If you love Hong Kong comfort food, you have to try Three-Eyed Scallion Oil Chicken Rice (三眼仔蔥油雞扒飯) or Three-Eyed Chicken Rice (三眼仔飯) for short. This is a dish I was introduced to when I had lunch at Kwong Wing Catering chachaanteng in Hong Kong. Many restaurants in Hong Kong serve this dish, but I never really noticed it before.
This dish features a juicy, pan-fried chicken drizzled with fragrant scallion oil soy sauce, served over a bed of rice, with three fried eggs. The fried eggs look like 三眼仔 (the three-eyed aliens from Toy Story), and it’s such a fun and cute name!
ingredients for three-eyed chicken rice:
- 3 eggs
- 2 chicken thighs, deboned
- a pinch of salt and pepper
- Sweet dark soy sauce (drizzled at the end)
Scallion oil soy sauce:
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 3 shallots, sliced
- 1.5 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- Pinch of salt
- Drizzle of sesame oil
step-by-step guide:
- Debone the chicken thighs and pat dry with a kitchen towel to remove excess moisture.
- Make shallow cuts on the thicker parts of the chicken, slicing through the tendons to ensure even thickness for even cooking. Season with salt and pepper, then lightly coat the skin side with cornstarch for a crispy finish.
- Place the chicken skin-side down on a cold pan, press with a heavy object, and cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Starting in a cold pan allows the fat to slowly render out from the skin, making it crispier. Flip and cook the meat side for another 4 minutes.
- Flip back to the skin side, increase the heat to high, and cook for another 1-2 minutes to make it more golden and crispy.
- To make the sauce, use the residual oil from frying the chicken to sauté the shallots until softened. Add green onions and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl, add oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and a drizzle of sesame oil.
- In the same pan, fry three eggs and cook them sunny side up, keeping the yolk intact. Cook until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny, or cook longer if you prefer the yolk more cooked.
- Serve with steamed rice and enjoy 🙂
the secret to extra crispy chicken skin:
I recommend using a pan to press the chicken while frying to keep the skin in full contact with the heat. This prevents it from curling up and helps render excess fat, making the skin flatter, crispier, and perfectly golden. It’s my go-to trick for getting that extra crunch in every bite!
my top tips for making three-eyed chicken rice:
- Pat the Chicken Dry – Before cooking, thoroughly pat the chicken dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. This helps achieve a crispier skin.
- Dust with Cornstarch – Lightly coat the skin with cornstarch before frying to create an extra crispy and golden crust.
- Press the Chicken While Frying – When frying skin-side down, use a heavy object (like a small pan or spatula) to press the chicken. This ensures the skin stays in full contact with the pan, resulting in a beautifully flat and crispy texture.
check out more of my popular chicken recipes:
- Air-fryer char siu chicken
- Air-fryer Vietnamese lemongrass chicken
- Hong Kong black pepper chicken rice
Three-Eyed Chicken Rice
1
servings10
minutes20
minutesKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
3 eggs
2 chicken thighs, deboned
Salt
Pepper
Sweet dark soy sauce (drizzle at the end)
- Scallion oil sauce:
4 green onions, chopped
3 shallots, sliced
1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
Pinch salt
Drizzle of sesame oil
Directions
- Debone the chicken thighs and pat dry with a kitchen towel to remove excess moisture.
- Make shallow cuts on the thicker parts of the chicken, slicing through the tendons to ensure even thickness for even cooking. Season with salt and pepper, then lightly coat the skin side with cornstarch for a crispy finish.
- Place the chicken skin-side down on a cold pan, press with a heavy object, and cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Starting in a cold pan allows the fat to slowly render out from the skin, making it crispier. Flip and cook the meat side for another 4 minutes.
- Flip back to the skin side, increase the heat to high, and cook for another 1-2 minutes to make it more golden and crispy.
- To make the sauce, use the residual oil from frying the chicken to sauté the shallots until softened. Add green onions and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl, add oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and a drizzle of sesame oil.
- In the same pan, fry three eggs and cook them sunny side up, keeping the yolk intact. Cook until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny, or cook longer if you prefer the yolk more cooked.
- Serve with steamed rice and enjoy!
