Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken

 

It is a classic Taiwanese dish made by cooking chicken with sesame oil, soy sauce and rice wine.  It’s a potent, salty and savory braised chicken dish. The dish really gets its signature from the sheer volume of garlic cloves, thick pieces of ginger and fresh basil leaves for flavor.

 

Ingredients

3/4 cup sesame oil
1 3-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into 12 to 15 thick discs
12 to 15 whole cloves garlic
4 whole scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 to 3 small fresh red chilies, halved or sliced
1 cup rice wine
1 cup light soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups packed fresh Thai basil leaves

 

Directions

Step 1:    Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the ginger, garlic, scallions, and chilies, and cook until just fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken pieces and lightly brown, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes.

            

 

Step 2:   Add the rice wine and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the chicken pieces are cooked through and the sauce has slightly reduced, about 15 minutes.  Stir in the sugar until just dissolved.

Remove from the heat and stir in the basil. Serve immediately.