Three Cup Chicken (三杯鸡, Taiwanese San Bei Ji)

A quick and easy, incredibly flavorful one-pot three cup chicken recipe (三杯鸡, Taiwanese San Bei Ji), loaded with garlic and ginger and braised in a sweet soy sauce which caramelizes into a very syrupy sauce that goes amazing with rice!

What Is Three Cup Chicken?

Three cup chicken (三杯鸡, San Bei Ji) is a Taiwanese chicken dish that is traditionally made by braising chicken in a sauce made of 1 cup of soy sauce, 1 cup of cooking wine, and 1 cup of sesame oil, hence the name three cup chicken.

The chicken is braised with aromatics such as garlic, ginger, and chilies until the sauce has reduced into a concentrated syrupy sauce (which I think is the best part!).

For three cup chicken recipe, I use a lot less soy sauce, sesame oil, and Shaoxing wine, so that the sauce is not super salty and greasy. I also like to use onions/shallots and add fresh green onions (which is not traditional, but my own twist) to give this dish even more flavor! The magic is really in the flavorful sauce that goes absolutely amazing with white rice.

The best part of this san bei chicken recipe is, it uses only one pot and it's very quick and easy to make. From start to finish, the recipe takes about 30 minutes and since we are using chicken wings it cooks super quickly.

If you have a clay pot or a Chinese earthenware pot, you can also use that as well, just make sure you soak it in water before you use it to prevent the pot from cracking.

If you're looking for something cozy and similar to Taiwanese san bei ji recipe, I also have a Chinese beer braised pork belly recipe that you may enjoy as well!

Three Cup Chicken Ingredients and Substitutions

• Chicken Wings - Traditionally this is made with chunks of bone-in chicken pieces, but I prefer chicken wings and I find come out a lot tastier as well.
• Sesame Oil -  Sesame oil is important in this recipe and gives a lot of flavor to this chicken dish. If you can't find it you can omit it but you will lose a bit of flavor without it.
• Garlic & Ginger - These ingredients are very important for this recipe and should not be omitted or substituted.
• Shallots - Personally, I think shallots are a lot more flavorful than onions, but in a pinch, you can substitute them with yellow onions as well.
• Birdseye Chili - This is an optional ingredient if you like spicy foods. 5-6 of these peppers will give this dish medium heat. You can use less to make it less spicy or more to make it spicier
• Shaoxing Cooking Wine - I use Shaoxing cooking wine for this recipe but if you can't find it you can substitute it with dry sherry or cooking sake.
• Soy Sauce - I like to use light soy sauce for this. If you can find a low-sodium one, it will work just as well.
• Dark Soy Sauce - This is used mainly to give the dish its dark color. If you cannot find it, you can omit it.
• Thai Basil - I like to make this dish with Thai basil for this but if you cannot find it, Italian basil will work as well, but the basil flavor will be a bit milder. Alternatively, you can also make this three cup chicken without Thai basil as well.

What Cuts of Chicken Can I Use?

Traditionally, three cup chicken (San Bei Ji) is made with chicken legs (drumstick and thighs) which have been chopped into smaller pieces using a meat cleaver (bone-in). Unfortunately, chopping the chicken this way may create bone fragments in this dish which is why I love using chicken wings instead.

That being said, you definitely can use any type of chicken cut, here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Chicken wings (separated by segments) - I personally love eating wings. It's dark meat, and it's flavorful. To make it easier to eat the chicken wings should be separated by cutting them into separate pieces at the joint.
• Chicken thighs and drumsticks - Chicken drums are also another great alternative and are a lot meatier but it takes slightly longer to cook because of their size, with their bone-in and all. If you want to use chicken thighs, you will need to cut them into smaller pieces so that it is easier to braise, and so the sauce can absorb into the meat better.
• Boneless dark meat (any cut, cut into small chunks) - This is also an amazing alternative if you are okay with having no bone in your recipe. Every bite is bite-sized boneless meat so it's a lot easier to eat, and it also cooks a bit faster too.
• Boneless Chicken Breast (cut into small chunks) - If you're looking for a healthier cut of meat, white meat also works but you have to be careful not to overcook it so it stays tender and moist. I like to marinate the chicken chunks in a 1:1 ratio of soy sauce and water (like a mini brine) 1 hour ahead before using it. This mini brine draws the water into the meat (you'll notice the mini brine actually disappears and gets absorbed) which makes for a more moist chicken.

How To Cook Three Cup Chicken

Prepare the Aromatics

1. Slice the ginger and set it aside for later
2. Peel the garlic and use the side of a knife to smash it down to crush it. Do not cut them into small pieces, leave them intact so that they don't burn as easily. Don't worry it will soften and caramelize during the cooking process. Set it aside for later
3. Peel and chop the shallots into 1 inch chunks. Set it aside for later
4. Cut the green onions 2 inches lengthwise and set aside for the end
5. Wash and pick the basil leaves off the stems and set them aside for the end

Make the Sauce

1. In a bowl, combine the hot water and sugar. Stir it until the sugar has dissolved
2. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the soy sauces and Shaoxing wine and mix well, and set it aside.

Cooking the Three Cup Chicken

1. Set the stove to medium heat and add the sesame oil into a large pot. Try to use a pot with a tall wall to prevent the oil splatter from getting everywhere. If you are using a Chinese clay pot, make sure to soak it in water before you use it.
2. When the oil is hot, add the ginger and toast it for about 3 minutes
3. Once the ginger has toasted for a bit, add the shallots, chilies, and garlic and toast it for 2 minutes until it is golden brown.
4. Add in the chicken and brown it for approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Keep the garlic on top of the chicken so it doesn't burn.
5. Once the chicken has slightly browned, pour in the sauce and cover the pot with a lid. Adjust the heat to medium-low heat and let it braise for 10 minutes.
6. Once 10 minutes is up, remove the lid and raise the heat back to medium heat. Let everything simmer for 8-10 more minutes (lid off). The sauce will start to caramelize and thicken.
7. Once 8-10 minutes is up and the sauce should have thickened, if the sauce hasn't turned syrupy, continue to cook it without the lid for 1-3 minutes.
8. Once the sauce is syrupy, add in the green onions and cook 1 minute.
9. Turn off the heat and add in the basil and mix well.
10. Enjoy with a bowl of rice! (don't eat the ginger slices! Remove them ahead of time, or when you're eating 🙂 )

More Classic Chinese Recipes You May Like

• Steamed Chinese Spare Ribs with Black Beans
• Chinese Tomato and Egg Stir Fry
• Beef & Onion Soy Sauce Noodles
• Easy Creamy Congee Recipe
• Sweet and Sour Pork
• Sweet and Sticky Char Siu (叉烧, Chinese BBQ Pork)
• Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce (鱼香茄子)

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Recipe Card

Three Cup Chicken (三杯鸡, Taiwanese San Bei Ji)

A quick and easy, incredibly flavorful one-pot three cup chicken recipe (三杯鸡, Taiwanese San Bei Ji), loaded with garlic and ginger and braised in a sweet soy sauce which caramelizes into a very syrupy sauce that goes amazing with rice!

Print Pin Rate Save Recipe Saved!

Course: Main

Cuisine: Chinese

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

4 Servings

5 from 17 votes

Recipe Notes

• Keeping the onions into 1 inch chunks and smashing the garlic and keeping it intact, prevents it from being burned when you are browning them in the oil
• Delicate aromatics such as fresh basil loses a bit of flavor when it's cooked for too long. Using the residual heat from the dish to wilt it, maintains the flavors.
• If you cannot find Shaoxing wine, you can substitute it for dry sherry. If you substitute it with Dry Sherry, the sauce will be slightly sweeter.
• This recipe also works well with white meat. If you use white meat, cut it into bite sized chunks and marinate it in a mini brine of 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of water for 1 hour before using the chicken. This will keep the chicken moist and tender, and won't overcook as easily.
• If you use boneless chicken, the sauce will need to use a corn starch slurry (1 tablespoon of corn starch mixed with 1 ½ tablespoon of cold water) to thicken the sauce at the end. The cartilage from the bones helps thicken the sauce to a thicker consistency.

Ingredients

 

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• ▢ 2 lbs chicken wings (or any type of dark meat chicken)
• ▢ ¼ cup sesame oil
• ▢ 1 tablespoon butter (optional)
• ▢ 10 cloves garlic (smashed and intact, do not chop them.)
• ▢ 7 slices ginger (1x3 inches)
• ▢ 4 small shallots (or 1 small onion - cut into 1-inch chunks)
• ▢ 5-6 birdseye chili (medium heat. Use less to make it less spicy or more to make it spicier)

Sauce

• ▢ ½ cup Shaoxing Cooking Wine
• ▢ ¼ cup soy sauce (I like to use light soy sauce for this)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (optional)
• ▢ ½ cup hot water
• ▢ 3 tablespoons sugar

Delicate Aromatics (Add At The End)

• ▢ 3 stalks green onions (chopped into 2-inch length)
• ▢ 1 cup fresh basil leaves (I like to use Thai basil for this but in a pinch, Italian basil will work as well)

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Instructions

 

Preparation

• Cut the 10 slices of ginger and set it aside for later
• Peel 10 cloves of garlic and use the side of a knife to smash it down to crush it. Do not cut them into small pieces, leave them intact so that they don't burn as easily. Don't worry it will soften and caramelize during the cooking process. Set it aside for later
• Peel and chop 4 shallots into 1 inch chunks. Set it aside for later
  
• Cut 3 stalks of green onions 2 inches lengthwise and set aside for the end
• Wash and pick 1 cup of basil leaves off the stems and set aside for the end

Making the Sauce

• In a bowl, combine the ½ cup of hot water and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Stir it until the sugar has dissolved
• Once the sugar has dissolved, add ¼ cup of light soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of dark soy sauce (optional) and ½ cup of Shaoxing wine.
• Mix it and set aside for later.
  

Putting It Together

• Set the stove to medium heat and add the ¼ cup of sesame oil into a small pot.

  Try to use a pot with tall wall to prevent the oil splatter from getting everywhere. Also try to use a pot that isn't too wide so that when you put the sauce in, it will be able to cover the chicken.

  If you are using a claypot, make sure you soak it before you use it to prevent it from cracking.
• When the oil is hot and shimmering, add the ginger and toast it for about 3 minutes
• Once the ginger has toasted for a bit, add the shallots, chilies and garlic and toast it for 2 minutes until it is golden brown.
• Add in the chicken and brown it for approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Keep the garlic, ginger, and shallots on top of the chicken so it doesn't burn.
• Once the chicken has slightly browned, pour in the sauce and cover the pot with a lid. Adjust the heat to medium-low heat and let it braise for 10 minutes.
• Once 10 minutes is up, remove the lid and raise the heat back to medium heat. Let everything simmer for 8-10 more minutes (lid off). The sauce will start to caramelize and thicken.
• Once 8-10 minutes is up and the sauce should have thickened, if it hasn't turned syrupy, continue to braise it without the lid for another 1-3 minutes.
• Once the sauce is syrupy, add in the green onions and mix well for 1 minute.
• Turn off the heat and add in the basil and mix well.
• Enjoy with a bowl of rice! (don't eat the ginger slices! Remove them ahead of time, or when you're eating 🙂 )
  

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving (½ lb of wings) | Calories: 923kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 64g | Cholesterol: 174mg | Sodium: 2632mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 26g

*Nutritional information is calculated using online tools and is an estimate*

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