An irresistibly delicious Taiwanese chicken dish with an unbeatable time/flavor/difficulty ratio
What is Three-Cup Chicken?
“San Bei Ji” in Mandarin literally means “three-cup chicken” and is a must-try dish in – you guessed it – Taiwan.
The name refers to the sauce’s three key ingredients: light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and sesame oil, which together embody the balance prized in traditional Taiwanese cuisine. I love Taiwanese dishes for their simplicity, warmth, and conviviality, which makes them easy to recreate at home.
Taiwanese cuisine builds on the foundations of Chinese gastronomy, enriching them with local influences, unique cooking methods, and island-specific adaptations.
Many of these dishes remind me of the cooking of China’s Fujian province. Many immigrants from Fujian settled in Taiwan – and in Singapore – forging strong culinary links between these regions.
Tips for Successfully Making Three-Cup Chicken
Patience is the key to caramelization: let the sauce reduce until it caramelizes and the broth is almost completely evaporated to enjoy the full depth of flavor.
Main ingredients of the recipe
I have already mentioned the recipe’s three pillars; Shaoxing wine can be replaced with dry sherry or sake.
When it comes to stock, homemade is best, though it is not always on hand. I usually make some in advance and freeze it. In this recipe you debone the chicken thighs and use the bones to prepare the stock right in the same pot!
When it comes to cinnamon, it’s better to use Chinese cinnamon.
Because the dish is braised quickly, using breast meat would likely result in a texture that is far too dry, so stick to thighs.
Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken – San Bei Ji
Equipment
- 1 Wok
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs boneless and sliced
- 15 g ginger thinly sliced
- 40 g garlic cloves lightly crushed and peeled
- 1 handful basil leaves Thai, if possible
- 1 chili optional
- 3 tablespoon sesame oil
- 400 ml chicken stock unsalted
For the sauce
- 4 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 5 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 4 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Heat the sesame oil over medium-high heat, then add the ginger slices, the chili (if using) and the garlic, and stir-fry until the edges of the ginger turn brown.15 g ginger, 40 g garlic, 3 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 chili
- Add the chicken. Let it cook until it’s golden on the outside.4 chicken thighs
- Add the sauce ingredients. Cook until the sauce thickens and the sugar caramelises.5 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, 4 tablespoons sugar, 4 tablespoons light soy sauce
- Pour in the chicken stock and simmer over medium-high heat until the stock has evaporated.400 ml chicken stock
- Add the basil, stir-fry for another one or two minutes and serve1 handful basil leaves
This Three-Cup Chicken was a huge hit at dinner; the kids cleaned their plates and even asked for seconds, especially loving the sticky, caramelized sauce 😋
So flavorful and easy; the sauce is perfect.
Not much of a cook, so I was shocked how well this turned out, the sauce actually caramelized like you said and the chicken stayed juicy. Feeling oddly proud of myself, and the basil at the end made it taste way more impressive than the effort 😊
Not much of a cook, but this three-cup chicken actually turned out amazing and the sauce caramelized just like you said, which made me weirdly proud 😊 Will definitely make it again, maybe with a little less chili next time.