三杯雞 (San Bei Ji)

Three cup chicken, or san bei ji (三杯雞), is comfort food at its best—tender braised chicken tossed with fragrant Thai basil and a rich, intensely savory sauce. Today, three cup chicken is best known as a Taiwanese dish. However, the dish first originated in the Jiangxi province of Southern China, a specialty of the Hakka people.[1] The eponymous three cups refer to the three main ingredients of the sauce: soy sauce, rice wine, and sesame oil.[2]

Ingredients

2 lb skin-on, bone-in chicken leg pieces (drumsticks and/or thighs)
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
¼ cup sesame oil
1/3 cup Shaoxing rice wine
2 in ginger, sliced
6 cloves garlic
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 bunch Thai basil

This recipe works best with bone-in, skin-on chicken legs. The bones help to keep the meat juicy during the braise, and the skin provides the gelatin which makes the sauce thick and rich. You can buy whole chicken legs and separate them into drumstick and thigh pieces yourself, or simply buy a mix of drumsticks and chicken thighs. Pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel to reduce splatter when we fry them.

In a large pan or wok, wide enough to hold all of your chicken pieces in a single layer, heat ¼ cup sesame oil over medium-high heat. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the whole garlic cloves and slices of ginger. Fry until the aromatics are fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Next, place the chicken pieces in the pan, skin side down. Fry for 2 minutes, or until the skin is golden. As with most braises, three cup chicken begins by frying the meat, then cooking it slowly in a flavorful liquid. The frying step adds flavor, as searing the surface of the meat causes the proteins to undergo the Maillard reaction.[3] It also helps to render the chicken fat and extract fat-soluble flavors. When the skin side is done frying, flip the chicken pieces and fry for 2 more minutes on the other side.

Next, it’s time for the braising liquid. In a bowl or cup, mix together the regular soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice wine, and brown sugar. Pour the sauce mixture into the pan, together with about ¼ cup of water. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. The liquid should come to about halfway up the chicken pieces. Simmer the chicken, covered, until the chicken is cooked through and tender, about 15-20 minutes. Every 5 minutes or so, flip the chicken pieces. This way, both sides get equal time to cook in the sauce.

By the time the chicken is done, the liquid should have reduced to about half of its initial volume. When the chicken is done, remove the lid, turn the heat up to medium, and reduce the sauce by half again, or until it becomes thick and glossy. This should take about 3-5 minutes. Toss the chicken pieces occasionally to coat them in the sauce. Finally, add the Thai basil leaves to the pan, and turn off the heat. The residual heat will be sufficient to wilt the basil. Toss the basil leaves with the chicken, then serve immediately, with plenty of white rice to soak up the sauce!

Substitutions

For a less salty dish, reduce amount of regular soy sauce (dark soy sauce is more flavorful, but not as salty, as regular soy sauce). This recipe also works great with chicken wing pieces. If you’re looking for a fast version of this dish, you can use boneless, skin-on chicken thighs, chopped into 2-inch pieces. These will cook faster, but the dish won’t quite have the depth of flavor that the bones provide. I do not recommend using chicken breast for this recipe—the lean meat will end up dry. If you’d like to add some spice, add some fresh red chilies to the pan together with the garlic and ginger. If you don’t like Thai basil, you can substitute chopped scallions.

[1] The Hakka are a cultural Han Chinese minority. About 20% of the Taiwanese population is Hakka, their ancestors coming to Taiwan from the mainland when the Ming Dynasty fell (1644).

[2] This nomenclature is somewhat reminiscent of pound cake, which originally called for one pound of each of its primary ingredients—flour, butter, eggs, and sugar.

[3] The Maillard reaction was first described by chemist Louis-Camille Maillard in 1912. It is a non-enzymatic reaction between sugars and amino acids which occurs between 140 and 165 °C (280 to 330 °F).

Recipe

Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 25 min Total Time: 35 min

Difficulty: 2/5

Heat Sources: 1 burner

Equipment: large pan or wok

Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 lb skin-on, bone-in chicken leg pieces (drumsticks and/or thighs)
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
¼ cup sesame oil
1/3 cup Shaoxing rice wine
2 in ginger, sliced
6 cloves garlic
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 bunch Thai basil

Instructions

1. Heat the sesame oil in a large pan or wok over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic cloves and slices of ginger and fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Place the chicken pieces in the pan in a single layer, skin side down. Fry for 2 minutes, or until the skin is golden. Flip the chicken pieces and fry for 2 minutes on the other side.

3. In a bowl or cup, mix together the regular soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice wine, and brown sugar.

4. Pour the sauce mixture into the pan, along with ¼ cup water. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer the chicken, turning the chicken pieces every 5 minutes so that both sides have time to cook in the sauce. Continue to cook until the chicken is cooked through and tender, about 15-20 minutes.

5. Remove the lid, turn the heat up to medium, and reduce the sauce by half, or until the sauce should become thick and glossy. Toss the chicken pieces occasionally in the sauce.

6. Add the Thai basil leaves, and turn off the heat. Toss the basil with the chicken and the sauce until it wilts. Serve immediately over rice.