Three Cup Chicken (San Bei Ji)

San Bei Ji(三杯鷄), or Three Cup Chicken, is a classic Taiwanese dish made by cooking chicken with sesame oil, soy sauce and rice wine. The chicken is cooked in the sauce until tender before the sauce is reduced to a glaze that coats the chicken.

Course Entree

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword stir-fry

Level Beginner

Main Ingredient Poultry

Diet Dairy-Free

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Servings servings

Calories 416kcal

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.

Nutrition