Korean Boiled Chicken Soup
Quick answer
Dak-baeksuk is a Korean whole-chicken soup simmered for over fifty minutes with whole garlic cloves, jujubes, green onion, and ginger in a large pot of water until the br...
What makes this special
- Dak-baeksuk steeps a whole chicken with garlic and jujubes into a clear, restorative fifty-minute broth.
- Jujube sweetness and whole garlic umami steep into chicken broth over 50 minutes
- Skimming foam and fat keeps the broth clear even when reheated the next day
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Remove every bit of innards from the young whole chicken, then rinse the ins...
- 2 Put 2.2 L water, 20 g ginger, half of the green onion, 12 whole garlic clove...
- 3 When the water begins to boil, add the chicken and cook over high heat for 10 minutes.
Dak-baeksuk is a Korean whole-chicken soup simmered for over fifty minutes with whole garlic cloves, jujubes, green onion, and ginger in a large pot of water until the broth runs clear and deeply flavored. Skimming fat and foam throughout the cooking process is essential for the signature clarity of the broth. Neglecting this step leaves the soup greasy and cloudy when reheated the next day. The jujubes contribute a subtle sweetness and the garlic, softened to near-paste after the long simmer, dissolves into the liquid to create a mellow depth that needs nothing more than salt and pepper to taste complete. The chicken is shredded against the grain for the softest possible texture, then returned to the hot broth so every bite of meat is saturated with the clean, aromatic stock. Unlike samgyetang, dak-baeksuk skips ginseng, making it simpler to prepare while remaining a staple restorative meal eaten during Korea's hottest summer days.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Step
Remove every bit of innards from the young whole chicken, then rinse the inside and outside under running water.
Check the neck area for blood or residue, and drain well so the broth starts clean.
- 2Control
Put 2.2 L water, 20 g ginger, half of the green onion, 12 whole garlic cloves, and 6 jujubes in a large pot.
Set it over high heat first so the aromatics begin to flavor the water.
- 3Control
When the water begins to boil, add the chicken and cook over high heat for 10 minutes.
As large foam rises, skim it right away so off flavors do not mix back into the broth.
- 4Control
Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for at least 40 more minutes.
Keep the broth moving gently, not boiling hard, because a rolling boil can make the liquid cloudy and greasy.
- 5Control
During simmering, skim foam and surface fat several times to keep the broth clear for serving and reheating.
The chicken is done when the leg meat separates easily with chopsticks or tongs.
- 6Control
Remove the chicken and shred the meat against the grain.
Add the remaining green onion to the broth and simmer 5 minutes, then season with 1 tsp salt and black pepper and pour the hot broth over the chicken.
After the steps
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