When I was growing up, there was no Costco in my area. I had heard tell of it from family on the West Coast, but I didn’t experience one myself until long after I moved to the D.C. area. (And yes, don’t worry, Costco has made its way to Western NY. They’re gonna be just fine.)
I still don’t shop there often, because living alone in a small apartment doesn’t exactly lend itself to buying things in bulk. But! Once in a blue moon, I make my way there, buy way more than I should, and then have to rush to use up all the perishable items I’ve bought before they go to waste. And from there was this recipe born. I came home with a gigantic flat of sliced mango (normally, I absolutely don’t believe in paying a premium for simple food prep like peeling or slicing that one can do at home, but this was cheap and I hatehatehate prepping mango, so this was extremely worth it), and so many chicken thighs that I could feed three small nations and still have leftovers. What was there to do but make mango chicken? I tossed in some cashews in honor of my mom, because cashew anything is her favorite takeout, and threw in some peanuts for good measure, and I was set for life (or at least a week).
This recipe comes together pretty quickly, and can be eaten on its own, or served over rice, quinoa, or noodles. I’m bringing it to work this week to eat atop thinly sliced cabbage to add some crunch. (Although to be fully honest I also 100% ate a bowl of this the second it was done cooking, because obviously.) There’s still plenty left for the week, so Friday me doesn’t even have to worry that she’ll be left to starve her way through 8 hours in the office. It’s a win-win for her and for present me, what more could you want?
Mango Cashew Chicken
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless Chicken Thighs, chopped
- 1/2 c. Soy Sauce
- 2 T. Mirin
- 2 T. Rice Vinegar
- 2 T. Sesame Oil
- 2 T. Sriracha
- 1 T. Fish Sauce
- 2 T. Vegetable or Canola Oil
- 1 Onion, chopped
- 1 Bell Pepper, chopped
- 2 Mangoes, peeled and cubed
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/2 c. Roasted Cashews
- 1/4 c. Roasted Peanuts
- 4 Scallions, chopped, to garnish
- Toasted Sesame Seeds, to garnish
Combine chicken thighs in a bowl with next 6 ingredients and set aside. In the meantime, heat oil in a skillet with high sides over med-high heat. Add pepper and onion, stirring occasionally until translucent. Add mango and garlic and cook for a few minutes more. Add chicken, along with marinade. Simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce is somewhat thickened. (Depending on how much water is in you chicken thighs, you may need to drain some liquid off at this point to help speed up the thickening process.) Remove from heat and stir in nuts, scallions, and sesame seeds.
*Note: The marinade/sauce I used is endlessly adaptable to your own taste, and I never make it exactly the same. Just last night I made a cold noodle salad version of this, and that time the marinade omitted fish sauce in favor of gochujang, and I stirred the chicken (and the salad) with a version of my favorite peanut sauce to serve. So add whatever suits your fancy– ginger would be great, and miso too! …Which I actually meant to use this time and just completely forgot until right this minute…guess I know how I’m going to use of some of the million more pounds of chicken and mango I’ve got left…
Book Club! I’m about 2/3 of the way through Lincoln in the Bardo, which I picked up in the airport on a work trip last week when my flight lacked outlets, and my plan to watch movies on my phone was suddenly looking pretty unrealistic. The blurb on the back gave some hint that the structure of the story was going to be a little different, but I definitely didn’t expect it to be as out there as it is. That said, I’m enjoying the read so far, and not even just because I was trapped for four hours on an airplane with nothing else to do. Very curious to see how the author wraps everything up!
Law and Lentils 