Korean Chicken Bone Broth Soup
Dak-gomtang is a Korean chicken bone broth soup made by simmering a whole chicken with onion, garlic, and ginger over medium-low heat for at least fifty minutes. After the meat is removed and shredded, the bones go back into the pot for another fifteen minutes, releasing gelatin that gives the broth a silky body - when chilled, the liquid sets into a soft gel, a sign of its collagen richness. Skimming the fat layer after refrigeration produces a noticeably cleaner taste on reheating. The broth is seasoned simply with soup soy sauce and salt, and sliced green onion added at the end brings a fresh, sharp contrast to the mellow chicken flavor.
Adjust Servings
Instructions
- 1
Trim excess fat and blood spots from the chicken, then rinse.
- 2
Place chicken, water, onion, garlic, and ginger in a large pot and bring to boil.
- 3
Skim foam and simmer on medium-low for 50 minutes.
- 4
Remove chicken, shred meat, then return bones to simmer 15 more minutes.
- 5
Strain out bones and aromatics; season broth with soy sauce and salt.
- 6
Add shredded chicken and sliced green onion; simmer 3 minutes to finish.
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Tips
Nutrition (per serving)
Variations
Chicken Bone Broth Soup with Extra Scallions
Long-simmered chicken broth is paired with generous scallions in this soup. The result is warm, savory, and fresh with onion aroma.
Ginger Chicken Gomtang
Chicken gomtang is brightened with ginger for a clean, warming profile. The broth stays deep and savory with a fresh spicy note.
More Recipes
Korean Ginger Chicken Gomtang
This ginger chicken gomtang is a clear, restorative soup made by simmering a whole chicken with fresh ginger, onion, garlic, and green onion until the broth turns golden and deeply flavorful. The ginger cuts through the richness of the chicken fat, lending a sharp, warming note that distinguishes this from heavier beef-bone soups. After straining, the broth is remarkably clean-tasting despite its depth, and the chicken is pulled into tender shreds and returned to the bowl. Seasoning is kept to soup soy sauce, salt, and a generous amount of black pepper, which amplifies the ginger's heat. This is the kind of soup that Korean households turn to when someone is feeling under the weather or recovering - light enough to sip without strain, yet nourishing enough to rebuild strength. It also works as an elegant first course when served in small portions before a larger meal.
Korean Chicken and Neungi Mushroom Soup
Neungi-dak-gomtang is a Korean chicken soup elevated by neungi mushrooms, a wild variety prized for their intense, almost truffle-like fragrance. The chicken is blanched first to remove impurities, then simmered for fifty minutes with onion, garlic, and ginger to build a clear, rich stock. After straining, the torn chicken meat is returned to the pot along with the neungi mushrooms, which steep in the hot broth for fifteen minutes - long enough to release their deep, earthy perfume without losing its complexity. The mushroom's aroma permeates the entire liquid, transforming an already satisfying chicken soup into something far more layered and aromatic. Seasoning is kept to soup soy sauce and salt, ensuring nothing competes with the interplay between poultry richness and mushroom fragrance. In Korea, this soup is considered both nourishing and luxurious, often served during autumn when neungi mushrooms are freshly foraged.
Korean Chicken Radish Soup
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Gomtang (Slow-Simmered Ox Bone Beef Soup)
Gomtang is a quintessential Korean bone soup made by simmering beef leg bones and brisket in water for five to six hours or longer until the broth turns opaque and milky white. The prolonged cooking extracts collagen, marrow, and fat from the bones, giving the liquid a luxuriously creamy texture and a deep beefy flavor that needs only salt and pepper to taste complete. The brisket is removed partway through, sliced thin against the grain, and placed back atop the steaming broth for serving. Green onion and a generous shake of black pepper cut through the richness. The most common way to eat gomtang is with a bowl of rice submerged directly into the soup, letting the grains soak up the milky broth. This is slow food in the truest sense - the hours of effort yield a pot that can feed a family for two days - and remains one of the dishes Koreans crave most when the temperature drops.
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Korean Pork Soup with Rice
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