How to Make Rich & Savory Samgyetang (Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup)

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 Hello, food lovers!

Today we're making the ultimate Korean wellness food: Samgyetang, or Ginseng Chicken Soup. It's a nourishing and healthy dish, perfect for any time you need a boost.

I found this recipe from the YouTube channel "Recipes for daughters", and it has a fantastic secret for a deep, rich, and clean-tasting broth. The key is all in how you prepare the chicken!


πŸ“ Ingredients

  • 1-2 small young chickens (for Samgyetang)

  • 1/2 cup Soju (for parboiling)

  • 1 packet of Herbal soup mix (Hwanggi, etc.)

  • 1/2 Ginger root

  • Jujubes (dried red dates)

  • Ginseng

  • 1 cup Mung beans (soaked for 3+ hours)

  • 1/2 cup Sweet rice / Glutinous rice (soaked for 1+ hour)

  • 1 whole stalk of Green onion

  • 1 handful of Garlic cloves

  • (Optional) 1 bottle of Ssanghwa-tang (herbal drink, for an extra-deep flavor)

  • Salt & Black pepper (for serving)

🍳 Instructions

Part 1: Preparing the Chicken (The Most Important Step)

  1. Clean the Chicken: Thoroughly wash the chicken.

  2. Trim the Fat: This is crucial for a clean broth. Meticulously cut off and remove all visible fat, especially from the neck area, the tail, and inside the cavity.

  3. Clean the Cavity: Inside the chicken's cavity, use chopsticks or your fingers to scrape out any clotted blood or internal lining. Rinse thoroughly under running water. This step is essential to prevent any gamey smell.

  4. Parboil (Blanch): Bring a pot of water to a boil and add 1/2 cup of soju. Once boiling, add the cleaned chicken and let it cook for just a few minutes. This "blanching" step removes excess oil and impurities.

  5. Remove the chicken and set it aside. Your chicken is now prepped.

Part 2: Assembling and Cooking the Soup

  1. Prepare the Herbal Pack: Place the herbal soup mix and the ginger into a soup pouch or cheesecloth bag. (Keep the ginseng and jujubes separate).

  2. Start the Broth: In a large pot, add water and the herbal pouch. Bring it to a boil.

  3. Stuff the Chicken: While the broth heats up, stuff the chicken cavity. Add a spoonful of sweet rice, then two spoonfuls of soaked mung beans. You can also add jujubes or chestnuts inside if you wish.

  4. Secure the Chicken: You can either sew the cavity shut with a toothpick or, as shown in the video, make a small slit in one leg's skin and tuck the other leg through it to "tie" the legs together and seal the opening.

  5. Cook (First 20 Mins): Once the herbal broth is boiling, add the stuffed chicken. (This is also the time to add the optional Ssanghwa-tang for a deeper herbal flavor). Boil for 20 minutes.

  6. Skim the Broth: Even after blanching, some foam or oil may rise. Skim this off the top.

  7. Add More Flavor: After 20 minutes, add the whole green onion, the garlic cloves, and the separate ginseng and jujubes to the pot. (Adding these later helps preserve the herbal aroma).

  8. Cook (Final 20 Mins): Continue to boil for another 20 minutes, for a total cooking time of 40 minutes.

  9. (Optional) Thicken Broth: For an even richer, thicker soup, you can add an extra cup of soaked mung beans directly into the broth (not in the chicken) when you add the garlic and green onion.

Part 3: Serving

  1. When the chicken is fully cooked and tender, turn off the heat. Remove the herbal pouch.

  2. Transfer the whole chicken to a serving bowl (like a Ttukbaegi, or Korean earthenware pot). Ladle the rich broth over it.

  3. Garnish with freshly chopped green onions. Serve with a small bowl of salt and pepper on the side for dipping.


This recipe is an adaptation based on the 'Samgyetang (Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup)' video by the YouTube channel "Recipes for daughters" (딸을 μœ„ν•œ λ ˆμ‹œν”Ό). All photos in this post are my own.

You can watch the original video here: https://youtu.be/XMxxFtHv-CM