Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken and Roasted Zucchini

I went into Flushing today to see my parents.  On the way I stopped at the Chinese supermarket across the street from the Flushing Library.  I have no idea what it's called, but it's huge, almost always crowded, and very cheap.  I don't know if it's this supermarket or Chinese supermarkets, in general, but I always feel that shopping at this location is an ordeal.  Walking in is a pain as multiple people leave at the same time, some with strollers, some with shopping carts, and all with the trademark red plastic bags.

In any case, being in Flushing made me remember the Taiwanese restaurant Gu-Shine.  If you're ever in the neighborhood, it is beyond cheap, filling and really quite good.  They have a fantastic dish called Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken (or sanbeiji in Mandarin).  (Although, it might actually be called chicken with basil on the menu).  

A few years ago, I decided to recreate the dish and found this recipe online on Allrecipes.com.  It's not the same as Gu-Shine's dish, but it's the closest thing I've found and delicious to boot.  This dish is also even better the next day if you pack it for lunch.  

Here are the ingredients that I used:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 and 1/2 pounds skinless chicken thighs cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup sesame oil
• 10 slices of fresh ginger
• 2 cloves of garlic sliced
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 jalapeno seeded and sliced (you can put in an extra one if you like things spicy)

In a large skillet heat the olive oil and brown the chicken things for about five minutes.  Take the thighs out and rest them on a plate.  Using the same pan, pour the sesame oil in and heat for a few minutes.  Add the garlic and ginger and heat for about 30 seconds until the ginger starts browning.   

At this point, return the chicken thighs to the pan and pour in the white wine, sugar, and soy sauce.

Wait for the mixture to boil and then lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.  At this point, most of the sauce should have worked its way into the chicken thighs or evaporated.  Now it's time to put in the fresh basil leaves and jalapeno.  (Thank you basil plant that I got at the Green Market!)

Increase the heat to medium and keep cooking the chicken until most of the sauce is gone.

In the end, Taiwanese three cup chicken ends up being a savory, salty, and slightly spicy dish of chicken.  Really good Asian comfort food and perfect with a bowl of rice.

Of course, no bowl of chicken should be served without veggies, so I decided to make this very simple, but tasty roasted zucchini recipe.

I honestly think this is so easy and delicious that I might continue making this week after week.  Basically the only ingredients involved are zucchini, minced garlic, salt, freshly ground pepper, olive oil and an oven heated up to 450 degrees.  (Yes, I know, hot!)  Make sure that you use fresh zucchini.  I like arabic squash over the regular zucchini in the market.  I tend to find them sweeter and tastier.

The directions are as follows: Slice the zucchini length-wise and place on a pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.  At this point, pour some olive oil (I used about 2-3 tablespoons) over the zucchini and add the garlic.  Sprinkle some salt and freshly ground pepper over the zucchini.  Toss the mixture so that all the zucchini slices are well coated with oil. (Or in my case, move the mixture around with your hands.  Hey, it works!) Place the pan in the preheated oven and roast for about 5-8 minutes or until you see the zucchini start to brown.