Shin Yeh Shuanglian ★ 4.4
Why locals love it: Round-table Taiwanese banquet cooking in Zhongshan since 1977, the family-table standard locals book for new-year reunion meals.
Tip: Phone reservations. Service charge added.
History
Three-cup chicken is a Hakka dish brought to Taiwan by 17th-century settlers from Jiangxi province. The three cups (sometimes 'one cup' each of rice wine, soy sauce and sesame oil) give it its name and the explosive aroma. Shin Yeh, opened 1977 in Taipei, popularised the dish on Taipei tourist menus. The finishing handful of nine-layer Taiwan basil (jiu ceng ta) is what distinguishes it from mainland Chinese braises.
Common allergens: Gluten, Soy
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 800g bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks, chopped into 4cm pieces
- 60ml sesame oil
- 30g sliced ginger
- 10 garlic cloves, peeled
- 5 dried chillies
- 60ml dark soy sauce
- 60ml Shaoxing rice wine
- 30g rock sugar
- 1 large handful Thai basil leaves (or Holy basil)
- Cooked Taiwanese rice, to serve
Method
- Heat sesame oil in a clay pot or heavy wok over medium heat. Add ginger; fry 3 minutes until edges curl.
- Add garlic and dried chillies, fry 1 minute.
- Add chicken pieces, brown all sides 5 minutes.
- Add Shaoxing wine, soy sauce and rock sugar. Cover, simmer 15 minutes.
- Uncover, increase heat to high, reduce sauce 3 minutes until glossy.
- Turn off heat, throw in basil leaves, stir once to wilt. Serve immediately with rice.
Tip from the editors. Thai basil is the only viable substitute for nine-layer Taiwan basil; sweet Italian basil doesn't carry the right note. The dish should be glossy, not soupy.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Where to eat three-cup chicken
Three-cup chicken in Taipei
Mountain and Sea House ★ 4.6
Why locals love it: A restored Japanese-era mansion on Ren'ai Road in Taipei reviving 1930s Taiwanese banquet cuisine, often missed for the louder Le Palais.
Tip: Closed Mondays. Reserve through the operator's site.
More cities are in research. Want three-cup chicken covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.