Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

I will not call this Chinese or any other kind of dish. It is a combination of many styles we have enjoyed. Springfield Style Cashew Chicken is best served with fried rice. That is our opinion. If you want more than just the white rice that some cashew chicken joints here serve, this may be what you need.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked rice (I use one cup of Minute Rice prepared per package.)

1 Tsp butter or olive oil. (I prefer butter.)

1 small onion (Chopped as fine as you want it.)

1 egg

¼ cup water

Soy Sauce (I use one Tablespoon. This is to give the rice a tan color.)

You can double or triple these ingredients and use as large a skillet as you need to accommodate the size of your family or guests. If you like brown or another kind of rice, try it in this recipe. You can also add carrots, peas, chopped water chestnuts, or diced bamboo shoots for more of an oriental feel. Many of the restaurants in Springfield change this dish to fit their cuisine.

Instructions:

Melt the butter in a skillet or wok and add the onion. Sauté the onion for three minutes or so until it is translucent (almost clear). When the onion is cooked through, scramble the egg and immediately add the precooked rice.

Allow this mixture to begin to brown slightly, and before it dries, add the water mixed with the soy sauce. Stir together and allow the soy sauce to brown the rice. The rice needs to be moist and well mixed with the onion and egg.

If I make cashew chicken, I put the finished rice in an ovenproof dish and place it in my warmed oven with my chicken as I cook it. Refer to my column a week ago (January 11, 2026) on how to make the Springfield Style Cashew Chicken.

I serve this with chopped green onions if I am not using it under the cashew chicken and sauce, which is also topped with green onions and cashews. That is why it is called cashew chicken. If you do not like onions or cashews, leave them off.

When we prepared this rice and cashew chicken for our family, we served it family style. The chicken was on a plate, the rice in its dish, green onions, and cashews in their dishes. Our oldest daughter did not use the nuts, our youngest left the onions in the bowl, and our middle child ate the leftover rice any time she could.

©Copyright 2026 by Charles Kensinger