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Sticky chicken your thing? Chinese Three Cup Chicken is an ancient recipe made modern. Juicy mouthfuls of boneless chicken thigh are coated in a dark and syrupy sauce, laced with chilli, garlic and ginger, and scattered with fragrant basil leaves. Serve with a simple side of rice.
The (not very Mongolian) Mongolian beef recipe shares some of the deeply savoury Three Cup Chicken ingredients, so if you’re off chicken but into the Three Cup sauce, give it a try.
I have been known to order off a menu purely out of curiosity. Which has and hadn’t paid off! Some of the unexpected wins have been the whimsically named Bubble and Squeak, risky Spotted Dick, and surprisingly delightful Grasshopper Pie.
And the most alarming of the failures; prairie oysters. I really learned my lesson there. Look it up!
The most interesting and romantic-sounding dish names though can probably be attributed to Eastern cuisine and their English translations. For example, Bird’s Nest Soup, Drunken Duck, Century Eggs and Bang Bang shrimp. And of course, Three Cup Chicken. What is that about?
What is Three Cup Chicken?
Unlike ‘prairie oysters’, that are sooooo far removed from actual oysters it’s not even funny (still scarred, obvs), there is some relevance to ‘three cups’ in this Chinese chicken recipe. The three cups refer to the measurements and ratio of the three key ingredients: This is an affiliate link.Shaoxing wine (or rice wine), This is an affiliate link.soy sauce, and sesame oil.
Agreed, that sounds like a lot of oil! Originally, the quantities would have been used to immerse and cook a whole chicken in an earthenware pot. But there’s not much call for earthenware cooking pots in modern day kitchens, and that amount of oil is met with obesity warnings.
So, thankfully, you’ll notice that the measurements in the contemporary recipe have been balanced out. What’s more, the cooking method and whole chicken have been replaced with convenient, stir-fry friendly chicken pieces. Making it an easy, less than 30-minute, midweek dinner winner!
The three savoury condiments together create the thick, sauce coating. It’s an intensely savoury flavour that’s predominantly salty and earthy. You’ll notice sugar in the recipe, not only does this sweeten the sauce but it contributes to the irresistible syrupy, sticky texture.
To lift, lighten and add dimension, aromatics are used. Staying true to the original recipe, the Chinese trinity of ginger, garlic and chilli infuse the chicken.
There is some variation between the Chinese and Taiwanese versions of Three Cup Chicken. Green onions and Thai basil seem to be down to regionality. But I like both, so I’ve used both! Green onions add a tangy element, and Thai basil has a distinctive liqourice flavour- which enhances the sweet notes in the sauce.
With all that said, I declare Three Cup Chicken demystified and officially safe to eat!
Recipe tips and notes
- An authentic 3 cup chicken recipe will require bone-in chicken, but for ease I’ve gone for boneless cut into strips. It will be a quicker cook and much easier to negotiate with chopsticks!
- You can use chicken breast, but I find thighs to be the most tender and succulent.
- The three key components of this namesake recipe are Shaoxing wine, soy sauce and sesame oil. Make sure you include them all to preserve the integrity of the dish!
- Thai basil can be found in Asian supermarkets, but if it’s not accessible to you, substitute with regular fresh basil.
Serving suggestions
Traditionally, this Chinese chicken recipe comes with rice. A bed of snow white, plain rice is the perfect backdrop for the umami flavour. But there’s no need to stop there!
Unlike other stir-fried dishes, this one doesn’t include any vegetables in the mix. Complete your meal with low-prep, oven-baked miso-glazed cabbage wedges or eggplant. Or while you have the wok at the ready, this prawn stir fry is packed with bright and crunchy vegetables- and done in a flash!
Storage and leftovers
You know what I’m going to say here: Chinese food always tastes better the next day! Any recipe involving chilli, ginger and garlic will continue to develop overnight and come back punching in the next round, and this Three Cup Chicken is no exception.
Store any leftover Chinese chicken in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container for 3-4 days in the fridge. Reheat in the wok or in the oven under a tin foil cover. Always make sure reheated chicken is cooked to a food-safe temperature (70C/ 158F) internally before serving.
More recipes to try
Chinese Three Cup Chicken (San Bei Ji)
Ingredients
- 600g / 1½ lbs skinless boneless chicken thighs
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 2 tsp cornstarch, (cornflour)
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into round coin sized slices
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 red chilli, sliced
- 2 green onions, cut into 2 inch pieces
- 2-3 tbsp This is an affiliate link.Shaoxing wine
For the sauce
- 75ml / 1/3 cup This is an affiliate link.light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 3 tsp sugar, or honey
- 5-6 Thai basil leaves, whole
- 1 tbsp This is an affiliate link.Chinese chilli oil, to serve
Instructions
- Cut the chicken thighs into bit-sized pieces. In a bowl combine the salt, cornstarch and white peppers. Add the chicken pieces to the mix and toss to coat.
- In a small bowl combine the soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar and set aside till needed.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large wok over high heat, then add the slices of ginger, garlic, red chilli and green onions, stir fry for no longer than 10-15 seconds, then push the aromatics to the sides of the wok and add the chicken pieces and brown all over. Then deglaze the pan with the Shaoxing wine and let it reduce.
- Now pour in the earlier mixed sauce all over the chicken and let it bubble for approximately 3 minutes until the sauce reduced and turned syrupy. Add the basil leaves and let them wilt, then take off the heat. Serve with rice and chilli oil.
Notes
- An authentic version of this recipe would be made with bone-in chicken, but I find that boneless chicken cut into strips cooks quicker and is much easier to eat with chopsticks!
- Chicken breast is an option, but thighs are more tender and succulent.
- For real 3 cup chicken, the dish needs to include Shaoxing wine, soy sauce and sesame oil. Be sure to include them all!
- Thai basil isn’t too difficult to find, especially in Asian supermarkets, but you can always substitute with regular fresh basil.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
