I took an aboriginal cooking class in Hualien, Taiwan last week and we made a Taiwanese classic, Three Cup Chicken. It was so good, I knew I needed to share the recipe. While this version is not the most exact (it's all from memory of what our instructions were), there are other recipes online to follow.
Three Cup Chicken draws it's name from the three cups of liquid used: sesame oil, rice wine and soy sauce. Together they create a delicious, rich sauce that gives the chicken tons of flavor. It's a simple, quick dish to make and is well worth adding to the recipe book.
*This recipe made a single serving
Ingredients:
8 whole garlic cloves
~1/8 onion, chopped into medium pieces
1 carrot, sliced into thin rounds
1-inch piece old ginger, sliced into thin rounds
~1/4lb chicken - thighs, bone-in
Sesame oil
Chinese rice wine
Oyster soy sauce - (if you don't have oyster soy sauce and will be using regular soy sauce, you will need to add sugar and a thickening agent)
handful of Thai basil
Cooking
Add sesame oil to pan over medium heat (enough to cover center of the pan). Use chopsticks to place the ginger slices in pan. Cook on one side until ginger starts to brown on the edges then flip. Once both sides are done, remove from heat.
Add carrots and onions to the pan. Let cook for a few minutes before adding the garlic and ginger back to the pan. Cook until aromatic.
Add the chicken. Stir until nearly fully cooked.
Add the soy sauce (enough to thoroughly cover veggies and chicken). Stir continuously so the sugar in the oyster soy sauce doesn't burn.
Add the Chinese rice wine (a little less than soy sauce), stir and let simmer for another 5 minutes.
Finally, add Thai basil. Stir well in sauce and cook down.
Serve and enjoy.
