Cashew chicken, as most Americans know it, originated in Springfield, Missouri, in 1963. A Chinese immigrant named David Leong invented the dish at his restaurant, Leong’s Tea House, specifically to get Midwestern diners to try Chinese food. The version he created bears little resemblance to traditional Chinese cashew chicken, and that was entirely the point.
David Leong and Leong’s Tea House
Wing Yin “David” Leong opened Leong’s Tea House in Springfield in 1963 with a menu that blended American and Chinese cooking. Not long after opening, he developed what would become the city’s signature dish. Leong understood that his customers in the Missouri Ozarks weren’t familiar with Chinese flavors and would need a bridge between what they already liked and what he wanted to serve them.
His solution was Springfield-style cashew chicken: deep-fried chunks of chicken smothered in a savory brown oyster sauce-based gravy, topped with whole roasted cashews, and typically served over white rice. The deep-frying gave the chicken a texture closer to Southern fried chicken, something his customers already loved. The rich gravy made it feel hearty and familiar rather than foreign. And the cashews added crunch and a slight sweetness that tied everything together.
How Springfield-Style Differs From Traditional Cashew Chicken
Traditional Chinese cashew chicken, sometimes called “yao guo ji ding,” is a stir-fry. Bite-sized pieces of chicken are wok-tossed with vegetables, cashews, and a light sauce. The chicken stays tender rather than crispy, and the dish has a clean, bright quality typical of Cantonese or Sichuan cooking.
Leong’s version flipped almost every element. The chicken is battered and deep-fried until golden and crunchy. Instead of a light stir-fry sauce, it’s drenched in a dark, thick gravy built on oyster sauce. There are no vegetables mixed in. The cashews sit on top as a garnish rather than being cooked into the dish. It’s closer to a plate of fried chicken with gravy than anything you’d find in China, and that accessibility is exactly what made it work in 1960s Missouri.
Springfield’s Signature Dish
The dish caught on fast. What started as one restaurant’s creative adaptation became the defining food of an entire city. Today, more than 50 restaurants in Springfield serve some version of cashew chicken. The recipes range from faithful recreations of Leong’s original to inventive riffs that push the concept in new directions.
The Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau has leaned into this identity, launching the Springfield Cashew Chicken Trail. It’s a self-guided tour covering more than 20 restaurants, each with its own take on the dish. For a city of about 170,000 people, that density of cashew chicken options is remarkable. You’d be hard-pressed to find another mid-sized American city so thoroughly defined by a single recipe.
Leong’s family has kept the tradition alive as well. Wing Leong, David’s son, carries on his father’s legacy as executive chef and owner of Leong’s Asian Diner, the successor to the original Tea House. He has described the dish as a legacy that began in 1963 and never stopped growing.
Why Springfield and Nowhere Else
Chinese-American cuisine has a long history of regional adaptation. Chop suey, General Tso’s chicken, and orange chicken all emerged from Chinese cooks adjusting their food for American palates. But most of those dishes spread nationally. Springfield cashew chicken stayed remarkably local for decades.
Part of the reason is geography. Springfield sits in the Ozarks, far from the coastal cities where Chinese-American food evolved into nationally recognized chains and takeout staples. The dish became a point of local pride rather than a franchise opportunity. Restaurants across the city developed their own versions, creating a competitive ecosystem that reinforced the dish’s identity as something uniquely Springfield’s.
The result is a food origin story that’s unusually well documented and specific. There’s no debate over who invented it, where, or when. David Leong created Springfield-style cashew chicken at Leong’s Tea House in 1963 to bridge the gap between Chinese cooking and Ozark tastes, and the city never let it go.