"Three Cup" refers to the base recipe, which is supposed to include equal parts sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice wine. Ironically, most cooks these days put their own spin on it, changing the ratios, or adding other ingredients, like scallions, chili peppers or black pepper.
For my Three Cup Chicken, I like adding a little extra rice wine for the flavor and sweetness it imparts. The additional liquid allows you to cook the chicken for a bit longer, making it more tender, without burning it. I also like to add a bit of brown sugar, which balances out the salty soy sauce and gives the glaze a luminous sheen. If you happen to have some kecap manis in your pantry, you can swap the dark soy sauce for that and omit the sugar.
For the soy sauce, I like to use a 50:50 mix of dark soy sauce and regular soy sauce. Chinese dark soy sauce is viscous and almost black in color with an intense flavor. By regular soy sauce, I mean your garden variety Kikkoman, it's still dark in color, but has a milder taste. This give the chicken a glorious mahogany color, without overwhelming it with the flavor of fermented soybeans.
As for other ingredients, I add a ton of garlic and ginger to my Three Cup Chicken at the beginning for flavor. I like to leave the garlic in big chunks as this prevents it from burning while you're browning the chicken and provides sweet creamy bombs of garlic bestrewn amongst the savory chicken. Then, I finish the San Bei Ji off with a handful of Thai basil for a bit of freshness. If Thai basil isn't your thing (or you can't find it), scallions also make for a delicious addition with the white parts being added at the beginning and the greens added at the end.
I usually pass on chili peppers for my Three Cup Chicken as the heat makes it too similar to Pad Krapow Gai and it makes me want to top it with a fried egg. Instead I'll occasionally add some coarse cracked black pepper if I'm feeling feisty.
By the way, Three Cup Chicken is the perfect addition to a biandang (Taiwanese version of a bento) as it makes for a super flavorful accompaniment for the rice, so make a bit extra and take the leftovers to work for lunch the next day!
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 20 grams ginger (cut into a thick julienne)
- 28 grams garlic (halve the cloves if they are large)
- 560 grams boneless skin-on chicken thighs
- ¼ cup Chinese rice wine (mijiu or shaoxing)
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 10 grams Thai basil (leaves only)
Instructions
- Heat a large pan or wok until hot. Add the sesame oil, ginger and garlic and fry until fragrant, but don't let it brown.
- Add the chicken in a single layer, skin-side down. You can move the garlic and ginger on top of the chicken to make room in the pan and prevent the garlic from burning. Fry undisturbed until the skin is well browned.
- Flip the chicken over, and then add the rice wine, dark soy sauce, regular soy sauce, and sugar. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken is tender, flipping the chicken over a few times as it cooks.
- Remove the lid and turn up the heat. Reduce the liquid into a thick sauce.
- Add the Thai basil leaves and toss to coat. Serve the Three Cup Chicken with rice.
DJ says
Another amazing recipe, Marc, and dare I say, maybe my favorite Chinese dish in all my life. Simple enough ingredients, but the brown sugar and shaoxing-shu are an incredible combination. Left the garlic cloves just smashed to avoid overcooking and next time might add double they were so mild and delicious. What struck me most about this recipe is not the three cups, but the three methods of cooking it undergoes in such a short period of time (searing skin on high, simmering for 10-15 min, then high temp reduction and caramelization during the last minutes). Wow... I really can't remember tasting better prepared chicken thighs either due to the various techniques applied. I added in some parboiled broccoli florettes (sliced relatively small) during the last phase, and they gave it a nice texture enhancer. Next time, I might throw in some cashews near the end. Thanks a million! What a winner recipe!
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks DJ! I'm glad you enjoyed this. It's been so long since I made this I'd forgotten about it 😅 Good call on the broccoli I bet it soaked up the extra sauce nicely.
Julie says
Taste wise was very nice, I have never eaten this dish before so I have no point reference. I did have a problem with the sauce, my pan just ended up with oils separating from the dark mass of soy that clung onto the chicken.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Julie, this is by nature a fairly oily dish due to the amount of toasted sesame oil (plus the oil that comes from the chicken). If you want to make it less oily, you can use a paper towels to soak up some of the excess oil after browning the chicken. You won't want to get rid of all of it, but you should be able to significantly reduce the amount of oil and still have a decent amount of toasted sesame flavor in the chicken and sauce. I hope that helps!
Michelle Dsouza says
Hi, i have heard frying with toasted sesame oil gives a bitter taste but this recepie calls for toasted. Is it fine to fry chicken in toasted oil?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Michelle, the particulate matter in toasted sesame oil can burn which can give it a bitter flavor, but as long as you don't get it too hot you'll be fine. That's one of the reasons why you shouldn't brown the garlic and ginger before adding the chicken (the water content of the chicken cools the oil down).
Michelle Dsouza says
Thank you very much! Would it be fine if I just use canola oil initially to be safe and just add about 2 tbsp of sesame oil after turning off the flame
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Michelle you could, I think it will be very oily. You can drain off the fat from the first fry, but you will lose some of the flavor of the garlic and ginger that go into the oil.
Lori Fujimoto says
I'm confused about this reply. Doesn't your recipe say you SHOULD brown the garlic and ginger in the sesame oil before adding the chicken?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Lori, step 1 says "Add the sesame oil, ginger and garlic and fry until fragrant, but don't let it brown." This is to keep the oil from getting too hot and burning. Once you add the chicken in step 2, you want to brown that (the volume and moisture content of the chicken will keep the oil from smoking).
George says
I’m doing this recipe now, when I put the chicken in , I spooned the garlic and ginger on top of the Chechen to stop it burning
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks for catching this. I've updated the instructions to make this more clear.
Nadine says
That's some good chicken! Love how the ginger and garlic become soft and meld right in. Doesn't beat Pad Krapow Gai for me but it's a lovely dish to have up my sleeve.
Marc Matsumoto says
I'd pick basil chicken over this as well, but the sesame oil flavor is a nice change from time to time😉