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At a glance: Ginseng Chicken Soup — Korean Samgyetang Medicinal Recipe: serves 2, with no seed oils.
Samgyetang is one of the few dishes in the world where the medicinal intent is inseparable from the culinary result. A small poussin or small broiler is stuffed with soaked glutinous rice, garlic, and ginseng root, then sealed shut and submerged in bone broth with jujube dates. The chicken braises from the inside out, the rice swells inside the cavity, and the broth absorbs everything.
Ginseng Chicken Soup — Recipe
Serves: 2 · Prep: 20 min · Cook: 90 min
Ingredients
- 1 small whole chicken (1.2–1.5 kg)
- 1 small piece fresh ginseng root (or 1 tsp ginseng powder)
- 8 jujube dates (dried red dates)
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup sweet glutinous rice (soaked 2 hours)
- 8 cups chicken bone broth
- 2 green onion stalks
- 1 tsp salt
- White pepper to finish
Method
- Drain the soaked glutinous rice. Mix with 2 garlic cloves (halved) and the ginseng. Season lightly with salt.
- Stuff the rice mixture into the cavity of the chicken. Do not overfill — the rice expands. Tie the legs together to seal.
- Place the stuffed chicken in a pot with the bone broth. Add remaining garlic cloves, jujube dates, and green onion.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook covered for 75–90 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked and falling off the bone.
- Carefully lift the chicken into a deep bowl. Ladle over the broth with the jujube dates.
- Season the broth with salt and white pepper. Serve whole — the diner tears apart the chicken at the table.
Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Southeast Asian recipes in ancestral fats.
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See the book on Amazon →What does ginseng taste like in soup?
Ginseng has a mildly bitter, earthy, and slightly sweet flavour. In samgyetang, it blends into the broth rather than dominating it. The bitterness softens with long cooking and is balanced by the sweetness of jujube dates.
Where can I buy ginseng for cooking?
Korean grocery stores carry fresh ginseng root and dried ginseng slices specifically for samgyetang. Asian supermarkets often stock packaged samgyetang herb kits that include ginseng, jujube, and garlic. Online Korean grocery stores are also a reliable source.
Can I use a regular chicken instead of a small poussin?
Yes. Use a 1.5 kg (3 lb) broiler and extend the cooking time to 110–120 minutes. The ratio of stuffing to meat changes, but the medicinal properties of the broth remain the same.
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