Three Cup Chicken Recipe (San Bei Ji / 三杯鸡)

Steve and I have been extremely busy with work as of late, so I’ve been reverting to some of my favorite quick and easy dishes for dinner, one of which being Three Cup Chicken or San Bei Ji. This is a popular Taiwanese dish whose name was derived from the use of equal ratios between 3 ingredients: soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine. While the traditional dish is extremely delicious, I like to make mine with different measurements and extra sauce to braise my chicken in. I also like to make a bigger batch in hopes of having some leftover for lunch the next day 😁. Check out my recipe and YouTube video below and don’t forget to subscribe to my channel and tag me @rackoflam on social media if you enjoyed my dish!

Three Cup Chicken (San Bei Ji – 三杯鷄) Recipe

This popular Taiwanese dish braises chicken in a delicious sauce and pairs very well with white rice. So easy to make, yet delicious!

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese, Taiwanese

Keyword: San Bei Ji, Taiwanese San Bei Ji, Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken, Three Cup Chicken, 三杯鷄

Ingredients

FOR THE SAUCE

• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp Shao Xing Wine

REST OF THE DISH

• 2-3 tbsp sesame oil
• 6 cloves sliced
• 1 thumb ginger julienned
• 2 lb chicken drumsticks cut with skin on and bone in
• bunch of basil

Instructions

• In a bowl, add all the sauce ingredients. Mix until well blended and set aside.
• Heat 2-3 tbsp of sesame oil in a pan. Add the garlic and ginger and stir fry for about 15 seconds.
• Add the chicken into the pan and sear until both sides are slightly brown.
• Pour the sauce mixture into the pan.
• Cover the pan with a lid and simmer on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, flipping midway to ensure the sauce coats the chicken thoroughly.
• Remove the lid and turn the heat up to medium or medium high. Continue to stir the chicken and allow the sauce to reduce and thicken (about 4-5 minutes).
• Add the basil leaves and stir until wilted.
• Serve with white rice and enjoy!

Video

Notes

PRODUCT LINKS:

• Florida Crystals Natural Cane Sugar – https://amzn.to/2WZK6tq
• Kikkoman Lite Soy Sauce – https://amzn.to/3bfWJJ3
• Shaoxing Wine – https://amzn.to/2KZOqXp
• Kadoya Sesame Oil – https://amzn.to/3pWPFFA
• Ikea Measuring Spoons – https://amzn.to/3bb5YKK
• OXO Good Grips 9-Inch Locking Tongs – https://amzn.to/3occmVy
• GRANITESTONE 10 inch and 12 inch Nonstick Frying Pans – https://amzn.to/35cPI8j