Three-Cup Chicken is a truly restaurant-worthy Taiwanese dish that's easy to make at home. With a simplified method and everyday ingredients, you'll be sitting down to dinner in about 40 minutes.
Chicken thighs are browned in sesame oil then braised in rice wine, soy sauce, and loads of fresh garlic and ginger, then finished lavishly with fresh basil. A wildly aromatic and deeply flavorful dish!
Ingredients You Need to Make Three Cup Chicken
- Sesame Oil: Regular, not toasted sesame oil.
- Fresh Ginger: Look for a firm, plump ginger hand with smooth skin.
- Garlic: You'll want a large, firm head of garlic with smooth, taut skin.
- Green Onions: Look for bright green onions (scallions) with fresh green tops (not wilted) and white bottoms.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Increase or reduce the amount to manage the spice level.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: Trim off any large sections of fat before cutting into bite size pieces.
- Light Brown Sugar: Or dark brown sugar if that's what you have on hand.
- Rice Wine: Shaoxing wine or other Chinese rice wine that you would enjoy drinking, not cooking wine which has added salt.
- Light Soy Sauce: Thinner and lighter in color than dark soy sauce.
- Fresh Basil Leaves: Common sweet basil or Thai basil leaves both work well.
- Hot Cooked Rice: Long grain white rice or brown basmati are great choices.
Why is it called Three Cup Chicken?
Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken (San Bei Ji or Sanbeiji) is a popular dish that originated in the Jiangxi province of southern China. Recipe lore is that “Three cups” refers to the original recipe calling for one cup each of soy sauce, rice wine, and sesame oil. Perhaps a myth since nobody seems to make it this way.
Nearly every Three Cup Chicken recipe you find will be a little different, and mine is no exception. In fact, there is a lot of debate around the recipe details: how much sauce you should use, how thick it should be, what cuts of chicken should be used and whether or not they should be boneless or bone-in with skin.
Recipe Inspiration and Changes
The inspiration for my version came from Sam Sifton. After testing his recipe, I decided to make three main changes:
- For ease, I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. The dish has ample fat without the chicken skin and is easier to enjoy without bones to deal with.
- Instead of leaving the garlic cloves whole, they're very coarsely chopped. In testing Sam's recipe, I didn't care for chomping into a whole garlic clove. With 12 cloves of garlic it's still a prominent flavor, but more distributed throughout the dish.
- Similarly, instead of cutting the fresh ginger into rounds, it's finely chopped to distribute the flavor.
Not your average weeknight chicken dish, make this once and I promise you'll crave it often. So easy and a great alternative to takeout!
More Delicious Asian Inspired Dishes
- Chinese Cucumber Salad
- Crispy Baked Egg Rolls
- Soba Noodle Bowl
- Kung Pao Brussels Sprouts
- Homemade Ramen Noodles and Pork Belly Ramen
How to Make Three Cup Chicken
Step 1: In a wok over high heat, cook ginger, garlic, green onions, and red pepper flakes in 2 tablespoons hot sesame oil for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant.
Step 2: After scraping aromatic mixture to the side, add one tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat. Add bite-size chicken pieces and cook, stirring often until brown and starting to crisp.
Step 3: To chicken add sugar, wine, and soy sauce and stir to combine; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 12 to 15 minutes to thicken sauce.
Step 4: Remove wok from heat and add basil; stir to combine. Serve with hot cooked rice.
Three-Cup Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil divided, (not toasted sesame oil)
- 3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
- 12 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
- 4 green onions coarsely chopped
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or more
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- ½ cup rice wine
- ¼ cup light soy sauce
- 2 ounces fresh basil leaves torn if large
- 3 cups hot cooked rice (about 1 cup dry rice)
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat until hot. Add 2 tablespoons oil, ginger, garlic, green onions, and red pepper flakes; cook and stir until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Scrape aromatics to the side of the skillet. Add remaining oil and swirl to distribute. Add chicken; cook and stir until browned and beginning to crisp, about 7 minutes.
- Add sugar, rice wine, and soy sauce; stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to boil. Lower heat and keep at a high simmer until sauce has thickened to a sticky, deep golden brown, 12-15 minutes. (recipe note #1)
- Turn off heat and stir in basil. Serve with hot cooked rice.
Notes
- If your sauce is thickening too quickly, reduce the heat instead of the braising time. You want to allow the flavors to fully permeate and tenderize the chicken.
- Note that you'll need to cook rice according to package directions to be hot when the rest of the dish is ready to serve. I recommend long grain white rice or brown basmati.
I’m usually hate it when people say “ I tried your recipe” and then they basically rewrite it. Because of what I had on hand I made a couple of modifications. Chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs and tossed in whole wheat pasta. Can’t wait to make it with thigh meat as it’s more flavorful. Really good and such complex flavors!!!
I love that you made it with what you had on hand, Heather! So glad it was a hit and just wait until you try it with chicken thighs! 🙂
I have a question. Is the Carb count including the rice? It looks so good, but I can't have it with rice, and I have to watch carbs. I want to make it, and it doesn't seem like it would have that much carb without the rice.
Hi Amy! Yes, the carb count includes the rice.
I just came home from the market with chicken thighs and didn't have a plan for them. It's a sign! 😉 I don't think I've ever even had this in a restaurant. Looking forward to trying it later this week. ~Valentina
Perfect! So excited for you to try this, Valentina!
Here to report back. I made this last night and followed your recipe to the T and it was perfect! SO tasty! Served it with rice and a salad. I also made a second version with tofu (one of my boys is vegetarian), and that he LOVED it. The sauce with the bits of onion, garlic and ginger is magical. Thank you! 🙂 ~Valentina
Oh, Valentina! This is so wonderful to hear. It's so sweet of you to come back with a full report. 🙂 Thank you!
Thank you, Valentina, for reporting back. It drives me nuts that so many people will leap on a blog post, say that they're "going to" try something and then never report back. As a fellow cook, I for one appreciate that you took the time to tell us all how great it was. (I'm dying to try it; have to score some fresh basil!)
Thanks! 😀 I'm always so happy when I try a new recipe and love it. You should try this one - SO tasty! -) ~Valentina
Your 3 cup chicken looks absolutely perfect, Marissa!!! I’ll be honest, I’ve made other recipes before and found them to be okay, but after reading through yours I already KNOW it’s a winner!! Can’t wait to try this! Pinned!
Thanks so much, Cheyanne! So excited for you to taste it!
Garlic, ginger, soy sauce??? I'm in!!! What a yummy (and easy) chicken dish.
aww, thanks so much, Liz!
Interesting, cause 1 cup of sesame oil would be a LOT! Love this recipe. Great Asian ingredients And basil at the end. Love it! Thanks!
Thanks, Mimi! haha...indeed it would. I wonder if that's just folklore or if anyone has actually made it that way.
I've never heard of three cup chicken, but I'm all in Marissa! Looks easy and delicious and perfect for those busy weeknights. Tom and I would both enjoy it!
Thank you, Mary Ann. I promise it's so very good - I hope you and Tom will give it a try!
I've never heard of three cup chicken but this is so my kind of dish. I love making a saucy, tasty takeout style dish at home! I need to try this one!
I hope you will, Katherine. It really is restaurant worthy!
Well I'm like David and never heard of three cup chicken before. I thing I do know is that it sounds great so I thank you for sharing the recipe.
My pleasure, Karen! I hope you'll give it a try.
I've gotta be honest here - this is the first time I've heard of 3 cup chicken. However, with that said, I am already craving it. All of the aromatics in this recipe would provide such a flavor punch. And the fact that I can make this quickly on a weeknight? I'm in!
Yay! I think you'll love it, David.
This is one of my all time favourite! Yours looks authentic and so yummy. I need to buy some basil when I do my grocery tomorrow.
Angie
Thank you, Angie! So excited for you to try it.