Three Cup Chicken

4.52 from 99 votes
Recipe IndexJump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read myย privacy policy.

Easy and authentic three cup chicken (san bei ji) recipe that anyone can make at home. This three cup chicken recipe tastes homey and takes 20 mins to make.

Three cup chicken with chicken, basil leaves in a dark 3-cup chicken sauce.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken

Three cup chicken or san bei ji (三杯鸡) is  one of the most classic Taiwanese recipes. I always order this dish whenever I eat out at Taiwanese restaurants.

I love Taiwanese recipes because they are unpretentious, humble and homey dishes that are easy to make at home. One of my favorite Taiwanese recipes is Taiwanese salt and pepper chicken.

Taiwanese cuisine is basically Chinese food with local influences with slightly different cooking methods, local adaptations and variations.

Many Taiwanese dishes remind me of Chinese-Malaysian food. Both share the same origin from Fujian province in China as many early immigrants settled in Taiwan, Malaysia or Singapore.


Why Is It Called Three Cup Chicken

Three cup chicken recipe ready to serve.

The name three cup chicken (三杯鸡) comes from the three key ingredients in the recipe:

  • Sesame oil
  • Chinese rice wine
  • Soy sauce

“Cups” refer to the equal ratio instead of literal measurement of three cup chicken recipe.

A true and authentic Taiwanese three cup chicken calls for basil leaves, the soul of the dish that lends an exotic aroma and minty nuance to the taste.

Taiwanese also love all sorts of “three cup” recipes, for example three cup squid (三杯小卷), tofu, mushrooms or eggplant. All of them are delicious!

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.


How To Make Three Cup Chicken

Steaming hot Taiwanese three-cup chicken.

If you like crispy chicken, you may deep fry the chicken quickly until the outer part of the chicken are fried, but may not cooked through inside.

Drain the chicken with paper towels and follow the remaining cooking steps.


Frequently Asked Questions

How many calories per serving?

This recipe is only 308 calories per serving.

Three cups chicken topped with basil leaves.

What To Serve With Three Cup Chicken

This dish is best served as a main entree, with steamed rice. For a wholesome Taiwanese meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.

I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on FacebookPinterest, and Instagram for new updates.


Other Recipes You Might Like

Freshly baked cod fillet with seasonings crust on a plate, garnished with lemon slices and herbs.
5 Secrets to 20-Minute Dinners
FREE EMAIL BONUS: How would it feel to have dinner DONE in 20 minutes? I’ll show you how!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
4.52 from 99 votes

Three Cup Chicken (三杯鸡)

Easy and authentic three cup chicken (san bei ji) recipe that anyone can make at home. This three cup chicken recipe tastes homey and takes 20 mins to make.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 3 people
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Ingredients  

  • 1 lb (500g) chicken drumsticks, chicken thighs or a combination of chicken parts
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda to tenderize the chicken, optional
  • 2 tablespoons dark sesame oil or toasted sesame oil
  • 2- inch (5cm) old ginger, peeled and cut into thin pieces
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons dark sweet soy sauce, kecap manis
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
  • 1 bunch Thai basil leaves

Instructions 

  • 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.

Video

Notes

This recipe calls for dark sesame oil or toasted sesame oil, which is different from regular sesame oil. Dark sesame oil is a lot more expensive but the flavor is more intense and with a stronger toasted sesame fragrance.
If you don’t have sweet soy sauce or kecap manis, you may use 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce and add 1 teaspoon of sugar.
If you like crispy three cup chicken, you may deep fry the chicken quickly until the outer part of the chicken are fried, but may not cooked through inside. Drain the oil with paper towels and follow the remaining cooking steps.
You can skip the first step of tenderizing the chicken with baking soda. I personally like it because it makes the chicken so tender. If you don’t have a clay pot, you can use a regular wok or pan to make this dish.

Nutrition

Serving: 3people, Calories: 308kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.05g, Cholesterol: 93mg, Sodium: 1866mg, Potassium: 298mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 188IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 29mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Please rate and comment below!

About Bee Yinn Low

Bee is a recipe developer and best-selling cookbook author, sharing easy, quick, and delicious Asian and American recipes since 2006. With a strong following of almost 2 million fans online, her expertise has been featured in major publications, TV and radio programs, and live cooking demos throughout the United States and Asia.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating





143 Comments

  1. Tina Ho says:

    5 stars
    Great base recipe! I added some Thai Birds Eye chili for some heat as Iโ€™m used to this dishing having a slight kick, and the sauce needed to be simmered for another 10 minutes for it to reach the right consistency because otherwise it was too thin. Very happy with it however! I did add a dash more of sugar as I like my 3 cup chicken to be just a tad sweeter than where it was at when I first tasted it

    1. Bee Yinn Low says:

      Thai chilies sound great. SO glad you enjoyed my recipe and thanks for the 5 stars ratings!! :)

  2. Joel says:

    You ask for drumsticks, thighs, etc but then you say โ€œcut up the chickenโ€ can you clarify?
    I assume this would still be great with boneless chicken thighs?

    1. Bee Yinn Low says:

      Yeah cut up the drumsticks and thighs. Yes you can use boneless.