Three Cup Chicken

Three Cup Chicken: Step by Step

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1. Blanch the chicken pieces in boiling water 3 minutes, then drain and dry them well.

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2. Heat the sesame oil in a clay pot or heavy pan over medium heat — never let it smoke.

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3. Fry the ginger slices alone 4 minutes, until curled and lightly crisped at the edges.

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4. Add the whole garlic cloves and the dried chillies and cook 2 minutes more.

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5. Add the chicken and turn it in the oil until every piece is coated and lightly browned, 5 minutes.

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6. Pour in the soy sauce and the rice wine and add the sugar.

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7. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat 15 minutes, turning the chicken twice.

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8. Take the lid off and cook 5 minutes more, until the sauce has reduced to a thick glaze clinging to the pieces.

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9. Take the pot off the heat, throw in the basil and spring onions, cover for 30 seconds, then serve straight from the pot.

   Mark done Start 30 sec timer

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Tips That Matter

• Fry the ginger alone until it curls. That is the depth.
• Sesame oil must never smoke — it goes bitter instantly.
• Basil off the heat, thirty seconds, lid on.

If You're Missing Something

• Out of spring onions? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.
• Dried chilli flakes can stand in for the red chillies. Heat varies a great deal between chillies and between jars, so start with a small pinch and add more to taste.
• If you only have ground ginger, a quarter-teaspoon for each tablespoon of fresh is the ratio usually given; it tastes warmer and less bright than the fresh root.

Serve It With

Steamed rice · A cold beer · Stir-fried greens

Keeping and Reheating

Refrigerated for 3 days. Reheat gently and add fresh basil.

Nutrition per Serving

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: weights that include bone are counted as if all of it were eaten, so the figures run high; where a line offers a choice of foods, only one of them is counted. How the figures are worked out.

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