Taiwanese recipe

Three Cup Chicken

Name: Three Cup Chicken
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Taiwanese cuisine
Ingredients: 900 g bone-in chicken thigh, 4 cm pieces; 45 ml black sesame oil; 70 g ginger, 3 mm slices; 12 cloves garlic, peeled; 3 dried red chiles, stems removed; 120 ml Taiwan rice wine; 60 ml light soy sauce; 15 ml dark soy sauce; 20 g rock sugar; 80 ml water; 40 g fresh Taiwan basil leaves

Bone-in chicken thigh is browned with ginger and garlic, simmered in rice wine and soy, reduced to a glossy glaze, and finished with fresh basil.

Taiwan

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 30 min
Total: 50 min
Servings: 4

Ingredients

900 g
bone-in chicken thigh, 4 cm pieces
45 ml
black sesame oil
70 g
ginger, 3 mm slices
12 cloves
garlic, peeled
3
dried red chiles, stems removed
120 ml
Taiwan rice wine
60 ml
light soy sauce
15 ml
dark soy sauce
20 g
rock sugar
80 ml
water
40 g
fresh Taiwan basil leaves

Method

01
Dry and temper the chicken
Pat chicken completely dry and leave at cool room temperature for 15 minutes. Measure every liquid separately and keep basil dry; wet chicken will spit and steam instead of browning.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Fry ginger, garlic, and chile
Heat sesame oil in a 28 cm heavy pan over medium-low. Fry ginger 6–8 minutes until the edges curl and turn gold; add garlic and dried chiles and fry 2 minutes without blackening either.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Brown the chicken
Raise to medium-high. Add chicken in one layer and brown for 7–9 minutes, turning so two sides colour. If the pan is crowded, brown in two batches; the centre need not be cooked yet.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Simmer in the three-cup sauce
Add rice wine, both soy sauces, sugar, and water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce to medium-low, and simmer 12 minutes, turning once, until the thickest chicken reaches 74°C.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Reduce to a glaze
Uncover and boil over medium-high for 4–6 minutes, turning constantly near the end, until the sauce bubbles slowly and clings to every piece. Stop before sesame oil separates into a large pool.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
06
Wilt basil off the heat
Turn off the heat, add all basil, and fold for 20–30 seconds until just wilted and bright green. Rest 2 minutes in the covered pan, then serve immediately with rice.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Measure every sauce and dry washed ingredients before heating the pan; these dishes move too quickly to pause midway.
Use texture, internal temperature, and sauce consistency as the finish line; burner strength can shift the clock.

Common mistakes

Crowding a cool pan causes steaming; cook in batches whenever protein cannot lie in one layer.
Do not keep seasoning before liquid reduces; make the final salt adjustment only when the sauce reaches its serving consistency.

Substitutions

Boneless thigh works, but cut 4 cm pieces and begin checking for 74°C after 8 minutes of covered simmering.
Thai basil is the closest substitute for Taiwan basil; ordinary sweet basil is milder, so use 50 g and never cook it for long.

Storage

Best served immediately. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours for up to 2 days and reheat to 74°C; crisp foods will soften.

Cultural context

The name describes the classic balance of sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice wine rather than requiring three literal household cups. Modern home recipes scale those liquids to the chicken.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Sanbeiji — Photograph by Archon6812; CC BY-SA 3.0.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to Taiwanese recipes

Three Cup Chicken

Ingredients

Method

Dry and temper the chicken

Fry ginger, garlic, and chile

Brown the chicken

Simmer in the three-cup sauce

Reduce to a glaze

Wilt basil off the heat

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

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