Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken Soup): A Summer’s Restorative Feast
How to Boil Dakbaeksuk (White Chicken Stew) and Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken Soup) Easily at Home
Beat the summer heat with this simple and easy-to-make Samgyetang! This nourishing soup is a perfect remedy to regain your energy, especially during the hot season. Enjoy the tender, chewy chicken and the comforting glutinous rice filling.
Ingredients
- Chicken for Samgyetang (approx. 530g each), 4 birds
- Jujubes (dried dates), 12 pieces
- Ginseng root (large), 2 pieces
- Garlic cloves, 40 cloves
- Soaked glutinous rice, 2 bowls (rice bowl measurement)
- Coarse sea salt, 4 tablespoons (for seasoning chicken and broth)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Prepare the stuffing ingredients for each chicken. If the ginseng roots are large, cut them into manageable pieces; you’ll need enough for 4 servings. Allocate 10 garlic cloves per chicken and 3 jujubes per chicken. Have these ready.
Step 2
Soak the glutinous rice in lukewarm water for at least 1 hour. About one rice bowl of dry rice will yield two bowls when soaked. You can omit the rice if you prefer not to have it in the soup. Thoroughly clean the chickens, removing any residual feathers. Trim away the fatty skin from the tail area and the neck. Carefully stuff the cavity of each chicken with the prepared garlic, jujubes, and ginseng.
Step 3
Gently tuck the stuffing ingredients inside the chicken cavity. Ensure the ingredients are packed snugly so they don’t fall out during cooking. The chickens are now ready to be placed in the pot.
Step 4
Arrange the stuffed chickens snugly in a large pot. For the soaked glutinous rice, place it inside a cheesecloth bag or a fine mesh bag and set it gently beside or on top of the chickens in the pot. This helps the rice cook evenly without becoming too mushy. Pour in enough water to fully submerge the chickens. Add the 4 tablespoons of coarse sea salt. I season the broth from the beginning, so the chicken and soup are perfectly seasoned without needing extra dipping sauce.
Step 5
Bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 1 hour and 20 minutes. The chicken should be tender and juicy, and the glutinous rice should be soft and creamy. While a pressure cooker can significantly reduce the cooking time to under 30 minutes, slow simmering in a regular pot allows the chicken’s flavors to meld beautifully, resulting in a superior texture and taste.
Step 6
Carefully remove the cooked chickens from the pot. The glutinous rice, cooked in its bag, can be spooned out and mixed into the broth in your serving bowl. Cooking the rice in a bag keeps it from falling apart and results in a perfectly cooked texture.
Step 7
This particular batch was prepared separately to send to my sibling’s family. It’s packed with extra care!
Step 8
While the presentation might not be overly fancy, the taste is absolutely divine! The chicken is incredibly tender, practically melting in your mouth. And the glutinous rice porridge at the bottom, stirred in after the chicken is enjoyed, is simply spectacular. Garnish with chopped green onions for an extra touch of freshness and visual appeal before serving.
