Three cup chicken (San Bei Ji, 三杯鷄) is considered to be a specialty of Taiwanese cuisine, but it actually originates from the Jiangxi province of China. The story was that in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), General Wen Tianxiang (文天祥, known as Man Tin Cheung in Cantonese, who was a national hero and a prominent scholar from Jiangxi) was captured by the Mongols. He was tortured in the prison for four years, and a sympathetic warden cooked this chicken dish for him before his execution.
Three cups refer to a cup of each of the following three ingredients: rice wine, soy sauce, and oil. This is far too much for a normal serving size, and I believe it actually means equal portions of the ingredients. However, I suggest using a little less oil as the chicken will release fat during cooking.
Three cup chicken is simple and easy to make. It is supposed to be a modest peasant country dish. But it relies on the great natural flavour of a good quality chicken. Traditionally, a clay pot is used to cook the chicken. It is slowly braised over low heat until the sauce has evaporated and been completely absorbed by the meat. The slow cooking ensures that the meat will be tender and succulent. At the end of cooking process, the chicken will be sizzling in the remaining oil, giving it a crispy texture.
A lot of recipes suggest adding sesame oil in the beginning of cooking, and stir fry the chicken with the oil. However, I prefer cooking the chicken with groundnut oil and adding the sesame oil only at the end. This is because cooking sesame oil for a long time will lead to a loss of its nutty flavour.
The recipe presented below is the Taiwanese version of three cup chicken using the traditional clay pot method. I have presented this version because it is the popular one known to most people. If you would like to make the original Jiangxi version, follow the same recipe but omit sesame oil, chilli and Thai basil (skip Step 4 of the Instructions). I suspect these ingredients have been added by the Taiwanese as the dish evolves. The Jiangxi version has milder flavour, and omitting the above ingredients will let the flavour of the chicken shine.
Ingredients
- 1.5 tbsp groundnut oil
- 10 ginger slices
- 7 whole garlic cloves, peeled
- 1.5kg organic or free range chicken, chopped into chunks
- 60ml Shaoxing wine
- 60ml soy sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 25g Thai basil leaves
- 1 fresh red chillies, sliced diagonally
Instructions
- Add oil, garlic and ginger into a clay pot (or a cast iron casserole). Adding garlic and ginger in cold oil will ensure that they won't be burnt. Turn the heat to medium high. Cook until their surface starts to bubble gently, releasing their flavour.
- Mix in the chicken pieces and give them a few quick stirs. Add the wine, soy sauce and sugar. Mix the chicken with the sauce and bring to the boil. Stir and continue to cook until the surface of the meat turns white.
- Reduce the heat to a steady simmer with gentle bubbling. Slowly cook the chicken, uncovered, until the sauce has evaporated and been completely absorbed by the meat. This may take about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Give the chicken pieces a stir from time to time to ensure that they are evenly cooked and coated by the sauce. The chicken will eventually be sizzling in the remaining oil.
- Mix in the sesame oil, the chillies and Thai basil. Cook briefly until the leaves are wilted.
- Serve immediately while the chicken is still sizzling.
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