One thing I’ve really missed now that I do my best to lay off the sugar is Chinese food with those thick, flavorful sauces.
The thing that makes many of those dishes so delish is that they’re full of sugar and let’s face it – we don’t roll like that anymore.
Nevertheless, I’ve been craving cashew chicken lately. Who can resist those big, juicy chunks of chicken, crunchy cashews and crisp veggies covered in all that umami-licious sauce! Not me, that’s who!!
On top of that, after much talking about (begging for) an Instant Pot, I received one for Hanukkah last year and to be honest, I’ve hardly touched it.
There’s something about a pressure cooker that screams “careful or you’ll blow your house up!!” So aside from a few spaghetti squashes, I’ve been a little too intimidated to take it for a real spin.
But having very little time this week along with wanting to overcome my Instant Pot fears, I decided it was time. I searched high and low until I came upon a sugar-free cashew chicken recipe that I could make in my Instant Pot and I found a great one…
Thank you, LivingLovingPaleo.com!
The combination of fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, coconut aminos, ginger and a few drops of sesame oil PACK this dish with flavor. I found all this stuff at Trader Joe’s but I’m sure most stores carry it.
Because I was a little afraid of the pressure cooker, I decided to break from my usual rebellious nature and follow the directions word for word. I also broke from my rebellious nature and forced my mom to stay up way too late talking me through everything on FaceTime. She’s the best mom. And I’m a spoiled brat. ?
(Veggie note: When I take another crack at this recipe, I’m definitely adding what I consider the holy trinity of Chinese veggies – water chestnuts, bamboo shoots and broccoli!)
For those of you who are a little weary of your pot and aren’t able to FaceTime my mom, here are a couple links that should help walk you through it!
7 Easy Steps for Instant Pot Setup
Getting Started With Your New Electric Pressure Cooker Or Instant Pot
The long and short of it is this:
Directions
- Dump raw chicken and combined sauce ingredients in the pressure cooker, set for appropriate amount of time (this recipe is about 8 minutes).
- Add the veggies and cook a TINY big.
- Switch to sauté mode and add the “slurry” of chicken broth and arrowroot (that’s a thickening agent) into the mix, stirring to prevent any lumps.
- Mix in cashews.
- ENJOY!!
(You can pour over riced cauliflower if you’d like. I make my cauli a little crunchy by cooking small amounts on high heat!)
This dish was so easy and took no time at all to prepare! Behold the convenient magic of the Instant Pot!!
Bon appetite or in this case…
Màn màn chī!!
Hi there! My name is Gina Grad and I’m a Los Angeles-based broadcaster and longtime comfort food appreciator. I’ve been on the radio here in SoCal since 2006 but since I’m originally from Kansas City, I’ve been eating the best casseroles, stews and one-pot meals the Midwest has to offer over the course of my entire life.
I make this recipe at least once a week with my husband after learning about it on ACS. Love the new blog and am excited to support it!
You made my day with this comment, Samantha! Thank you and so glad you’re enjoying it!! xoxo
You have the same pot I have, and I’m glad you’re posting recipes for it on here. The instant pot is both intimidating and overwhelming but I’m excited to use it more. I’ll keep checking your blog for more recipes, thank you.
I totally agree, Olivia! Here’s to us getting less scared lol!