Glossy dark-braised chicken pieces topped with fresh basil leaves, served in a round metal clay-pot-style dish on a wooden table. — Photo: Ceeseven · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Chinese · Lunch · Dinner

Three Cup Chicken

Name: Three Cup Chicken
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 65 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups brown rice; 3 1/2 cups water (for rice); 600 g (about 6 thighs) boneless skinless chicken thighs; 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil; 1 thumb-sized piece (about 5 cm) fresh ginger, thinly sliced; 12 cloves garlic cloves, peeled and left whole; 2 small red chillies, sliced; 1/3 cup Shaoxing rice wine; 3 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce; 2 tsp brown sugar; 1/4 cup water (for sauce); 2 packed cups Thai basil leaves; 2 spring onions, cut into 3 cm lengths; 4 heads baby bok choy, halved

三杯雞 (Sān Bēi Jī)

By BerryFit Kitchen · Nutrition checked with USDA data · Updated Oct 11, 2026 · How we make recipes

Tender chicken thigh pieces braised with plenty of ginger and garlic in a glossy soy, rice wine and sesame oil glaze, then finished with a big handful of fragrant Thai basil. This lighter version uses skinless thighs and less oil, and comes with brown rice and steamed bok choy.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 45 min
Total: 65 min
Serves: 4

Easy
Dairy Free
High protein

28%

Per serving567kcal28% of a 2,000 kcal day

39gProtein

66gCarbs

16gFat

4gFiber

Calories come from: Carbs 47% · Fat 25% · Protein 28%

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Ingredients

For 4 servings

1 1/2 cups285 gbrown rice
3 1/2 cups840 gwater (for rice)
600 g (about 6 thighs)boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 tbsp27 gtoasted sesame oil
1 thumb-sized piece (about 5 cm)40 gfresh ginger, thinly sliced
12 cloves36 ggarlic cloves, peeled and left whole
2 small10 gred chillies, sliced (optional)
1/3 cup80 gShaoxing rice wine
3 tbsp48 greduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp9 gbrown sugar
1/4 cup60 gwater (for sauce)
2 packed cups40 gThai basil leaves
230 gspring onions, cut into 3 cm lengths
4 heads400 gbaby bok choy, halved

Steps

1
Rinse the brown rice, then put it in a pot with the 3 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil.
2
Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes, then rest off the heat, covered, for 5 minutes.
3
While the rice cooks, trim excess fat from the chicken and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
4
Heat the sesame oil in a wok or heavy pan over medium heat.
5
Add the ginger slices and fry for 2-3 minutes until the edges curl and turn golden.
6
Add the whole garlic cloves and the chillies, if using, and fry for 1-2 minutes until the garlic is lightly browned.
7
Turn the heat to high, add the chicken and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes until lightly browned all over.
8
Pour in the rice wine, soy sauce, brown sugar and the 1/4 cup of water, and stir to combine.
9
Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice.
10
Uncover and simmer over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes until the sauce is thick and glossy and the chicken reaches 74 °C / 165 °F inside.
11
Meanwhile, steam the bok choy over boiling water for 3-4 minutes until just tender.
12
Turn off the heat under the chicken, stir in the spring onions and Thai basil, and toss until the basil wilts.
13
Serve the chicken with the brown rice and steamed bok choy.

Swaps, storage and make-ahead

Swaps

For a gluten-free version, use tamari labelled gluten-free instead of soy sauce and dry sherry in place of Shaoxing wine, which usually contains wheat.
Swap the chicken for firm tofu cubes, pan-fried until golden before adding the sauce, for a vegetarian dish.
If you can't find Thai basil, use regular sweet basil plus a few mint leaves for a similar fragrance.
Replace brown rice with white jasmine rice or cauliflower rice if you want a quicker side.

Storage

Refrigerate leftover chicken and bok choy in airtight containers within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot. Cool leftover rice quickly, refrigerate it within 1 hour, eat it within 1 day and reheat it only once until steaming hot. The basil will darken and the bok choy soften on reheating, so the dish is at its best fresh.

Make ahead

Cook the brown rice up to a day ahead, cooling it quickly and refrigerating it within 1 hour, then reheat it until steaming hot. Slice the ginger and chillies, peel the garlic and cut the chicken up to a day ahead, keeping everything covered in the fridge and the raw chicken separate. Add the basil only just before serving.

Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.

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Allergens and nutrition

Contains: SoyGlutenSesameSulphites

Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.

Full nutrition

	Per serving (624 g)	Per 100 g
Calories	567 kcal	91 kcal
Protein	38.8 g	6.2 g
Carbohydrates	66.2 g	10.6 g
of which sugars	4.7 g	0.8 g
Fiber	4.4 g	0.7 g
Fat	15.6 g	2.5 g
of which saturated	3.1 g	0.5 g
Sodium	782 mg	125 mg

Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.