Wow, was this good! I recently made a really great recipe from Melissa Clark on the NYT website. I always have luck with her recipes; there isn’t a dud among them. Her original recipe was called Sesame Chicken with Dates and Cashews. It has all of my favorite elements: spicy, sweet, cruncy, savory, fresh. I decided to try to adapt it for some of my Whole30 personal chef clients. It worked out beautifully. I made just a few changes; I replaced the sesame oil, substituted the soy sauce and wine, for example. The changes made this recipe Whole30 friendly, but the flavor profile is very true to the original!
As a personal chef who has many Whole30, Paleo and Keto clients, I am always looking for recipes that I can adapt to make their meals as flavorful as possible, with lots of variety.
This one is going in my permanent file!
The recipe is below;
Chicken with Dates and Cashews
(Whole30 Compliant. Adapted from a Melissa Clark NYT recipe)
Serves 4
- 3 T. avocado oil
- 2 T. freshly grated ginger
- 3 T. freshly minced garlic
- 1 bunch chopped scallions (white and pale green parts)
- 1/2 t. red pepper flakes
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2 inch pieces. (Breasts are fine too, but thighs are better.)
- 1/2 c. unsalted cashews, toasted
- 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)
- 6 T. coconut aminos
- 2 t. Whole30 compliant hot sauce (optional)
- 6 pitted dates, thinly sliced
- 2 c. chopped fresh basil/mint/cilantro. (Or any combination of those)
- A splash of rice vinegar
Variation: For a creamy version, add a little almond butter (or cashew butter) and coconut milk.
- Season the chicken with salt; saute it in the oil. When the chicken is cooked on the outside, add teh ginger, scallions and red pepper flakes. Saute 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute another minute.
- Add the apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar, coconut aminos and dates. Simmer for 5 minutes or so, until the chicken is cooked through.
- Add a little splash of rice vinegar and the fresh herbs and serve!