Since moving into our house a few years ago, we have yet to find decent Chinese takeout. Both ComputerNerd and I were very spoiled when it came to Chinese takeout. ComputerNerd had a really great local place run by a sweet Chinese woman who admittedly makes some of the best Chinese food I’ve ever eaten. I went to grad school close to this hole in the wall takeout place where the menu was only in Chinese (it made ordering interesting but I usually stuck to the same thing). We now live on the other side of the city and while that doesn’t sound awful it would be about an hour to drive to either place, and I don’t know about you an hour is a little too far to drive for takeout. So I have had to learn how to make yummy Chinese food.

Three tea cup chicken is one of my favorite Chinese dishes to make. It is delicious and so so easy. Better yet, it’s quick start to finish; no more than 30 minutes. OK, so really it’s just braised chicken, but the braising liquid packs a ton of flavor so you don’t have to use the most flavorful cut of chicken. I actually like to make Three Tea Cup Chicken with boneless, skinless chicken breasts because they really don’t have much of their own flavor. I have made it with chicken thighs as well but then the braising liquid really just covers up the good taste of the thighs.

Traditionally this dish is made without any vegetables but as I’m a fan of reducing the number of dishes I have to wash, I always throw a veggie in with the chicken. The pictures here are with bok choy mainly because it is what I had in the fridge. In the past I have made this recipe with broccoli, green beans, and snow peas with success. I won’t say you can sneak your veggies into this dish, but the braising liquid can cover up the flavors of veggies your kids (or picky husband) normally will shy away from. With a veggies and some simple white rice this dish makes a complete meal. Because we love the braising liquid, I use more than the tea cup as a unit of measure. All that’s really important is the ratio.

Three Tea Cup Chicken:

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 small onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 16 or so slices of fresh peeled ginger (I usually use 1 medium finger of ginger, so I don’t count)
• 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup rice wine
• 1/2 Tablespoon Sriracha or chili paste
• 4-5 star anise
• 1 pound chopped vegetable

Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add the garlic, onion and ginger. Sauté until fragrant, and the onions are translucent. Add your chicken to the pan and cook until no pink is visible (Do NOT cook the chicken all the way through at this point. If you do, it will get tough after braising). In a bowl, mix vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and rice wine until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the mix over the chicken. Add the anise and reduce the heat to medium low. Cover and cook until the chicken is done through (10 minutes or so). When the chicken is completely cooked, add your vegetable and cover again for 2-3 minutes to steam the vegetables. Serve over jasmine rice (honestly, the rice is just a delivery mechanism for the wonderful sauce).