Asian/ classics/ easy everyday/ one-pan/ Poultry

Three-Cup Chicken

I cooked the three-cup chicken dish on Monther’s Day. My husband emailed me this recipe because it’s one of his grandma’s favorite dishes. Maybe I’ll come up with another take on this recipe for the upcoming father’s day, attempting to invoke his childhood memories cooking with grandma. The many variations of the three-cup chicken open up the opportunity for playing around with the key ingredients.

Ask 30 people how to make this simple Taiwanese recipe, and you’ll receive 30 different responses. Some fry the chicken before braising it, use more oil, less wine, different blends of soy sauce. Debates rage over how thick the sauce should be, over which parts of the chicken to use.
Sam Sifton on the New York Times

What are in the three cups? Supposedly, it’s one cup each of oil, rice wine and soy sauce. If you want less fat, cut down the oil. Less saltiness, cut down the soy sauce or use light soy sauce. For rice wine, I use Shaoxing rice wine. Shaoxing is one of the oldest and most commonly used Chinese rice wines. The production process involves fermenting rice, water, and a small amount of wheat. You taste its distinct flavor in most Chinese restaurant dishes. If you want to stay true to the essence of the dish, these are the essential ingredients and not to be substituted.

For the aromatics, ginger, garlic, scallions and red chili pepper are the must-haves, and loads of them. In Sam Sifton’s recipe, you flavor the oil with abundance of these Asian aromatics under very high heat. Stir-fry them until they are fragrant, then add the chicken pieces.

Next, caramelize the chicken pieces with a spoonful of sugar until they take on some color. This should happen quickly under high heat. The last step is to pour in the rice wine and soy sauce. Let the flavor meld and finish the sauce in the pan. You’re done!

Print Recipe

Three-Cup Chicken

Ingredients

3 tablespoons sesame oil
12-to-3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into coins, approximately 12
12 cloves of garlic, peeled
4 whole scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 dried red peppers or 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
2 pounds chicken thighs, boneless or bone-in, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon unrefined or light brown sugar
½ cup rice wine
¼ cup light soy sauce
2 cups fresh Thai basil leaves or regular basil leaves

Instructions

Heat a wok over high heat and add 2 tablespoons sesame oil. When the oil shimmers, add the ginger, garlic, scallions and peppers, and cook until fragrant, approximately 2 minutes.

Scrape the aromatics to the sides of the wok, add remaining oil and allow to heat through. Add the chicken, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is browned and crisping at the edges, approximately 5 to 7 minutes.

Add sugar and stir to combine, then add the rice wine and soy sauce, and bring just to a boil. Lower the heat, then simmer until the sauce has reduced and started to thicken, approximately 15 minutes.

Turn off the heat, add the basil and stir to combine. Serve with white rice.