is used for sautéing. Here toasted is used for stir frying. Is this intentional?

Elyssa

Absolutely fabulous recipe. I was a bit hesitant with the toasted sesame oil due to the low smoking point but just kept my oil medium-high instead of high as the recipe suggested and had no issue! I think a lot of the commenters are not noting the garlic is supposed to be sautéed while whole (just smashed) which allows it not to burn when added all at once! The only modification I did was nearly doubling the amount of dates (I used about 7) to increase the sauce- with this I added a splash extra soy sauce and cooking wine to add a bit more moisture and preventing the sauce from thickening too early. I used a mix of cilantro and basil. Next time I may add a bit more chile flakes but that’s personal preference. Both me and my husband were huge fans of this!

Spence

I'm not certain what the recipe means by "dark soy sauce." I used a product from a local Asian grocer with that very phrase on the label, syrupy right out of the bottle (but not as thick as Indonesian kecap manis). I understand it's not used like the typical soy sauce found in American grocery stores, rather, just a bit to darken things. I proceeded as the recipe says, but I had to add water to the pot or things would have started to burn.

Rebecca C.

I added carrot and some daikon radish. Stir fried them after the chicken, then added back the chicken to finish the recipe. It was all quick, easy and did the trick of dinner satisfaction.

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