Chicken and Cashews with Coconut Satay Sauce and Coconut Rice
Spelt, Almond & Pistachio Cantucci
January 3, 2011
Dairy Free Lemon Butter
January 26, 2011
Don’t you love recipes where everything is cooked all at once, in one pot? Well, this is one of those all-in-one meals, except it’s made in the Thermomix, not a pot – which makes it even better because you can do three or four different things at once! So while the sauce is cooking in the jug, the coconut rice is steaming in the basket above it, and the chicken and veges in the Varoma tray on top! This is one of our favourite quick-and-easy meals… when I don’t feel like cooking, I can have this on the table in half an hour. And everyone loves it. (Adapted from the Chicken and Cashews recipe in the Thermomix Everyday Cookbook – but with my coconut satay sauce!)
The first 3 steps, marinating the chicken, can be done ahead of time for more flavour – but if you’re doing it at the last minute like I usually am, don’t worry, it still tastes good!
- 300g - 400g chicken breasts or thighs
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 1-2 cms fresh ginger
- a couple of tablespoons of tamari or soy sauce
- a splash of sesame oil
- 450g coconut cream (1 tin)
- 750g water
- 400g basmati rice
- some thin wedges of onion
- 2 stalks of celery, leaves removed, thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, thinly sliced
- broccoli, small pieces
- green beans
- chinese cabbage, thinly sliced
- boy choy, thinly sliced
- red (and/or green) capsicum, thinly sliced
- snow peas
- shallots, sliced and sprinkled on top
- some sesame seeds
- a handful of cashews (roasted or raw)
- a dash of sesame oil
- a dash of tamari (or soy sauce)
- a couple of handfuls of raw cashews
- 1 inch of fresh red chilli (or more if you like it hotter)
- a good handful of fresh parsley or coriander
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 inch of fresh ginger
- a couple of tablespoons of tamari (or soy sauce)
- 1 teaspoon of Rapadura (optional)
- a tablespoon of chicken stock paste (or vege stock paste)
- Cut chicken into smallish cubes (about 1.5cm square) or slices and place in a bowl.
- Chop garlic and ginger in Thermomix bowl for 5 seconds, speed 7. Scrape out with spatula and mix with chicken in bowl.
- Add to chicken, mix in tamari or soy sauce and seasame oil, cover, and set aside.
- Pour coconut cream and water into Thermomix bowl.
- Sit lid on top of jug, and rice basket on top of lid. Set scales and weigh rice into basket. Remove basket and lid, rinse rice under tap (in basket), place basket in jug, then replace lid and lock into place.
- Place Varoma tray on top of lid, tip chicken into it and spread out so there's holes open for the steam to come through. Start cooking at Varoma temperature, 20 minutes, speed 4.
- Meanwhile, chop up the veges and place them into the Varoma as it's heating up. I start chopping the harder veges first and put them in as I get them chopped, leaving the ones like snow peas, capsicum and shallots until the end. Make sure there's a hole in the middle for the steam to get through.
- Sprinkle sesame seeds, cashews, sesame oil and tamari over the top of the veges.
- When the time's up, remove the rice (placing in the Thermoserver to keep warm), and stir the chicken and veges, breaking the chicken apart and making sure there are holes unblocked for the steam to get through. Cook for another 5 or 10 minutes on Varoma temperature, speed 2, checking that the chicken is cooked through. You may need to add a little more water if there's not much left in the bowl. Once cooked, remove Varoma tray while you finish the sauce. (Tip: You can take the lid off the Thermoserver with the rice in it, and sit the Varoma tray on top so they both stay warm.)
- To the juices and coconut cream left in the bowl, add raw cashews, red chilli, parsley or coriander, garlic, fresh ginger, tamari, rapadura, chicken stock paste and blend on speed 9 for 1 minute.
- Serve immediately - rice, chicken and veges with cashews on top, and sauce drizzled over liberally!
Hope you like it!
142 Comments
This looks great, just bought a Thermomix and will make this as my first Varoma recipe! There are only 2 of us so could I halve the quantities of everything in the recipe?
Yes, for sure! 🙂
YUM!!!! this was our first try with the varoma cooking and we absolutely loved it! massive hit with the family thanks Jo 🙂
Thank you for this delicious recipe. Read it on your blog this morning and made it up for dinner tonight. Massive hit at our place tonight!!
[…] Baked Chicken with Cashew Satay Sauce: http://www.quirkycooking.com.au/2011/01/chicken-and-cashews-with-coconut-satay-sauce-and-coconut-ric… […]
[…] Baked Chicken with Cashew Satay Sauce: http://www.quirkycooking.com.au/2011/01/chicken-and-cashews-with-coconut-satay-sauce-and-coconut-ric… […]
I would love to do this for a lady that has nut, sesame and egg allergies. Is there anything I could replace the cashews with please?
Hi there Vicki, when the vegetables and chicken are done and you are going onto making the sauce – empty maybe 1/4 of the liquid out of the jug and add some coconut cream (1/3 a tin?) instead of the cashews- this will make it nice and creamy still 🙂
Thank you thank you thank you! My husband still isn’t convinced by the thermomix, thinking most of the mains(bar one and now this) are bland and lack flavour. This got the tick of approval! It will be on my regular list from now on! Very tasty and easy! Thank you! 🙂
Hi Jo,
I cooked this for my parents, husband and 3 year old last night, they all absolutely loved it! I’ve just bought your book and can’t wait to try more!
I did however have a problem with my chicken cooking, I extended the time by over 10 minutes but some of the chicken was still raw (threw it all in a wok in the end). I did notice that the liquid was was bubbling up in to the varoma… but I did make sure there was always a hole in the chicken and veggies for the steam to get in the varoma . I did probably go overboard with the amount of chicken and veggies I used, maybe that was my problem? Any tips?
Eager to try it again and get it right! Can see this being a weekly fav!
Hi Liz, if the Varoma is too full it will take much longer for the ingredients to cook as there is less room for the steam to circulate. Hope this has been a family favourite! 🙂
Made this tonight – soooo delicious! A hit with the husband, the 9 month old and the mil. 10 stars!!
Hi Jo, I don’t own a Thermie 🙁 so I’m wondering if this recipe can be converted for stovetop making?
I love the Best Butter Chicken Ever Recipe and make it regularly (family love it) as you have converted it for stovetop so wondered if you could do the same for this. I’d love to try making this recipe.
We actually had the Butter Chicken tonight and I added a few cashews on the top when serving it. Tasted great too!
Thanks for all your info and recipes <3
Hi Jenny, you can make the rice on the stovetop with coconut milk instead of water, stir fry the chicken and veggies in a wok or large pan, and make the sauce by blending some coconut milk with cashews and the other ingredients in a powerful blender, then simmering on the stovetop to thicken. Hope it works out!
How many people does this serve??
Thanks!
Easily 6! 🙂
I have made this recipe twice now and the flavours are amazing! Has anyone had trouble with the thermomix overflowing during step 9? After I check my chicken and put it on for the last 5 mins, the sauce flows out all over my thermomix. This has happened both times I’ve cooked the recipe. Any suggestions?
I’ve never had that happen! But it could just be that you need a new lid seal? Get your consultant to check it!!
Me too and I have a TM5 so didn’t think that there would be seal issues, hmmmm….cook it almost fortnightly anyway because it is so so tasty!!
Could I replace cashews with macadamias or almonds please? Only have a cashew intolerance.
Yes, definitely! 🙂
Thanks so much for the recipe. I subbed half the cashews for peanut butter and left out the chilli to make it kid friendly. Yummo. Thanks heaps ?
Oh yum!!
Thank you it was very yummy – I too used peanut butter as I didn’t have any cashews – will definitely make again!
I have made this dish a few times and love it! It’s so quick and easy and delicious, and my husband’s favourite dinner! My husband and I are currently rice free, so we just eat the meat and veggies – it still tastes fantastic!
Do you have any suggestions for decreasing the amount of rice and coconut cream and water used? My kids are the only ones who eat the rice and I am finding I have a lot left over! I thought about just halving the amounts of rice, cream and water, but wasn’t sure if the liquid level on the jug would be high enough to cook the rice properly?
You can decrease the liquid in the TM bowl to 900g total and the rice will still cook perfectly! Glad you are loving this recipe. 🙂
Can this be frozen. Planning a big cook up for my daughter and like the sound of this one. Butter chicken also on the menu
Yes it can! 🙂
Hi Jo the first time I cooked this I thought there was a substitute for brown rice (and time adjustment) but doesn’t appear to be here. Hmm. Any ideas? It was something like, do the rice for 20 mins, then put the Varoma back on and do the rest?
You could either soak the rice over night so it would cook in the same amount of time, or cook the rice, veggies and chicken for 30 minutes, stirring the veggies and chicken after 20. 🙂
This was something special. Much love from my family for this meal!
Yay Peter!! 🙂
I made this again today, for the first time in years. Being vegetarian, I substitute with tofu, and it works really well, I also use 50 / 50 rice and quinoa. I don’ t know why it has been so long since I last made it because it is one of the nicest and most reliable recipes I have ever made in my TMX.
Hi Marina! 🙂 That’s fantastic – thanks for the feedback. Glad you love this recipe. xx
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this is really good,. I do it a lot of times, and my guests always love it. Thank you for sharing the recipe xx
DIVINE! BUT HELP… The sauce was way too watery I had to strain most of the liquid. I didn’t cook rice in the varoma – could that have been the problem??
Yes, that was the problem. The rice soaks up most of that water! Next time if you make it without the rice, only use 500ml of water.