Three Cup Chicken

4.52 from 100 votes
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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.
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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.

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4.52 from 100 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
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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 baking soda. Set aside for 10 minutes before rinsing the chicken with water. Make sure the baking soda is completely rinsed off. Pat the chicken pieces dry and set aside. This step is optional.
  • Heat a clay pot over high heat and add the sesame oil. Add the ginger and garlic, and stir-fry until aromatic. Add the chicken and stir quickly a few times.
  • Add the soy sauce, dark sweet soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine, then continue stir-frying the chicken. Cover with 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 Rasa Malaysia

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.

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145 Comments

  1. Nancy says:

    If you canโ€™t find Thai Basil can u sub with regular basil?

    1. Bee Yinn Low says:

      Well they taste completely different

  2. Mark says:

    Interested in crisping up the chicken but deep frying is too much a mess. What do you think of browning the chicken first and then removing it for a short while to saute the ginger and garlic (and put the chicken back in and proceed). Doing this tonight, so I already may have my answer before you have a chance to reply.
    On a side note, I’m always looking for classic recipes around the world and somehow, this dish has escaped me so far. I already know it’s going to be good just from looking at the ingredients. Great post

    1. Bee Yinn Low says:

      Thanks for trying my recipe!

  3. afra says:

    Fabulous!! I stuck to the recipe in every detail and I loved it! I cannot believe I have never before tried tenderising meat. I was amazing and so worth the extra effort. I am already super happy about having this recipe in my regular weeknight repetoir now but the baking powder concept has blown my mind (in a good way) Thank you so much for sharing!

    1. Admin says:

      Thanks.

    2. Joyce says:

      Make sure to use Baking SODA, not Baking powder. Baking powder won’t do a thing to tenderize your meat, but Baking SODA, can be used on any meat, and does a super job at making silky, tender meat.

      1. Rasa Malaysia says:

        Correct. Baking soda.

  4. Scott says:

    Looks delicious, but the amount of cooking liquid is less than 1/2C. Is this correct?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Yes.

  5. Kimmy says:

    Bee, why did you cook it in a clay pot? Is there something special making this using that? Just curious.

    1. Benzzo says:

      Hi there.
      For the 5cm ginger slice. May i know what is the approximate weight of the ginger ?

      1. Bee Yinn Low says:

        It doesn’t matter about the weight, just a knob of ginger.

  6. Dixie says:

    I canโ€™t believe I waited this long to make this. All these years of paying exorbitant prices at restaurants. Itโ€™s so delicious and easy!

    1. Admin says:

      Thanks!

  7. Haley says:

    Tried this today! I doubled the chicken to feed my whole family, but didn’t double any of the other ingredients. I found the only alteration I had to make was maybe another tbsp or so of soy sauce, and a bit more kecap manis (I did it by taste, didn’t measure. Sorry!). It was very good! I want to keep eating, but I’m so full!

    Thank you! :)

    1. Admin says:

      Thanks for your support!

  8. Terry says:

    Thanks for this recipe! I am excited to try it, but wondered if the garlic should be chopped up or left whole. Great website!!!!!!!!!

    1. Haley says:

      The garlic is usually left whole in this recipe.

  9. Mikey says:

    This recipe was great! I cooked it at almost at last minute, and it became a member of the clean pot club. My housemate is not generally a finicky man, but you know it is a good recipe when he insists on finishing the last dregs.

    I tweaked the recipe a little bit, putting in a grated zucchini to add some vegetables. Plus the three sauces I went with soy sauce, oyster sauce (didn’t have ketchup manis, and I am trying to watch the sugar), and apple cider vinegar (didn’t have the wine, since I don’t drink).

    It has a chance of being in rotation. What is definite is I will see what else looks good on this website. Thanks, heaps for this recipe, God bless.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Thanks please try more recipes on my site!

      1. Rossi says:

        Easy to follow recipes. Thank you

  10. KL says:

    Made this tonight and the whole family devoured it. I wish I had made more for leftovers!

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Awesome.