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Prep time
5 minutes
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Cook time
30 minutes
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Serves
3 to 4
Author Notes
Three-cup chicken is a classic Taiwanese dish of chicken stewed in a slick, soy-based sauce perfumed by the aroma of ginger, garlic, and basil leaves. The dish is named after the three main components that make up its sauce: light soy sauce, rice wine, and sesame oil.
While not every pot of three-cup chicken calls for a cup each of the three liquids—that will depend on how many you’re cooking for, after all—the name makes it exceedingly easy to remember. Its recipe is really in the name: Just use equal amounts of soy sauce, rice wine, and sesame oil, cook the chicken in it together with the staple ingredients of garlic, ginger, and chiles, finish it with a flurry of Thai basil, and you’ll be able to make this comforting classic at home without ever having to look at a recipe again.
In the handful of times I’ve made this dish, I found myself adding a bit more panache to the classic through a secret fourth ingredient: fish sauce. Stirred into the sauce base, it adds a big boost of umami and lovable funk to the dish. In keeping with the simplicity of the original recipe, I always add in ½ cup of fish sauce, technically making this a three-and-a-half-cup chicken! —Jun
Ingredients
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1/2 tablespoon
vegetable oil, or any other neutral oil
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12
garlic cloves, halved
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6
dried red chiles
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1
(2-inch piece) ginger, thinly sliced
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2 pounds
chicken (preferably dark meat), cut into large (2- to 3-inch) chunks
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3 tablespoons
granulated sugar
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1/4 cup
light soy sauce
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1/4 cup
Shaoxing wine or rice wine
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1/4 cup
sesame oil
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1/8 cup
fish sauce
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1 tablespoon
dark soy sauce
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20
Thai basil leaves, for garnish
Directions
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Add vegetable oil into a large frying pan and place over medium heat. Add the garlic, dried chiles, and sliced ginger, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant. Then, add in the chunks of chicken and sugar and sauté for 6 to 8 minutes, until the sugar caramelizes and the chicken starts to brown.
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Transfer into a clay pot or a large casserole, and add in the light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, fish sauce, and dark soy sauce. Give everything a good stir, cover the pot with a lid and place over medium-low heat, letting it simmer for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.
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When done, remove the lid, stir in the basil, and serve immediately.
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