Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken

To try

Servings: 4 · $4/serving · Active: 8 min · Total: 10 min ·

candidateto-tryeasyhigh-proteinquickstovetopasiantaiwanesechicken

Notes

Added as a to-try option from the validated RecipeTin Eats source list because it is a very quick high-protein chicken dinner with pantry-friendly sauce ingredients.
Imported from structured recipe metadata on 2026-07-23T09:01:37-04:00.
Image saved locally at /images/taiwanese-three-cup-chicken.jpg.

Quantity	Unit	Item	Section	Pantry?
1 1/2	tbsp	plain oil - canola (, vegetable, peanut)	Snack nuts/cereals/granola	yes
		600g/1.2 lb chicken thighs (, boneless, skinless, cut into 2.5cm/1" pieces (Note 1))	Meat & Seafood	no
6		slices ginger (, ~3mm / 1/8" thick (Note 2))	Asian ingredients	no
1 1/2	tbsp	finely minced garlic (, about 5 - 6 cloves (yes, lots!))	Produce	no
2		dried red chillies ((barely noticeable spicy, but can omit, or sub 1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes))	Canned vegetables/pickles/olives/beans/condiments/dressings/salad toppings/rice/bread crumbs	no
1 1/2	tbsp	toasted sesame oil	Asian ingredients	yes
1	cup	(lightly packed) Thai basil leaves	Canned vegetables/pickles/olives/beans/condiments/dressings/salad toppings/rice/bread crumbs	no
2	tbsp	light soy (, or all-purpose soy (Note 4))	Canned vegetables/pickles/olives/beans/condiments/dressings/salad toppings/rice/bread crumbs	no
2	tsp	dark soy ((Note 4))	Canned vegetables/pickles/olives/beans/condiments/dressings/salad toppings/rice/bread crumbs	no
2	tsp	white sugar	Baking/flour/cake mixes/sweeteners/spices/oils/canned fruit/baking nuts	yes
2	tbsp	Chinese cooking wine (or Taiwanese rice wine (mijiu) if you can find it, or chicken stock/broth (Note 5))	Asian ingredients	no
		White rice	Canned vegetables/pickles/olives/beans/condiments/dressings/salad toppings/rice/bread crumbs	no

Toast ginger and chilli 30 sec, seal chicken, adding garlic towards end. Add sauce, braise 4 - 5 min until syrupy, stir in sesame oil and basil leaves. Serve!
Sauce - Mix the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Seal chicken - Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over medium low. Add the ginger and chillies, stir for 30 seconds. Turn heat up to high, add chicken and stir until the surface is changes from pink to white, but it's still raw inside. Add the garlic and stir for another 30 seconds.
Braise - Add sauce, making sure to scrape out all the sugar from the bowl. Stir, and once it starts bubbling, reduce the heat to medium high or medium so it's simmering fairly rapidly but not wildly - not too low else it will take ages to reduce, not too high else the sauce will reduce too quickly (if it does, add a splash of water). Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring to stain each piece of chicken all over with colour, until the sauce reduces and changes from watery to a thin syrup.
Finish - Stir in the sesame oil, then the Thai Basil leaves until it wilts (~15 seconds). Serve over rice, making sure you use all the syrup in the pan! (It's intense, so you don't need much)