Three Cup Chicken (San Bei Ji, 三杯鸡)
Quick to cook and super aromatic, three cup chicken is a crowd-pleasing dish that you must try! Follow the tips to make it to perfection.
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 15 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 3½ tablespoon sesame oil (divided)
- 20 slice ginger
- 20 clove garlic
- 3 stalk scallions (white and green parts separated)
- 2 lb chicken thighs (cut into bite-sized chunks (see note 1))
- ½ cup Shaoxing rice wine ((see note 2))
- 2 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar (or white sugar, rock sugar)
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 bell pepper (cut into chunky pieces)
- 1 handful fresh Thai basil ((see note 3))
Instructions
- 1
Fry the aromatics
- 2
Pour 3 tablespoons of sesame oil, leaving ½ tablespoonful for later use, into a wok/large skillet, then add ginger slices, garlic (whole or halved), and the white part of the scallions. Fry over low heat until they become fragrant and the garlic browns slightly.
- 3
Sear the chicken
- 4
Push the aromatics to the side of the wok/skillet. Then put in chicken pieces. Arrange them in a single layer and sear them over medium heat. Flip and stir to brown other sides until they lose most of their pinkness.
- 5
Braised the chicken
- 6
Add Shaoxing rice wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and white pepper. Toss briefly then cover with a lid. Leave to braise over high heat for about 5 minutes (Alter the cooking time to 8 for chicken wings, 12 minutes for drumsticks, or 3 minutes for breasts).
- 7
Reduce the sauce
- 8
Open the lid and stir in bell pepper and the green part of the scallions. Leave it to cook further uncovered (keep the heat high).
- 9
Once the cooking liquid reduces to a desired amount (see note 4), turn off the heat. Stir in the remaining ½ tablespoon of sesame oil, and fresh basil leaves. Dish out and serve warm with steamed rice.