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Slow Cooker Chinese Three Cup Chicken Recipe

October 19, 2021 by Jeanette 27 Comments

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This Slow Cooker Chinese Three Cup Chicken Recipe is a lighter version of a traditional Chinese braised chicken dish.
Slow Cooker Chinese Three Cup Chicken - this is a lighter version of a traditional braised chicken dish. Super easy recipe, and delicious served over steamed rice.

I love authentic Chinese food but unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to come by where I live. Most of the restaurants around serve either Asian fusion food or Chinese American food. So, whenever I crave real Chinese food, I make it at home.

Slow Cooker Chinese Three Cup Chicken - this is a lighter version of a traditional braised chicken dish. Super easy recipe, and delicious served over steamed rice.

Fortunately, most Chinese food is not hard to make in a home kitchen. Although you can’t replicate the high heat stir-fried dishes, braised dishes and steamed dishes can be easily made at home. I made this for my niece from Taiwan recently and she called it “good old home cooking.” I took that as a compliment ;).

This Slow Cooker Chinese “Three Cup” Chicken recipe is a modified version of the original recipe, which literally calls for one cup each of sesame oil, soy sauce and rice wine. I just can’t fathom using that amount of sesame oil or soy sauce in a single dish, so I’ve cut back on both of those ingredients. However, I did use one cup of rice wine since that’s the only liquid in the recipe. This recipe calls for dark soy sauce, which is actually less salty, a little sweeter and thicker than regular soy sauce. To make a gluten-free dark soy sauce substitute, mix a little molasses into gluten-free soy sauce.

Slow Cooker Chinese Three Cup Chicken - this is a lighter version of a traditional braised chicken dish. Super easy recipe, and delicious served over steamed rice.

Braising can easily be done in a slow cooker, so that’s what I opted for. Of course, you could just cook this on the stove top, which would probably take about 30 minutes.

Slow Cooker Chinese Three Cup Chicken - this is a lighter version of a traditional braised chicken dish. Delicious served over steamed rice.
5 from 3 votes
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Slow Cooker Chinese Three Cup Chicken

Course Slow Cooker
Cuisine Asian
Servings 6
Calories 457 kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds chicken I used dark meat; remove skin for less fat
  • 1/4 cup sesame oil
  • 5 cloves garlic left whole
  • 5 slices ginger each the size of a quarter
  • 1 scallion cut into 2" pieces
  • 1 cup rice wine or sherry
  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce see notes for gluten-free version
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Instructions

  1. Heat sesame oil in a large skillet and add garlic, ginger and scallion; sauté until fragrant, then add chicken pieces. Lightly brown chicken pieces. Transfer everything from skillet to slow cooker. Add rice wine, dark soy sauce and regular soy sauce.
  2. Cook on high for 4 hours.

Recipe Notes

Store bought dark soy sauce usually contain wheat. To make your own gluten-free dark soy sauce, mix some 1 teaspoon molasses into 2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce.

For lower calorie version (298 calories/serving; 5 Freestyle points), substitute 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.

Nutrition Facts
Slow Cooker Chinese Three Cup Chicken
Amount Per Serving
Calories 457 Calories from Fat 288
% Daily Value*
Fat 32g49%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Cholesterol 115mg38%
Sodium 781mg34%
Potassium 362mg10%
Carbohydrates 2g1%
Protein 30g60%
Vitamin A 235IU5%
Vitamin C 3.6mg4%
Calcium 25mg3%
Iron 1.8mg10%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

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Filed Under: Asian, chicken, Clean Eating, dairy-free, Dinner, gluten-free, main courses, Pantry Recipe, Slow Cooker Tagged With: Asian, chicken, Chinese, crockpot, slow cooker

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Comments

  1. Sommer @aspicyperspective says

    October 12, 2015 at 7:35 am

    5 stars
    I can’t wait to try this recipe Jeanette! Perfect for a busy mommy day!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      October 12, 2015 at 10:13 am

      Thanks Sommer – this is super easy and I couldn’t agree more – perfect for busy mommy days 😉

      Reply
  2. Candice says

    October 12, 2015 at 8:46 am

    Could you recommend a good brand of rice wine for this?

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      October 12, 2015 at 4:04 pm

      I use a brand called Oriental Mascot. It’s made in Taiwan.

      Reply
  3. Deanna Segrave-Daly says

    October 12, 2015 at 9:26 am

    I can only imagine how wonderful this smells!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      October 12, 2015 at 10:14 am

      Deanna – this definitely makes your kitchen smell nice and cozy – great for a cool Fall day.

      Reply
  4. Nancy says

    October 12, 2015 at 11:37 am

    Hi Jeanette– This sounds yummy! My office is having a potluck reflecting each person’s anchestral roots… I think I found my dish!I am the next to last person on earth who doesn’t own a slow cooker–can I make this stoev top or in the oven? Any instructions? Thanks… this looks like a winner!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      October 12, 2015 at 4:03 pm

      Hi Nancy – you can definitely make this on top of the stove. Just cook it on medium-low or low (gentle simmer). If you use chicken on the bone, it will take about 30 minutes. I hope your office mates enjoy this – serve it with some steamed rice to sop up the gravy. Let me know how it turns out.

      Reply
  5. Angie@Angie's Recipes says

    October 12, 2015 at 2:27 pm

    I would have never thought of using slow cooker to make 3-cup chicken! You are a genius, Jeanette.

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      October 12, 2015 at 4:03 pm

      It’s the lazy person’s way of making 3-cup chicken ;).

      Reply
  6. Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

    October 12, 2015 at 4:20 pm

    Yum! I bet this smells amazing!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      October 12, 2015 at 5:32 pm

      Thanks Rebecca!

      Reply
  7. Aggie | Aggie's Kitchen says

    October 12, 2015 at 6:37 pm

    Oh I have to try this one, I know my family will love it. Looks so delicious. I am trying to make my slow cooker routine a little more interesting!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      October 12, 2015 at 9:42 pm

      Thanks Aggie – hope your family likes this 🙂

      Reply
  8. Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says

    October 13, 2015 at 12:17 am

    Jeanette, it’s the same for me with where I live and with Korean food! But I’m thankful because now I know how to cook all of our fave things! I love this Slow Cooker Chinese Chicken Recipe!! Looks delish!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      October 13, 2015 at 6:51 am

      Alice – me too! I’m so glad I like to cook and can make good home cooked Chinese dishes for me and my family 🙂

      Reply
  9. Sonali- The Foodie Physician says

    October 13, 2015 at 10:50 pm

    This looks FANTASTIC!! I have the same problem finding authentic Chinese food in my area, so this would be a wonderful way to bring those flavors into my home.

    Reply
  10. Michele @ Flavor Mosaic says

    October 15, 2015 at 9:33 pm

    I am used to American Chinese food, but this recipe looks incredible. I’ going to have to try it.

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      October 16, 2015 at 7:20 am

      I hope you enjoy this Michele!

      Reply
  11. Lena says

    April 13, 2016 at 2:51 pm

    5 stars
    I made this last night and it was so tender and flavorful. I used boneless, skinless thighs and served with rice, seaweed and edamame. The kids raved. When I told them it was from the same woman who gave us the taco nacho casserole, they said to cook more from your website!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 14, 2016 at 11:38 am

      Lena – thanks so much for trying this recipe and for your feedback. So glad your kids loved it and also enjoy the taco nacho casserole 🙂 Happy cooking!

      Reply
  12. KC says

    August 28, 2016 at 3:39 pm

    Jeanette, why use that much of wine and I saw some regular stove top recipe which use 1/2 cup of wine, can you kindly explain and also this recipe does not need sugar??

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      August 28, 2016 at 10:18 pm

      This recipe is based off a traditional Chinese recipe, which typically used equal parts of wine, soy sauce and sesame oil. I cut back on the soy sauce and sesame oil, but you can certainly try this with less wine and use chicken broth to make up the difference in liquid. There is no sugar in the recipe as I was trying to stick to the traditional recipe as much as possible but if you like you can add some to your taste.

      Reply
  13. Jessica says

    December 29, 2017 at 12:49 am

    How large are your “chicken pieces”? Can I use whole thighs or would you recommend chopping them into smaller pieces?

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      December 29, 2017 at 5:47 pm

      I used whole thighs.

      Reply
  14. Michelle says

    October 13, 2021 at 3:46 pm

    Hi Jeanette – would it work to brown the garlic/scallion/chicken the night before and then putting this into the crockpot the next morning? I would like to do this fresh during a weekday but always seemed rushed in the morning and would not have time to do this step!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      October 19, 2021 at 2:57 pm

      Yes, you can brown the aromatics and chicken the night before. The browning step helps add more flavor to the final dish.

      Reply

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