Cashew chicken was first served (i.e. invented) in 1963 at Leong's Tea House in Springfield, Missouri. Owner David Leong, who moved to the United States from China in 1940, struggled to gain acceptance for the foods of his homeland so he began searching for a dish that would appease local residents' taste buds. The dish is exceedingly popular in the Springfield area and is often cited as the unofficial "dish of the city".
Borrowing from the local love of fried chicken, Leong eventually came up with a combination of fried chicken chunks covered with Chinese oyster sauce, a handful of cashews and chopped green onions -- an immediate hit with the local crowd. As word spread about the tasty dish, so did the recipe. Springfield-style cashew chicken can be found throughout the nation, but is most popular in the region around Springfield.
Leong's Tea House closed its doors in 1997, but authentic cashew chicken is still being served at over 100 restaurants in and around the Springfield metropolitan area
