Samgyetang (Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 120 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 9
About this dish
Samgyetang is Korea's iconic ginseng chicken soup, made by stuffing a small whole chicken with soaked glutinous rice, fresh ginseng, jujubes, and garlic, then simmering it for over an hour.
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The glutinous rice inside the cavity absorbs the chicken's juices as it cooks, turning into a thick, porridge-like filling that spills into the broth when the bird is broken open at the table. The ginseng lends a subtle bitterness and herbal depth that distinguishes this soup from plain chicken broth, while jujubes contribute a quiet fruity sweetness. The prolonged cooking dissolves collagen from the skin and joints, giving the broth a silky body despite its clear appearance. Seasoning is left to each diner, who dips the meat into salt and pepper on a side plate. Samgyetang is traditionally consumed during the three hottest days of the Korean summer - a practice rooted in the belief that fighting heat with heat restores depleted energy.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Step
Soak 100 g glutinous rice for at least 30 minutes, then drain it well so the filling does not water down the broth.
Clean the two small chickens by removing fat and any organs from the cavities.
- 2Heat
Fill each chicken with soaked rice, one fresh ginseng root, two dried jujubes, and four garlic cloves.
Do not pack the cavity too tightly, because the rice swells as it cooks, then cross the legs to hold the filling in place.
- 3Control
Place the stuffed chickens in a large pot and pour in 2 L water, making sure the birds are mostly covered.
Bring it to a boil over high heat for about 10 minutes, until foam rises to the surface.
- 4Control
When the pot reaches a boil, skim off the foam and lower the heat to medium-low.
Keep the lid slightly open and simmer for 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes, preventing a cloudy, rough broth.
- 5Step
Carefully turn both chickens once so they remain evenly immersed in the 2000 ml of water.
When the leg joints move easily, check the thickest thigh meat and glutinous rice for doneness.
- 6Finish
Transfer each chicken to a stone bowl or serving bowl and ladle hot broth over it.
Finish with sliced green onion and black pepper, and serve salt on the side so each diner can season the meat.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Samgyetang stuffs a whole chicken with glutinous rice and ginseng for a rich herbal soup.
- Finish cue
- Transfer each chicken to a stone bowl or serving bowl and ladle hot broth over it.
- Avoid this
- Do not pack the cavity too tightly, because the rice swells as it cooks, then cross the legs to hold the filling in place.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
120min, 9 ingredients
Category median
45min, 8 ingredients
Based on 310 recipes
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