Three Teacup Chicken

Ok my darling readers, it’s recipe time. Aren’t you excited? You should be because I’ve been trying a ton of new things and I’d like to share one that has become a favorite. (I even drew a heart next to it in my recipe journal. Oh yeah!) It is the amazing Three Teacup Chicken. I originally decided to try the recipe because of the name…fun right? There can be something said for trying new things, because upon reading the ingredients, I was worried the sauce would be gross- most of them were things I’d never tasted before. But once everything is together….delightful! I have a really weird dislike of sauces; I’m super picky and opt to eat a lot of things dry because I so rarely like them. The thing I love about this recipe is that the “sauce” is so light and liquid; it in no way usurps the texture of the meal. So here is the recipe for Three Teacup Chicken. I found it on my favorite food site, Simplyrecipes.com. I changed a few things just for personal taste, so you can view the original recipe here.

Three Teacup Chicken

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup rice vinegar

¼ cup sugar

1 ½ teaspoons shaoxing wine or dry cooking sherry

1 tablespoon sesame oil

6 garlic cloves, smashed

6 scallions, chopped

2 red chili peppers, diced (don't use seeds)

2 pounds chicken thighs cut into bite sized pieces

½ cup water

To make the braising liquid:

Combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, and wine or sherry in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.

Place the sesame oil in a stir fry pan over high heat and swirl until hot.

Add garlic, scallions, and chili peppers and stir fry until fragrant (about 30 seconds).

Add the chicken pieces and stir fry until no pink remains on the surface (you just want to sear the outside nicely at first)

Add the braising liquid and cook everything for 1 minute – make sure the chicken is well coated.

Add the water. Cover the pan and cook for about 4 more minutes (or until the chicken is fully cooked).

Serve over rice and pour some of the liquid over top.

Garnish with a little more of the chopped scallion.

A few notes:

Start the rice about the same time you start cooking the main dish, and they’ll be done close to the same time.

Scallions are the pro way to say "green onions."

The original recipe says this will serve six, but I must just be a fatty because each time I’ve made it, my mom and I devour it all between the two of us! It could be easily doubled though, so have no fear if you are cooking for more people.

On “smashing” the garlic: I’ve experimented a bit with the garlic and I think I finally got it right when I smashed the heck out of the cloves so that they actually fell apart. This way you’re not just getting a big chunk of garlic every other bite; it spreads out more evenly.

If you’re like me, rice vinegar, cooking sherry and sesame oil aren’t things you just have laying around. But they are worth the investment. The smell of the sesame oil on the stove is SO beautiful! It’s amazing how such a small amount can provide such flavor.

The first time I made this, I didn’t have a wok or stir fry pan, so I just made it in a pot and it was fine. I have since bought a stir fry pan though, and it is much easier making it in there. (I recommend getting a stir fry pan. It’s another great investment; you can use it for so many things.)

Cut up everything you need before you start and set it aside so it’s all good to go when you’re ready to throw it into the pan. I know it may sound obvious, but for a beginning cook like me, it may be overlooked and you don’t want one ingredient burning to death while you prep another.

And lastly, don’t be afraid to just try it! I had no idea what I was doing, and I’m so glad I gave it a shot; it’s not as hard as you may think.

Alright, now go eat!