Chicken with candied cashews

Sugar, granulated	¼ cup
Water	¼ cup
Cashews, unsalted, roasted	¾ cup
Vegetable oil	2 tablespoons
Garlic, minced	2 cloves
Scallion, minced	1
Ginger, fresh, minced	1 tablespoon
Soy sauce	3 tablespoons
Sugar, light brown	1 tablespoon
Cornstarch dissolved in water	¾ teaspoon + 2 teaspoons H20
Lemon juice, freshly squeezed	1 tablespoon + ½ teaspoon
Salt
Butter, unsalted	2 tablespoons
Olive oil, extra virgin	¼ cup + drizzling
Chicken thighs, boneless, skinless, fat trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces	4
Pepper, freshly ground
Onion powder	¼ teaspoon
Garlic powder	¼ teaspoon
Celery seeds	½ teaspoon
Celery ribs, tender stalks, thinly sliced	¼ cup
Celery leaves	¼ cup
Rice, steamed

1. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. In a small saucepan, combine the granulated sugar and ¼ cup water. 
3. Bring to a boil over moderately high heat, swirling the pan, until a rich brown caramel forms, about 4 minutes. 
4. Stir in the cashews until coated. 
5. Quickly spread the nuts on the baking sheet, keeping the separate; let cool. 
6. Break off any large pieces of caramel, and reserve for a snack. 
7. In a small saucepan, combine the vegetable oil, garlic, scallion, and ginger. 
8. Cover and cook over low heat for 1 minute. 
9. Remove from heat, and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. 
10. Strain the oil through a coarse strainer into a medium skillet, pressing on the solids. 
11. Add the soy sauce, brown sugar, and ¼ cup water, and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. 
12. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture, and simmer over low heat, whisking until thickened, about 30 seconds. 
13. Remove from heat, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and lightly season with salt. 
14. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter in ¼ cup olive oil. 
15. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and add to the saucepan.
16. Cook over moderate heat, turning, until white throughout, about 5 minutes. 
17. In a small bowl, combine the onion and garlic powders, celery seeds, and ½ teaspoon salt. 
18. In another small bowl, toss the sliced celery and leaves with the remaining ½ teaspoon lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil; season with salt and pepper. 
19. Transfer the chicken to shallow bowls, spooning the sauce over the chicken; top with candied cashews, and season with celery salt. 
20. Scatter the celery salad on top, and serve with rice.