If you love chilli, garlic and ginger, then this chicken dish is for you. Think salty, sweet and sticky sauce with a hint of sesame and some spice, perfect with rice. I originally came across this dish on Matthew Murtagh-Wu's Instagram, also known affectionately as The Dumpling King. Matt was kind enough to let me share it, so here it is in all its glory.
(Side note, Matt makes killer handmade dumplings, my freezer is always stocked with them, and yours should be too.)
While Three Cup Chicken is Tawainese in origin, its roots are often traced back to 13th century China. And like any epic but staple dish, every family cooks it differently. Some call for less or more sesame oil, while other cooks prefer certain cuts of chicken. The recipe I am sharing today is a culmination of both the research I've done but also mirrored off of the Dumpling King’s version. Anyway, it’s a fantastic dish, made in just under an hour and is even better the next day.
TAKES: 1 hour
MAKES: Enough for 4
INGREDIENTS
3 glugs of sesame oil
⅓ cup of soy sauce
½ cup of rice wine
1 tbsp brown sugar or honey
2-3 good chunks of ginger (peel and slice into thin medallions)
10 cloves of garlic, peeled
2-3 dried red chilli peppers (I used Arbol chillies but cayenne or chilli flakes work too)
1 chicken (I use a cleaver and cut up the whole chicken (bone-in) into 3-inch chunks but you can easily use wings or whatever cut you love, just make sure the pieces are equal size)
1 bunch of fresh Thai basil leaves (if you can’t find Thai basil, use Italian basil and some mint leaves)
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat up the sesame oil in a wok or heavy-bottomed pot on medium-high heat.
Chuck in the garlic, chilli and ginger and fry until fragrant (*I then remove the aromatics from the oil as I don’t want to burn the garlic but this step is not necessary.)
Add the chicken and fry until both sides are brown and a tad crispy.
Next add back in the aromatics, soya sauce, rice wine vinegar and honey or brown sugar.
Stir to coat evenly, pop a lid on top and let the chicken simmer for 15 minutes. Eventually, the sauce will reduce and thicken, making the chicken delightful and sticky.
Serve with sticky rice and a ton of Thai basil.
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