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Meat, East Asian

Three Cup Chicken with Rice

Three Cup Chicken is a Taiwanese braised dish, with chicken thighs cooked in sesame oil, soy sauce, and dry sherry, finished with fresh basil. It serves 4, takes 55 minutes, and is rated easy, at €3.30 per person. The key to getting it right is reducing the sauce until it glazes the chicken, then stirring in the basil at the very last moment.

We're heading to Taiwan tonight, with Three Cup Chicken, simmered in sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice wine, and finished with fresh basil.

Three Cup Chicken with Rice
Total time
55 min
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€3.30
Calories per person
550 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
The kids
They generally like it

Three Cup Chicken gets its name from a traditional recipe that mixes equal parts sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice wine. This version is milder, swapping rice wine for dry sherry, but the spirit stays the same, a dark, fragrant sauce that coats every piece of chicken until it turns almost syrupy. Ginger and garlic, browned at the start, build a deep base, and fresh basil, stirred in right at the end, adds a brightness that changes everything.

It's a good weeknight dish, since it doesn't need constant attention once the pot is simmering, yet it still feels like a proper Sunday meal once it hits the table. Kids tend to love the sweet and savory balance, especially served over plain rice that soaks up the sauce. It's also an easy way into Taiwanese cooking if you've never tried it before.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Chicken thighs 1.2 kg

Pantry

  • Sesame oiloften in the pantry 3 tbsp
  • Soy sauceoften in the pantry 4 tbsp
  • Dry sherry 10 cl
  • Sugaroften in the pantry 1 tbsp
  • Riceoften in the pantry 300 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • Fresh ginger 1 piece
  • Garlic 8 cloves
  • Fresh basil 1 bunch

Allergens Soy, Gluten, Sesame

The step by step recipe

  1. Cut the chicken thighs into pieces, bone in if you can, and pat them dry.

    Ask your butcher to cut them for you, the bones give the sauce a much deeper flavor.

  2. Heat the sesame oil in a Dutch oven, brown the sliced ginger and whole garlic cloves until golden. 3 min

    Keep the heat medium, sesame oil burns fast and turns bitter.

  3. Add the chicken and brown it for 5 minutes, then pour in the soy sauce, sherry, and sugar. 5 min

    Let the alcohol cook off for a minute before covering, it leaves behind a rounder flavor.

  4. Cover and let simmer over low heat, then remove the lid so the sauce reduces and coats the chicken. 30 min

    Stir occasionally, the sauce thickens into a glaze.

  5. Cook the rice in salted water, drain it, stir the basil leaves into the pot, and serve. 11 min

    Add the basil at the very last second, it just needs to wilt in the heat.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick bone-in chicken thighs if you can, they hold up better during cooking and give the sauce more depth.
  • Hold off on salting the sauce until you've tasted it at the end, soy sauce and sherry are already salty and might be enough on their own.
  • If the sauce hasn't reduced enough after 30 minutes, keep it uncovered a few more minutes instead of raising the heat, so it doesn't stick to the pot.

The variations

  • Swap the dry sherry for Chinese rice wine or mirin if you have it, which brings the flavor closer to the traditional version.
  • For a vegetarian take, replace the chicken with shiitake mushrooms and firm tofu, cutting the simmering time down to 15 minutes.
  • For kids or a quicker version, use boneless chicken thighs, which brings the simmering time down to 20 minutes.

What to serve it with

  • Steamed white rice
  • Garlic stir fried greens
  • Hot green tea

Storage

Three Cup Chicken keeps for 2 to 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container. It freezes well, without the rice, for up to 2 months. Reheat gently in a saucepan, adding a splash of water if the sauce has thickened too much.

Questions about this dish

Can you make Three Cup Chicken ahead of time?

Yes, it actually tastes even better reheated the next day, once the sauce has had time to soak into the chicken. Cook it through the simmering step, then stir in fresh basil right before serving.

Can you replace the dry sherry with something else?

You can use Chinese rice wine, mirin, or even a dry white wine if that's what you have. The flavor will be slightly different but the recipe still works well.

Why does the basil go in at the very end?

Fresh basil loses its fragrance and turns bitter if it cooks too long. It just needs to wilt in the heat of the pot, a few seconds before serving.

Can you use Thai basil instead of regular basil?

Yes, Thai basil is actually closer to the basil traditionally used in Taiwan, with a more anise like note. Both work well in this recipe.

How long does it take to make a Three Cup Chicken with rice?

Count 55 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a Three Cup Chicken with rice?

About 550 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a Three Cup Chicken with rice cost?

About €3.30 per serving, or €13.20 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains soy, gluten, sesame. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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