Go Back
–+ servings
Three Cup Chicken

Three Cup Chicken

Catalina T
Quick, easy and fuss-free weeknight dinner! This delicious Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken takes less than 30 minutes to get to the table
No ratings yet
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese, Taiwanese
Servings 4 Servings
Calories 380 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 tbsp sesame oil (NOTE 1)
  • 2 tsp peanut oil
  • 4 cloves garlic (sliced thinly)
  • 5 thin slices ginger
  • 2 dried or fresh chillies (omit or adjust to taste, sliced thinly) (NOTE 2)
  • 800 gm boneless and skinless chicken thighs (sliced into bite-sized pieces) (NOTE 3)
  • 1 cup basil leaves (loosely packed)

For the sauce

  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce (NOTE 4)
  • 1 tbsp dark soy sauce (NOTE 5)
  • ¼ cup shaoxing wine (NOTE 6)
  • 1 tbsp sugar (or less, adjust to taste)
  • ¼ cup water

Instructions
 

  • For the sauce - Mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl until the sugar has mostly dissolved.
    Heat the sesame and peanut oils in a large wok/frying pan over medium-high heat, then add the garlic, ginger and chillies and stir-fry for 1 or 2 minutes until aromatic. Add in the chicken and stir-fry until it's mostly cooked. Give the sauce a good stir, then pour it over the chicken and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and let the chicken simmer for 10 minutes.
    Three Cup Chicken
  • Uncover the wok and increase the heat to high. Stir-fry until most of the sauce has reduced, and the chicken has darkened. Add in the basil leaves and stir-fry for a minute. Best served immediately with steamed rice.
    Three Cup Chicken

Notes

(NOTE 1) Sesame oil is very aromatic with a roasted nutty flavour. Supermarkets usually stock sesame oil in the international or cooking oil section of the supermarket.
(NOTE 2) Dried chillies - Some supermarkets have dried chillies in their international section. If not, most Asian grocers supply them. Dried chillies have different heat levels, ranging from mild to ultra spicy, depending on the brand. It's best to have a little taste to see how hot they are before using them. This way you can judge how many to use and adjust to your liking. If you're unable to find dried chillies, use fresh red chillies or omit them if you prefer no heat.
(NOTE 3) Chicken thighs - I used boneless and skinless chicken thighs. Breast meat would work as a substitute, but the chicken will be slightly drier.
(NOTE 4) Light soy sauce or regular soy sauce, but avoid the dark or sweet soy sauce varieties, as these are not interchangeable.
(NOTE 5) Dark soy sauce - The dark soy sauce variety is mainly used to add colour to a dish. It's less salty, but sweeter and thicker than regular or light soy sauce.
(NOTE 6) Shaoxing cooking wine is a Chinese cooking wine, sometimes known as Shao Xing or Shao Hsing. It comprises water, rice, wheat, salt and alcohol. Bottles of Shaoxing wine are cheap to buy from Asian specialty stores and some supermarkets stock them too. Mirin or dry sherry are good substitutes for Shaoxing wine.
Leftovers - Allow the chicken to cool completely at room temperature, then transfer it into a sealed container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
I've used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 380kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 40gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 190mgSodium: 764mgPotassium: 552mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 431IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 37mgIron: 2mg