Frederick Sy cooks pan-Asian for Nicky Pellegrino. The name “three cup chicken” comes from the three key ingredients: sesame oil, Chinese rice wine, and soy sauce. "Cups" refer to the equal ratio of the three instead of a literal measurement.
Chicken
1 bunch | Spring onion |
5 cloves | Garlic, peeled and lightly crushed |
1 piece | Ginger, thumb-size, peeled and sliced |
2 Tbsp | Sesame oil |
300 g | Boneless chicken thighs, cut into medium pieces (Main) |
2 Tbsp | Shaoxing wine |
2 Tbsp | Soy sauce, dark |
10 g | Chinese rock sugar, or palm sugar (brown sugar can be used as a substitute) |
1 cup | Thai basil leaves |
Salad
4 | Lebanese cucumber (Main) |
2 tsp | Salt |
3 tsp | Sugar |
3 cloves | Garlic, peeled and chopped |
2 Tbsp | Rice vinegar |
1 Tbsp | Sesame oil |
3 Tbsp | Soy sauce, light |
2 | Red chillies, sliced |
Directions
Three cup chicken
- Wash and dry spring onions and trim, separating the green leaves and white stalks. Cut the green leaves diagonally and reserve as garnish. Cut the stalks in half lengthwise.
- Using a large frying pan or wok stir fry garlic, ginger, and spring onion stalks in 1 Tbsp of the sesame oil over medium high heat for 1-2 minutes.
- Add chicken pieces and brown both sides of the meat.
- Add shao xing, soy sauce, remaining sesame oil, and sugar. Bring to a boil over low-medium heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, slowly reducing most of the liquid. The resulting sauce should be thick enough that it glazes the chicken pieces.
- Add basil and spring onion leaves and toss until basil wilts (approximately 20 seconds)
- Serve hot with steamed white rice and smashed cucumber salad
Smashed cucumber salad
- Trim off ends of cucumber. Using a mallet or something similar, carefully smash the cucumber then break the pieces by hand, discarding any clumps of seed.
- Put the smashed cucumber pieces in a bowl and add salt and sugar. Transfer to a colander and leave for a minimum of one hour to cure and drain.
- Put the remaining ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Add well-drained cucumber pieces and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes.