Three Cup Chicken 三杯鸡 Taiwanese San Bei Ji Recipes

THREE CUP CHICKEN (SAN BEI JI, 三杯鸡)

Steps:

• Blanch chicken chunks in hot water then drain well.
• Heat up 2 tablespoons of sesame oil with ginger and garlic in a cold wok (or a deep frying pan) over a medium heat. Fry until the ginger becomes slightly brown.
• Stir in drained chicken. Fry for 1 minute or so.
• Add rice wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and rock sugar.
• Cover the wok with a lid (keep medium heat). Cook for about 5 minutes.
• Put in bell pepper and scallions, then cover and cook for a further 2 minutes.
• Uncover the wok and turn up the heat. Stir around until most of the liquid is evaporated and the chicken is coated evenly by the remaining sauce.
• Turn off the heat. Stir in the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil and basil leaves. Cover the wok for 1 minute.
• Dish out and serve with plain rice.

THREE CUP CHICKEN (三杯鸡, TAIWANESE SAN BEI JI)

Steps:

• 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
• 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.
• 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 :) )

THREE CUP CHICKEN (三杯鸡)

Steps:

• Cut the chicken into pieces and rub them with the baking soda. Set aside for 10 minutes before rinsing the chicken off with water. Make sure the baking soda is completely rinsed off. Pat dry the chicken pieces and set aside. This is an optional step.
• Heat up a clay pot on high heat and add the sesame oil. Add the ginger, garlic, and stir-fry until aromatic. Add in the chicken and do a few quick stirs.
• Add the soy sauce, dark sweet soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and continue to stir-fry the chicken. Cover the lid, lower the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
• Add the basil leaves and stir well with the chicken, dish out and serve immediately.

THREE CUP CHICKEN (SAN BEI JI)

Steps:

• Start by putting the sesame oil, vegetable oil, ginger, garlic, and red chili into your wok over medium heat. Let the aromatics infuse the oil for a couple minutes.
• Then turn up the heat to high, and add the chicken wings to the wok all in one layer. Sear the chicken until golden brown on both sides. Then add 1/4 cup warm water, ¼ cup Shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce (2-5 teaspoons, depending on how dark you'd like the dish to be), 1 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons sugar.
• Stir and cover the wok. Turn the heat down to medium and simmer for 15 minutes to cook the chicken through (cook for 20 minutes if you want the chicken to be more tender).
• Then remove the cover and turn up the heat to rapidly reduce the sauce for a few minutes until it clings to the chicken and gives it a rich, dark color. Make sure to stir the chicken during this process to prevent burning.
• Throw in your Thai basil and/or scallions and fry another minute until it's wilted. Serve!

THREE CUP CHICKEN (SAN BEI JI)

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the ginger, garlic, scallions, and chilies, if using, and cook until just fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add the chicken pieces and lightly brown, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the rice wine, soy sauce and sugar and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, until the chicken pieces are cooked through and the sauce has reduced to a thick, slightly syrupy consistency, about 15 minutes. If the sauce is not thick enough, continue cooking uncovered, stirring occasionally, until it has reduced to your desired consistency.
• Stir in the basil and remove from heat. Serve immediately with the rice.