Three-Cup Chicken (Sanbei Ji)

It leans directly into the family’s love of soy sauce and adjustable heat while introducing a Taiwanese classic. The meal uses one main pot plus rice, feels special, and still fits a weeknight. Whole dried chiles can perfume the adult batch without making the child’s serving aggressively spicy, or they can be omitted entirely.

• Taiwanese rice wine or Michiu: Find it at H Mart or a Chinese/Taiwanese grocery. Shaoxing wine is a workable substitute; dry sherry is a more distant substitute. Use chicken stock for an alcohol-free dish.
• Toasted sesame oil: Use the dark, aromatic type, available at all listed stores. It is powerful; this recipe uses less than many traditional versions.
• Thai basil: H Mart is the best bet. Its anise-like fragrance differs from Italian basil, but regular basil is acceptable.
• Winter-melon syrup/brick: Available at H Mart or Taiwanese markets. Check sweetness and ingredient labels; brown-sugar syrup can stand in, though it will lack winter melon’s flavor.
• Taiwanese whisky: Kavalan is the best-known example but can be expensive. Any whisky works structurally; the regional bottle is optional.

1. Cut chicken thighs into 1½-inch pieces and pat dry.
2. Peel the garlic cloves but leave them whole. Slice ginger into thin coins. Slice scallions, separating white and green parts.
3. Pick basil leaves from the stems and dry them well.
4. Mix soy sauce, rice wine, brown sugar, and stock in a small cup.
5. For a mild family pot, leave dried chiles whole so they are easy to remove, or omit them. For more heat, break one chile only after the child’s portion has been removed.
6. Rinse jasmine rice and start it in a saucepan or rice cooker.

1. Heat neutral oil and 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a wok or wide skillet over medium heat.
2. Add ginger and cook 2 minutes, turning until the edges begin to curl. Add whole garlic and scallion whites; cook 2 minutes more.
3. Raise heat to medium-high. Add chicken in one layer and brown for 5–7 minutes, turning occasionally.
4. Add whole dried chiles, if using. Pour in the soy-rice-wine mixture and bring to a simmer.
5. Lower heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 10 minutes.
6. Uncover and cook 5–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce reduces to a glossy coating. If it tightens too quickly, add water a tablespoon at a time.
7. Remove a mild child portion if adding broken chile or extra white pepper.
8. Turn off the heat. Fold in basil, scallion greens, and the remaining ½ tablespoon sesame oil. Cover for 1 minute, just until the basil wilts.

Serve immediately over jasmine rice, spooning garlic cloves and glaze across the top. Add steamed edamame or quickly sautéed greens as an easy side. For the child, cut the chicken smaller, remove dried chiles, and offer extra rice to soften the intense sauce. Refrigerate leftovers up to 3 days; reheat gently with a splash of water. The flavor is excellent the next day, though the basil darkens.