Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Three Cup Chicken (San Bei Ji)
Three Cup Chicken has browned skin beneath a dark, glossy sauce, with fresh Thai basil adding a fragrant finish. Ginger and garlic give each piece a savory warmth. Spoon the chicken over rice and enjoy the sauce caught around the tender meat and between the grains.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 9 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Chicken
- Cuisine
- Chinese · Asian
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
A few quick notes
1. Keep aromatics pale
Fry the ginger and garlic in sesame oil until fragrant, watching carefully so they do not brown.
2. Let the skin brown
Arrange the chicken skin-side down in one layer and leave it undisturbed until the skin is well browned.
3. Reduce with the lid off
After simmering the chicken until tender, uncover the pan and increase the heat to thicken the sauce.
Get to know the ingredients
Skin-on thighs
Boneless, skin-on thighs begin skin-side down, giving the skin time to brown before the sauce ingredients enter.
Garlic cloves
Halve any large garlic cloves as listed, then move them over the chicken if needed to prevent burning.
Thai basil
Use the Thai basil leaves at the end, tossing them through the thickened sauce to coat.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 5 steps completeMake room for Three Cup Chicken (San Bei Ji)
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Basil and rice
Toss the Thai basil through the chicken after the sauce has thickened, then serve the finished dish with rice.
A little more help as you go
Make room for chicken
Move ginger and garlic onto the chicken pieces as needed to create space and protect the garlic.
Turn during the simmer
Flip the chicken a few times during its covered simmer so the pieces cook in the sauce.
A few questions you might have
When does the rice wine go in?
Add the rice wine after flipping the browned chicken, together with both soy sauces and the sugar.
Is the basil cooked from the start?
No, add the leaves at the end, after uncovering the pan and reducing the liquid to a thick sauce.
What color should the garlic become first?
The initial step calls for fragrant garlic and ginger that have not browned before the chicken is added.
Should I move the chicken while it browns?
Leave it undisturbed skin-side down until the skin is well browned, then flip it for the simmer.
Does the sauce thicken covered?
The chicken simmers covered first; uncover and increase the heat afterward to reduce the liquid into thick sauce.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: norecipes.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
