Have you heard of the classic Taiwanese dish Three Cup Chicken before? Story has it, the original recipe used 1 cup each of the three main ingredients: sesame oil, soy sauce, and shaoxing wine (cooking wine). In this recipe, a quarter cup of each of the main ingredients is used instead so this recipe should be called Three Quarter Cup Chicken. That’s a bit long so I’ve shortened it to Instant Pot Quarter Cup Chicken. The “Quarter Cup” part will remind me it’s just a quarter cup of each ingredient!
As with most recipes on this site, I opt for simplicity rather than 100% authenticity. The classic three cup chicken from my childhood uses chopped chicken drumsticks rather than whole chicken drumsticks. Chopped chicken drumsticks or chicken wings have more surface area to absorb in all the flavors and yummy goodness of the sauce. I am too lazy to chop up drumsticks. In addition, chopped drumsticks sometimes leave little bone fragments in the dish, especially after cooking in the Instant Pot. Both are delicious so do whichever works for you!
The classic three cup chicken dish is most often served without sauce. In this version, we turn the remaining liquid in the Instant Pot into sauce with cornstarch slurry instead of tossing it out. My kids don’t love rice, especially brown rice, but they love sauce on rice.
More often than not, I don’t have basil in the fridge. This recipe still tastes great without it. But with it, the dish is kicked up a notch. Carrots aren’t part of the classic three cup chicken dish but it’s so easy to add it to the pot rather than cook a separate veggie side dish. Feel free to leave out if it’s not your jam!
I love how quickly Instant Pot Quarter Cup Chicken comes together. I can basically throw all the ingredients in the pot and have a complete meal with carbs, protein, and veggie in less than 30 minutes! Instead of hovering over the stove, I can be relaxing with the kids … or cleaning the house instead.
Instant Pot Quarter Cup Chicken
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot
- Stainless Steel Container (for the rice)
- Trivet (with handles)
Ingredients
Rice for Pot-in-Pot Cooking
- 1 C white rice rinsed
- 1 C water
Main Ingredients
- 1/4 C sesame oil
- 6 slices ginger optional
- 6 cloves garlic crushed
- 5-8 chicken drumsticks whole or chopped or 1lb of chicken wings
- 1/4 C Shaoxing rice cooking wine
- 1/4 C soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 4 carrots optional, chopped into 2 inch pieces
Finishing Ingredients
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 bunch basil optional, stems removed
Instructions
- Rinse 1 cup of rice until the water runs clear and set aside in a stainless steel container that can fit in the Instant Pot. Add 1 cup of water to the rice.
- Press "Saute" on the Instant Pot and wait for it to say "HOT." Once the Instant Pot says "HOT", add the sesame oil, garlic, ginger, if using. Saute for 30 seconds.
- Add in the chicken drumsticks/wings and saute for 2-3 minutes. Pour in the rice cooking wine and deglaze the pot, if necessary.
- Add in the soy sauce and sugar to the Instant Pot. Toss the carrots on top of the chicken. Add a trivet (with handles) to the Instant Pot and place the stainless steel container with the rice and water on top. For whole drumsticks, cook on high pressure for 8 minutes and 10 minutes Natural Release. For chicken wings or chopped drumsticks, cook on high pressure for 5 minutes and 10 minutes Natural Release.
- Open the Instant Pot and use the trivet handles to remove the stainless steel bowl with the rice from the Instant Pot. Remove the chicken and carrot pieces to a plate.
- Press "Saute" on the Instant Pot. Mix 2 tbsp of cornstarch with 2 tbsp of water in a separate bowl. Pour the cornstarch mixture a little at a time into the Instant Pot until the sauce reaches your desired thickness. Taste and add more soy sauce or salt, as needed. Stir in the basil, if using.
- Serve the chicken with the rice and carrots!
Dump and Go Version
- Press "Saute" on the Instant Pot. Add all the Main Ingredients to the Instant Pot.
- Add a trivet (with handles) to the Instant Pot and place the stainless steel container with the rice and water on top. For whole drumsticks, cook on high pressure for 8 minutes and 10 minutes Natural Release. For chicken wings or chopped drumsticks, cook on high pressure for 5 minutes and 10 minutes Natural Release.
- Open the Instant Pot and use the trivet handles to remove the stainless steel bowl with the rice from the Instant Pot.
- Press "Saute" on the Instant Pot. Mix 2 tbsp of cornstarch with 2 tbsp of water in a separate bowl. Pour the cornstarch mixture a little at a time into the Instant Pot until the sauce reaches your desired thickness. Taste and add more soy sauce or salt, as needed. Stir in the basil, if using.
- Serve the chicken with the rice and carrots!
Adapted from Pressure Cook Recipes Instant Pot Three Cup Chicken
