Three Cup Chicken (三杯雞)

Three Cup Chicken is a popular chicken dish in Taiwanese cuisine. It is basically chicken simmered in sesame oil, soy sauce and Chinese wine. Sounds plain, but incredibly delicious.

The traditional recipe calls for 1 cup each of rice wine, sesame oil, and soy sauce. For obvious health reasons, the tradition is hardly followed anymore. Rather, most people use equal parts of each condiment depending on the amount of chicken they have (1:1:1).

According to Noob Cook, "although equal parts is a general rule, one can be flexible and adjust the ingredients to your liking - example less soy sauce to reduce the saltiness, and more Chinese wine and sesame oil for a stronger aroma."

Adding basil into the chicken is a must. The fragrant herb makes this dish very unique in taste and smell.

Make sure to cook extra rice when making this dish! Trust me, you will eat more than usual. :)

Three Cup Chicken:

- 1.5 lb boneless chicken thigh, cut into bite size pieces
- 10 cloves garlic, peeled & slightly bruised
- 6 slices ginger
- 2 stalks spring onions, cut to 2 inch lengths
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice wine
- 2 tsps sugar
- a few fresh basil leaves

1. Heat sesame oil in pan, then add garlic cloves, ginger, the thick white part of spring onions and stir fry till fragrant.
2. Add chicken pieces and stir fry till the surface are no longer pink.
3. Stir together soy sauce, rice wine, and sugar in a bowl, pour over chicken. Stir evenly, bring to a boil, and turn down the heat to low.
4. Add the rest of the spring onions, cook uncovered until the sauce is reduced & thickened.
5. Turn heat back up to high and add basil, cook for another 1 or 2 minutes.
6. Serve over steamed rice.

Note: You can also add one red chilli (de-seeded, cut to small sections) to step 1 if you wish to have a spicy taste.

{recipe adapted from here and here}