Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken Soup)
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
- 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
- ⏲ 5 min
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.
- ⏲ 50 min
Skim the foam, lower to medium-low, and simmer 40-60 minutes until the meat is tender.
- ⏲ 2 min
Remove the green onion, ginger, and astragalus. It's done when the broth is milky and rich.
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.
The basics behind this dish
- Stocks and Broths: Clarity, Time, and Why You Do Not Salt ThemWhat separates a clear stock from a cloudy one is temperature, not ingredients. Why you start in cold water, how long each ingredient wants, and why salt comes later.
- Salt: When You Add It Matters More Than How MuchThe same amount of salt either draws water out or seasons all the way through, depending on when it goes in. Osmosis, seasoning in layers, and why salt types are not interchangeable by volume.
- Knife Skills: Grip, Cuts, and Why Size MattersHow you hold the knife matters more than how fast you cut. The pinch grip, the claw hand, and why uniform size is a cooking decision rather than a cosmetic one.
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