Chicken cashew is made out of deep fried or stir fried chicken mixed together with cashews then served with thick oyster sauce. There are several versions of this dish but I’m pretty sure that most of you didn’t know that this is actually an American dish, Chinese-American to be precise.

Chicken cashew is made out of deep fried or stir fried chicken mixed together with cashews then served with thick oyster sauce. There are several versions of this dish but I’m pretty sure that most of you didn’t know that this is actually an American dish, Chinese-American to be precise.

David Leong who moved from China to US in 1940’s made the most popular version where chicken are deep fried; and he named it Springfield Cashew Chicken. David struggled to sell Chinese food in United States so he began creating dishes that would appeal to local residents until this dish was served first at Grove Supper Club in Springfield, Missouri in 1963. Obviously, that was where he named his dish for. It became really popular that made him open his own restaurant named Leong’s Tea House in 1963. It was in business for more than 30 years until it closed its doors in 1997. But even though Leong is out of business the legacy continues as there are more than 70 restaurants in Missouri that still serves his dish.

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