Taiwanese · Dinner

Three cup chicken

Name: Three cup chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Taiwanese
Ingredients: 2 1/2 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces; 1 tablespoon neutral oil; 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, divided; 12 slices fresh ginger; 12 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole; 2 red finger chiles, sliced; 1/2 cup Taiwanese michiu rice wine or Shaoxing wine; 1/4 cup light soy sauce; 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce; 1 1/2 tablespoons rock sugar or brown sugar; 2 packed cups Taiwanese basil or Thai basil leaves; 4 cups steamed rice

Bone-in chicken lacquered with rice wine, soy, sesame oil, ginger, whole garlic, chile, and a final cloud of Taiwanese basil.

About 45 minTotal

About 45 minActive

$$Cost

ModerateDifficulty

Makes 4 servings

Equipment

Preheat a 9-inch metal cake pan; the crust will be lighter but still valid.
Best starting skillet
Lodge 10.25-Inch Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet · L8SK3
View at Amazon
Another workable path: Preheat a 9-inch metal cake pan; the crust will be lighter but still valid.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, Kwilt earns from qualifying purchases.
How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We matched the recipe’s diameter and preheating method, then checked material, heat retention, cooktop fit, weight, care, stable model identity, and exact destination. Kwilt has not cooked with this skillet.
Lodge 10.25-Inch Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet · L8SK3: The 10.25-inch seasoned surface matches the recipe footprint and retains enough heat to create the crisp cornbread edge promised by a preheated skillet method. Trade-off: It weighs more than five pounds, the handles become hot, and avoiding rust requires prompt hand washing, drying, and light oiling.
Another workable path: Preheat a 9-inch metal cake pan with the recipe’s fat; the crust will be lighter but the crumb and flavor remain valid.
Sources
Lodge cast-iron material and care
Amazon exact product listing

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 4 servings

2 1/2 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon neutral oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, divided
12 slices fresh ginger
12 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
2 red finger chiles, sliced
1/2 cup Taiwanese michiu rice wine or Shaoxing wine
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons rock sugar or brown sugar
2 packed cups Taiwanese basil or Thai basil leaves
4 cups steamed rice

Instructions

Pat chicken dry. Heat neutral oil and 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a over medium; fry ginger until curled and golden, then add garlic and chile for 1 minute.
Raise heat to medium-high, add chicken skin-side down, and brown in a single layer for 5 minutes. Turn and cook 3 minutes more.
Add rice wine, both soy sauces, and sugar. Bring to a boil, lower to a lively simmer, cover, and cook 12 minutes, turning chicken once.
Uncover and reduce, stirring carefully, until chicken reaches 165°F and the sauce becomes a glossy coating rather than a pool, 5 to 8 minutes.
Turn off heat, add remaining sesame oil and basil, cover 1 minute to wilt and perfume, then toss once and serve immediately with rice.

TaiwanTaiwanese household and street-food traditions

From the table

About this recipe

San bei ji is a Taiwanese classic whose name refers to the remembered proportion of sesame oil, rice wine, and soy sauce rather than a mandatory literal cup of each. Ginger, garlic, chile, and Taiwanese basil complete its aromatic identity.

San bei ji has roots connected to Jiangxi and became a quintessential Taiwanese dish distinguished by garlic, ginger, and abundant basil. The 'three cups' name refers to sesame oil, soy, and rice wine, not a mandate to use literal equal cups in a family-sized recipe; modern ratios prevent greasiness and excessive salt. This Kwilt version follows the reviewed household adaptation: Use the strongest modern rating pattern to balance the symbolic three liquids, preserve bone-in chicken and the Taiwanese basil finish, and explain why equal-volume folklore is not scaled literally.

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