Three Cup Chicken

Three Cup Chicken (San Bei Ji)

A beloved Taiwanese braise of chicken simmered to glossy perfection in roughly equal parts soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil, finished with ginger, garlic and a generous handful of Thai basil.

Prep

15 min

Cook

25 min

Total

40 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •750 g (1⅔ lb) bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks, skin-on, cut into bite-sized pieces through the bone
• •80 ml (⅓ cup) soy sauce, Taiwanese dark soy preferred for color; light soy also works
• •80 ml (⅓ cup) michiu (Taiwanese rice wine), substitute dry shaoxing if michiu unavailable; not sake
• •80 ml (⅓ cup) toasted sesame oil, use a good toasted variety, not cold-pressed
• •30 g (2 tbsp) rock sugar, or 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• •25 g (about 8 slices) ginger, young ginger preferred, smashed
• •8 cloves garlic, smashed but kept whole
• •6 dried dried red chillies, snipped, optional for mild heat
• •1 large bunch Thai basil, sweet basil as a substitute; do not use Italian basil
• •1 tsp kosher salt, optional, only if needed

Steps

1. 1 Pat the chicken pieces very dry with paper towels. Place a dry claypot or heavy-bottomed wok over medium heat and toast the smashed ginger slices for about 2 minutes until their edges curl and lightly char.
2. 2 Add the smashed garlic and snipped dried chillies and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
3. 3 Add the chicken pieces and raise the heat to medium-high. Sear, turning occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes until the skin turns light golden and releases its own fat.
4. 4 Pour in the rice wine and let it bubble for 1 minute to burn off the alcohol. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil and rock sugar, stir once, then cover and reduce the heat to low.
5. 5 Simmer covered for 15 minutes, then uncover and increase the heat to medium. Cook another 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce reduces to a thick, glossy glaze that coats the chicken and just barely pools at the bottom of the pot.
6. 6 Check the chicken: the juices at the bone should run clear and the meat should pull easily from the bone with no pink near the joints; internal temperature should read at least 75°C (165°F).
7. 7 Off the heat, scatter the entire bunch of Thai basil over the chicken, cover for 30 seconds to wilt, then toss through. Serve immediately over steamed short-grain rice, spooning the remaining glaze over the top.