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
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