Taiwanese 3 Cup Chicken Wings 三杯雞
One of the most underrated recipes you NEED to try at home is Taiwanese 3 Cup Chicken 三杯雞. The perfect balance between savory, sweet, and slightly spicy, these chicken wings are glazed to perfection with that iconic 3 cup sauce. Every bite is packed with the aroma of Thai Basil and garlic. This is an easy to make at home recipe everyone will love. Don’t blame me if you get hooked, because you may be making this for the rest of the week!
What are the “3 Cups” in 3 Cup Chicken?
Taiwanese 3 cup chicken, or 三杯雞 San Bei Ji, is a classic Taiwanese dish that is loved by many. You can find it at street stalls, beerhouses, restaurants, and even night markets, and you can definitely find it regularly on the dinner table. It’s called “3 Cup” because traditionally, you need only 1 cup each of three simple ingredients: Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil, and Chinese Cooking Wine.
I love this traditional method, but I find that many people don’t consume alcohol and find a cup of sesame oil to be way too heavy. That is why for my Taiwanese 3 Cup Chicken Stir-fry I made some small changes that still gives you the authentic flavor but is much lighter.
3 Cup Chicken Wings Ingredients
- 1.5 lb chicken wings and drumettes
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 8-10 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 thumb-sized piece ginger sliced
- 2-3 Thai red chilies sliced (adjust to spice level)
- 1 cup Thai basil leaves
3 Cup Sauce
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 tbsp Chinese cooking wine or water
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp water
Best Chicken Cut for 3 Cup Chicken
Traditionally, the whole chicken is chopped to bite sized piece for this dish. But, to make it more accessible and easy today, I will use chicken wings instead. Wings and drumettes still give you that meat-on-the-bone bite that just makes this dish so fun to eat. However, you can also use chunks of boneless chicken thighs, or strips of chicken breast to make this recipe much easier to eat. Of course, if you want to make this a veggie-based dish, I’d switch the chicken for fried tofu, or mushrooms.
3 Cup Sauce
The flavor in this dish comes from that 3 Cup Sauce. It includes soy sauce, sesame oil, and Chinese cooking wine, but also a little sugar as well. The sweetness helps balance all the savory, aromatic flavors. This glaze coats all over the chicken, giving it a beautiful glossy look that also tastes finger-licking good! I also use this sauce for 3 Cup Chicken Noodle, a one-pot meal that takes less than 20 minutes to make at home.
Must Have Aromatics
The last must have ingredients for this dish are the aromatics: garlic, ginger, Thai basil, and red chili peppers. Thai basil and garlic gives it the iconic 3 cup chicken aroma that makes my mouth water every single time. But, it also needs that bit of heat from red chili and ginger. Without these, the dish just won’t smell the same.
Quick tip! If you also can’t handle Red Chili like me but want a subtle hit of spice, soak the red chili in cold water for at least 5 minutes and remove all the seeds. Drain, and then the red chili won’t be as spicy!
How To Make 3 Cup Chicken
- Season the chicken wings and drumettes with salt and black pepper.
- In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, sesame oil, Chinese cooking wine, sugar, and water. Set aside.
- In a large pan, heat a drizzle of oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and pan-fry for 3-4 minutes on each side, until lightly golden brown.
- Add the sliced garlic and ginger, then sauté for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Pour in the sauce, cover, and let simmer on medium heat for 7-10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
- Uncover, turn the heat to high, and add the Thai basil and Thai red chilies.
- Sauté for 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and everything is well combined.
- Serve with a big bowl of rice and enjoy.
Taiwanese 3 Cup Chicken
By Tiffy Cooks
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb chicken wings and drumettes
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 8-10 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 thumb-sized piece ginger sliced
- 2-3 Thai red chilies sliced (adjust to spice level)
- 1 cup Thai basil leaves
3 Cup Sauce
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 tbsp Chinese cooking wine or water
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
- Season the chicken wings and drumettes with salt and black pepper.
- In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, sesame oil, Chinese cooking wine, sugar, and water. Set aside.
- In a large pan, heat a drizzle of oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and pan-fry for 3-4 minutes on each side, until lightly golden brown.
- Add the sliced garlic and ginger, then sauté for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Pour in the sauce, cover, and let simmer on medium heat for 7-10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
- Uncover, turn the heat to high, and add the Thai basil and Thai red chilies.
- Sauté for 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and everything is well combined.
- Serve with a big bowl of rice and enjoy.
Yummy! I altered recipe with less sugar, soy, and oil, and thickened it. But I alter everything. It’s great!