Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken Soup)

Name: Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken Soup)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 1 servings
Ingredients: 1 Young chicken; 0.5 cup Glutinous rice; 1 root Fresh ginseng; 6 cloves Garlic; 4 Jujubes; 4 Chestnuts; 2 pieces Astragalus root; 1 stalk Green onion; 1 knob Ginger; 8 cups Water; Salt & pepper; 1 handful Scallion

Korea's signature tonic soup — a whole young chicken stuffed with glutinous rice, ginseng, garlic, and jujube, simmered into a milky, restorative broth. A summer staple; tender chicken, rich broth, and rice porridge inside.

Ingredients

1servings

Young chicken · about 800g, poussin1
Glutinous rice · soaked 30 min0.5 cup
Fresh ginseng1 root
Garlic6 cloves
Jujubes4
Chestnuts · optional4
Astragalus root · hwanggi, optional2 pieces
Green onion · for the broth1 stalk
Ginger · sliced1 knob
Water8 cups
To serve
Salt & pepper · to taste, at the table
Scallion · sliced, garnish1 handful

Steps

Trim the chicken's tail fat and innards and rinse the cavity clean; pat dry.
⏲ 5 min
Stuff the cavity only two-thirds full with soaked glutinous rice, garlic, jujubes, and chestnuts (so it doesn't burst as the rice swells). Cross the legs to close it.
⏲ 5 min
In a deep pot, add the chicken with ginseng, astragalus, green onion, ginger, the rest of the garlic, and water; bring to a boil.
⏲ 5 min
Skim the foam, lower to medium-low, and simmer 40-60 minutes until the meat is tender.
⏲ 50 min
Remove the green onion, ginger, and astragalus. It's done when the broth is milky and rich.
⏲ 2 min
Serve in an earthenware bowl topped with scallion. Season with salt and pepper at the table; eat the meat with the rice from inside.

Tips & Variations

Variations

Abalone samgyetang: Add abalone for an even richer tonic.
Perilla samgyetang: Stir in ground perilla seeds for a nutty, thick broth.
Garlic/nurungji: Loads of garlic, with scorched rice added.
Baeksuk: The plain version — chicken simmered without the rice and ginseng.

Tips

Fill the cavity only two-thirds so the rice doesn't burst as it swells; close it with the legs.
A young (small) chicken is traditional — it cooks tender fast.
Trim the tail fat so the broth isn't greasy.
Simmer long (40+ min) for a milky, deep broth.
Don't salt the pot — season at the table with salt and pepper for a clean broth.
A summer tonic dish, but hearty any time of year.

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