Three-Cup Chicken
A Chinese dinner built around chicken thighs and toasted sesame oil — on the table in 40 minutes.
✓ USDA-verified nutrition data
733 calories
66g protein
18g carbs
44g fat
1g fiber
Ingredients
- 2 lb Chicken thighs
- 0.5 cup Toasted sesame oil
- 0.5 cup Light soy sauce
- 0.5 cup Rice wine
- 6 slices Fresh ginger
- 8 cloves Garlic
- 4 Dried red chiles
- 2 cups Thai basil
Steps
- Cut the thighs into 2-inch pieces, bone in — the bone keeps the meat juicy and enriches the sauce. Pat dry; wet chicken spatters violently in hot sesame oil.
- Sizzle the ginger, garlic, and chiles in the sesame oil 2 minutes until fragrant. Sesame oil burns easily, so keep the heat at medium and do not walk away.
- Add the chicken and sear, turning, until golden on all sides, about 8 minutes. Then pour in the soy, rice wine, and 2 tablespoons of sugar and bring to a boil.
- Drop to a simmer, cover, and cook 20 minutes, then uncover and reduce 10 minutes more, turning the chicken, until the sauce thickens to a dark glaze that clings to every piece.
- Off the heat, fold in the Thai basil and cover 1 minute — the residual heat wilts it into perfume. Serve over rice with the glossy sauce spooned over. The basil is not a garnish; it is the third lead actor.