Three cup chicken is a fragrant, satisfying dish bursting with flavor. Combine garlic, ginger, and basil with sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, and soy sauce for an easy, traditional San Bei Ji that will have you begging for more.
Things That Will Make You Love Three Cup Chicken
- Fast. Ready in under 30 minutes with the help of your Instant Pot .
- Easy. This Three Cup Chicken is as close as you can come to a pour and cook recipe without being able to call it one.
- Low Carb . Only 7 carbs per serving.
- Flavorful. Packed with authentic Taiwanese flavors that will have you going back for more.
Why Is It Called Three Cup Chicken?
Although there are many different variations to this dish, the basic recipe calls for equal amounts of soy sauce, cooking wine, and sesame oil.
Despite it being called 3 cup chicken, you’re not actually using a cup of each—more like a shot glass or two of each. I suppose if you were using a whole huge chicken and small cups, that math might work out.
For this recipe, I used two pounds of chicken and ¼ cups of each of the three sauce ingredients.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Sesame Oil
- Dried Red Chilis
- Minced Garlic - The easiest way to prepare this much garlic is to peel cloves and then smack them with the side of a knife before mincing.
- Julienned ginger
- Bone-in Skin-on Chicken Thighs - You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs if that’s all you have, but I find the skin and bones give a more robust, authentic flavor.
- Soy Sauce
- Rice wine - This can be swapped with pale dry sherry.
- Kosher Salt
- Thai basil - If you’re having trouble finding Thai basil, regular basil will suffice.
- Xanthan Gum - If you’re NOT eating low carb, 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with water for a slurry can be used in place of this.
Are Chicken Thighs Traditional?
In Taiwan, San Bei Gi would normally be made with chicken that’s been chopped into bite-sized, bone-in pieces, typically a chicken drumstick. For this, you either need a cooperative butcher or some crazy knife skills.
Sadly, I have neither, so I used skinless boneless chicken thighs.
Do I Really Need That Much Garlic?
I know. It seems crazy. But #trusturvashi You will want all of this. It tastes FANTASTIC.
Cooking the garlic in oil helps flavor the oil while also cooking down some of the pungency in the garlic.
Is This A Saucy Asian Chicken Dish?
Sanbeiji is traditionally served with no sauce. You cook the dish until the sauce completely evaporates, or is absorbed by the chicken.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) this dish produces more sauce when cooked in a pressure cooker than when you cook it on the stove.
So, it’s not a totally dry casserole like you’d get if you cooked it stovetop.
Your choices are to:
- Embrace lots of lovely sauce and enjoy it with bok choy, spinach, or rice.
- Sauté after cooking to reduce the liquid, but be aware it might overcook your chicken a little.
I happen to love the sauce so I’m going with option 1.
How To Make Three Cup Chicken
- Turn your Instant Pot to Sauté and when it is hot, add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chilies, ginger, and garlic and let them fry for 2 mins until the ginger and garlic are just starting to crisp.
- Dump in everything except the basil.
- Cook for 7 mins 10 mins NPR.
- Open the lid and turn the pot on Sauté.
- Add chopped basil leaves and stir.
- When the liquid boils, sprinkle the xanthan gum and let it thicken.
Variations
- Make this with tofu and tempeh instead of the chicken and said it was fantastic, with no other changes.
What Do You Serve With It?
- Bok Choy - A traditional veggie side that is flavorful and tender.
- Spinach - Adds color and nutritional value to your dish.
- Cauliflower - Soak up some of the extra liquid with some riced cauliflower.
- Scallion Pancakes - If you’re not watching your carb intake, of course.
How Long Does It Last?
For the best dining experience, store any leftovers you may have in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Try to enjoy any extras within 3-4 days of preparing them for food safety reasons.
Want More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes?
- Instant Pot Butter Chicken - My most famous recipe.
- Low Carb Garlic Chicken - Has a sauce good enough to drink.
- Chicken Tikka Masala - Delicious Indian meal.
- Instant Pot Chicken Biryani - Comfort food at its finest.
- Chicken Korma - Just like your favorite restaurant.
- Chicken Vindaloo - Perfectly spiced in under 30 minutes.
Three Cup Chicken | Taiwanese San Bei Ji Recipe
Ingredients
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 54.5 g ) Sesame Oil
- ▢ 6 ( 6 ) Dried Red Chilis
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 34 g ) Minced Garlic , peel cloves, smack with the side of a knife
- ▢ 2 Tablespoons ( 2 Tablespoons ) julienned ginger
- ▢ 2 pounds ( 907.18 g ) Bone-in Skin-on Chicken Thighs
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 58 g ) Soy Sauce
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 60 g ) rice wine , or pale dry sherry
- ▢ Kosher Salt
For Finishing
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 6 g ) Thai basil , chopped, or regular basil
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) Xanthan Gum , or if NOT low carb, 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with water for a slurry
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot to Sauté and when it is hot, add the oil. Once the oil is ot, add the chilies, ginger, and garlic and let them fry for 2 mins until the ginger and garlic are just starting to crisp.
- Dump in everything except the basil.
- Cook for 7 mins 10 mins NPR.
- Open the lid and turn the pot on Sauté.
- Add chopped basil leaves and stir.
- When the liquid boils, sprinkle the xanthum gum and let it thicken, or add cornstarch slurry to let it thicken
- EAT!
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Indian Instant Pot , Keto Instant Pot, Instant Pot Fast and Easy , Healthy Instant Pot & Vegetarian Instant Pot .
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Three Cup Chicken | Taiwanese San Bei Ji Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Sesame Oil
- 6 Dried Red Chilis
- 1/4 cup Minced Garlic peel cloves, smack with the side of a knife
- 2 Tablespoons julienned ginger
- 2 pounds Bone-in Skin-on Chicken Thighs
- 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
- 1/4 cup rice wine or pale dry sherry
- Kosher Salt
For Finishing
- 1/4 cup Thai basil chopped, or regular basil
- 1/2 teaspoon Xanthan Gum or if NOT low carb, 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with water for a slurry
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot to Sauté and when it is hot, add the oil. Once the oil is ot, add the chilies, ginger, and garlic and let them fry for 2 mins until the ginger and garlic are just starting to crisp.
- Dump in everything except the basil.
- Cook for 7 mins 10 mins NPR.
- Open the lid and turn the pot on Sauté.
- Add chopped basil leaves and stir.
- When the liquid boils, sprinkle the xanthum gum and let it thicken, or add cornstarch slurry to let it thicken
- EAT!
Three Cup Chicken | Taiwanese San Bei Ji Recipe https://twosleevers.com/instant-pot-taiwanese-3-cup-chicken-san-bei-ji-recipe/
No need to miss your beans and greens with this low carb Instant Pot Collard Greens with Ham recipe! This simple dump and cook recipe for your Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker makes a tasty side dish in under 30 minutes.
What Makes These Keto Collard Greens So Great?
- Low Carb . Only 6 net carbs per serving.
- Healthy. Full of vitamins and minerals.
- Fiber. 3 grams of fiber per serving.
- Fast. Done in less than 30 minutes with the help of your Instant Pot .
- Easy. A simple pour and cook recipe .
Are Collard Greens Keto?
Greens are delicious and perfect for a low-carb diet . Not only are they keto-friendly, but they’re high in fiber. When you give up grains for a low-carb diet, your body needs the fiber and nutrition you can get from those greens, so it’s a win-win.
Advantages of the Potlikker or Pot Liquor From Southern Style Collard Greens
Potlikker, or Pot Liquor is the liquid that’s left in the pot from boiling dark greens, such as collards. This liquid contains many of the nutrients of the greens, and is an essential part of the meal.
Pressure cooking saves all this precious liquid so it can be used after cooking. Some of the vitamins from the greens, like Vitamin C, are water-soluble, meaning when you boil it, it sucks all the nutrients from the greens and puts them in the cooking water.
Make sure you don’t throw away the best part of the dish, which is the pot liquor, or potlikker. Use it for drinking, or pour it over whatever you’re having.
Adding fat to the keto ham and greens dish also helps you metabolize the vitamins and nutrients as well. This is why it’s a common practice to add something fatty like ham, or bacon, to greens. Ham or bacon also takes the flavor of the keto collard greens to a whole new level too!
Of course, you can always omit ham hocks for a vegan version.
What Is A Good Substitute For Collard Greens?
- Kale
- Turnip Greens
- Swiss Chard
- Spinach
Basically, anything dark green and leafy will work in the ham and greens in the place of the collard greens if you need to replace them.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Collard Greens
- Onion
- Garlic
- Ham
- Kosher Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Bay Leaves
- Dried Thyme
How To Make Instant Pot Collard Greens
- Place ingredients into the inner liner of your pressure cooker.
- Cook at high pressure for 4 minutes. Allow it to release pressure naturally for 5 minutes and the release all remaining pressure slowly.
- Add apple cider vinegar, liquid smoke and hot sauce and taste. Season to taste.
Want More Instant Pot Recipes?
- Instant Pot Butter Chicken is an easy 30-minute dinner and you can make rice on top of it, as the video shows.
- Pressure Cooker Rice and Dal is a great vegetarian rice dinner.
- This Lebanese Lentil and Rice dish is another great Vegetarian Instant Pot recipe .
- Instant Pot Indian Khichadi is comfort food in a bowl!
- Instant Pot Risotto with Shrimp is another one-pot comfort meal.
- Buffalo chicken casserole for the days you want low carb recipes
- You might also like low carb Chicken Biryani that uses riced cauliflower.
- Chicken and Mushrooms are a great combo.
- My kids love Instant Pot Pork Chops with Rice and Vegetables
- Zucchini Lasagna - You won’t even miss the pasta.
- Haluski Recipe - A wonderful cabbage and noodles recipe.
Southern Style Collard Greens with Ham
Ingredients
- ▢ 6-8 cups ( 6 cups ) Collard Greens , torn into pieces
- ▢ 1 large ( 1 large ) Onion , Chopped
- ▢ 6 cloves ( 6 cloves ) Garlic
- ▢ 2 cups ( 42 g ) Ham , chopped
- ▢ 1 teaspoon ( 1 teaspoon ) Kosher Salt
- ▢ 1 teaspoon ( 1 teaspoon ) Ground Black Pepper
- ▢ ¼ cups ( 62.5 ml ) Water , or stock
- ▢ 1 tsp ( 1 tsp ) Red Pepper Flakes
- ▢ 2 ( 2 ) Bay Leaves
- ▢ 1 teaspoon ( 1 teaspoon ) Dried Thyme
For Finishing
- ▢ 1 tablespoons ( 1 tablespoons ) Apple Cider Vinegar
- ▢ 1 teaspoons ( 1 teaspoons ) Louisiana Hot Sauce , or other vinegar-based hot sauce
- ▢ 1 teaspoon ( 1 teaspoon ) Liquid Smoke
Instructions
Place all ingredients except finishing ingredients into the inner liner of your pressure cooker. You want to set those aside so you can get a fresh zing of flavor after the greens have pressure cooked.
Cook at high pressure for 4 minutes. Allow it to release pressure naturally for 5 minutes and the release all remaining pressure slowly.
Add apple cider vinegar, liquid smoke and hot sauce and taste. Season to adjust.
Meats: smoked turkey wings, ham hocks, andouille sausage, bacon
Greens: Collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, kale, or mixed greens of whatever you have lying around
Vegetables: add tomatoes
Get support & connect with our community on Facebook!
Nutrition
Don’t forget to check out my otherBest-selling Instant Pot Cookbooks!
Indian Instant Pot , Keto Instant Pot, Instant Pot Fast and Easy , Healthy Instant Pot & Vegetarian Instant Pot .
