Three Cup Chicken Recipe
Three cup chicken (san bei ji 三杯鸡) is a uniquely Taiwanese delicacy of chicken braised in sesame oil, Chinese wine and soy sauces. Loads of fresh basil flavour punctuates the sauce, giving this dish its amazingly bold and exciting flavours!
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken 1 to 1.4 kg, chopped into 10 - 12 parts
- 8 cloves garlic peeled, slightly bashed
- 1 thumb-length ginger peeled, sliced thinly
- 2 stalks spring onion chopped into 1-inch (2-cm) sections
- 8 dried red chillies cut into ½-inch (1-cm) sections
- 6 tbsp sesame oil
- 4 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 6 tbsp Chinese wine or sherry
- 1½ - 2 tbsp sugar or to taste
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves or more as desired
Instructions
- Heat up sesame oil in a large clay pot or wok over low-medium heat. When hot, add cut dried chillies and fry till seared, about 15 seconds. Remove chillies with a slotted spoon. Set the chillies aside.
- Increase the heat to high. In the chilli-infused oil, fry ginger, garlic and ½ of chopped spring onions. Fry for about 30 seconds or until lightly browned and fragrant.
- Tip in the chicken pieces. Stir fry together for 2 minutes, or until chicken changes colour.
- Add Chinese wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar. Stir-fry briefly to colour and coat the chicken pieces evenly.
- Reduce heat until the mixture is at a gentle simmer. Cover with a heatproof lid. Let the meat braise for 20 to 25 minutes. Halfway through, give the mixture a good stir and cover again.
- Simmer until the sauce is reduced and slightly thickened to the consistency of a glaze.
- Do a taste test. As the sauce has reduced, if you find it a little on the salty side, add more sugar to taste. Turn off heat.
- Then tip in basil leaves, with the remaining spring onions, and fried dried chillies. Stir or give it a couple of tosses in the wok to mix well. Serve in the clay pot, or dish out into a casserole dish. Serve immediately.
Notes
Note: If this a cook-ahead meal, only stir in the basil leaves during the last 1 - 2 minutes of re-heating on the stove, just before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 443kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 30g, Fat: 27g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 20g, Cholesterol: 88mg, Sodium: 1137mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 10g
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