Samgyetang — ginseng chicken soup
Small whole chickens filled with glutinous rice, ginseng, garlic and jujube.
Ingredients
How to cook
- Wash the rice, soak for 30 minutes and drain. Check cleaned chickens for remaining giblets; keep raw-poultry tools separate.
- Loosely fill each chicken with rice, washed ginseng, garlic and jujubes. Leave room for the rice to expand.
- Place chicken and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer with the lid slightly ajar for 50–60 minutes, adding water if needed.
- Check that both the thickest chicken meat and the center of the rice stuffing reach at least 74°C. When the rice is tender, add green onion and season individual servings with salt.
KOREAN KITCHEN · LOCAL OPTIONS
Local ingredient swaps
Use these options when the original ingredient is unavailable. Flavor and texture will change; these swaps have not been tested in our kitchen.
| Korean ingredient | Local option | How to use it | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh culinary ginseng | Omit it if unavailable | Keep the chicken, garlic, rice and remaining ingredients; do not replace with a supplement or extract. | The soup loses its ginseng aroma and becomes an adapted chicken-and-rice soup. |
| Dried jujube | Omit if unavailable | Keep the other ingredients unchanged. | A little fruity sweetness is lost; ordinary dates are not the same fruit. |
| Glutinous rice | Rice labelled glutinous or sweet rice | Soak as directed; do not pack the chicken tightly. | Sushi rice is short-grain rice but is not the same as glutinous rice. |
Ingredients and allergies
Check product labels: soy sauce can contain wheat, kimchi and fish cakes can contain seafood, and miso or tofu contains soy. Ingredient swaps do not automatically make a dish gluten-free, vegetarian or allergy-safe.
Sources and scope
Use these options when the original ingredient is unavailable. Flavor and texture will change; these swaps have not been tested in our kitchen.
Your shopping checklist
Quantities are for the original recipe and its listed servings. Swaps are optional: use the table above to adjust, and do not buy both choices unless needed. Check what you already have.
Look in the produce and refrigerated aisles first; check an Asian grocery or online seller for Korean specialty ingredients. This is a shopping guide, not a live stock or delivery check.
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