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Recipe photo for Three Cup Chicken Wings (三杯雞翼)

Three Cup Chicken Wings (三杯雞翼)

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Three Cup Chicken Wings (三杯雞翼)

The Taiwanese classic three cup chicken made with wings, braised in equal parts soy sauce, toasted sesame oil and rice wine, then finished with a big handful of Thai basil.

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🇹🇼 Taiwan ·Asia · $$
Prep
Cook
Total
4 portions
Three cup chicken, or san bei ji, takes its name from the three cups that build its sauce: one part soy sauce, one part toasted sesame oil and one part rice wine. This wings version is braised and stir-fried rather than deep-fried, so there is no batter and no crispy coating. Instead the wings turn glossy and deeply savory as the sauce reduces and clings to each piece. The dish leans aromatic rather than fiery, built on a generous amount of sliced garlic and ginger that fry slowly in sesame oil until fragrant. A single dried chili adds warmth without real heat. Right at the end a large handful of Thai basil goes in and wilts into the sauce, lifting everything with its sweet, peppery, almost licorice perfume. Serve it straight from the pan over steamed rice.

Ingredients

Ingredients

1000 g chicken wings split at the joints, wing tips removed
2 tbsp vegetable oil for searing

Three cup sauce

3 tbsp sesame oil toasted dark sesame oil
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce for color (optional)
4 tbsp rice wine Shaoxing or Taiwanese michiu
2 tbsp sugar
60 ml water

Aromatics

10 clove garlic peeled and sliced
8 slice ginger fresh, thinly sliced
1 piece dried red chili halved (optional)

To finish

2 cup Thai basil leaves, loosely packed, stems removed

Ingredients

4 portions

Ingredients

1000 gchicken wings split at the joints, wing tips removed
2 tbspvegetable oil for searing

Three cup sauce

3 tbspsesame oil toasted dark sesame oil
3 tbspsoy sauce
1 tbspdark soy sauce for color (optional)
4 tbsprice wine Shaoxing or Taiwanese michiu
2 tbspsugar
60 mlwater

Aromatics

10 clovegarlic peeled and sliced
8 sliceginger fresh, thinly sliced
1 piecedried red chili halved (optional)

To finish

2 cupThai basil leaves, loosely packed, stems removed

Instructions

Infuse the aromatics

  1. 1

    Heat the neutral oil and toasted sesame oil in a wok or heavy pan over medium-low heat. Add the sliced ginger and fry slowly until the edges curl and turn lightly golden.

    ~6 min
  2. 2

    Add the sliced garlic and the halved dried chili. Continue frying gently until the garlic turns pale gold and smells fragrant, stirring so nothing burns.

    ~4 min

Sear the wings

  1. 1

    Raise the heat to medium-high and lay the chicken wings in the pan in a single layer. Sear undisturbed until golden on the underside, then flip and brown the other side.

    ~8 min

Braise in the three cups

  1. 1

    Pour in the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice wine, sugar and water. Stir to coat every piece and let it come up to a steady simmer.

    ~2 min
  2. 2

    Cover, lower the heat to medium-low, and braise until the wings are cooked through and tender, stirring once or twice.

    ~15 min

Reduce and finish with basil

  1. 1

    Uncover and turn the heat to high. Reduce the sauce quickly, stirring often, until it thickens and glazes the wings with a glossy, deep brown coating.

    ~4 min
  2. 2

    Add the Thai basil leaves and toss until just wilted and the aroma blooms, about one minute. Serve at once over steamed rice.

Credits & Inspiration

  • The Woks of Life

    Family recipe using chicken wings, with the classic sesame oil, ginger and garlic base and a Thai basil finish.

  • Tiffy Cooks

    Wings-specific take on san bei ji with the three cup sauce and a generous cup of Thai basil.

  • Beyond Kimchee

    Authentic Taiwanese version using party wings, Shaoxing wine, garlic, ginger and a double hit of sesame oil.

  • iCook 愛料理

    Chinese-language Taiwanese recipe for three cup chicken wings with black sesame oil, rice wine, soy sauce and nine-layer basil.

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