🇰🇷 Ginseng Chicken Soup (Samgyetang 삼계탕) Super Detailed Cooking Guide🐔

As a seasoned editor, I'm sharing this nourishing soup that Koreans love to drink this summer! Ginseng chicken soup is traditionally associated with the concept of "treating heat with heat," which is why Koreans love to drink it during the sweltering summer heat. It's amazing! 😍

🥘 List of ingredients needed

Main Materials:

• Spring chicken/free-range chicken 1 piece (about 1-1.5 kg)🐔

• Sticky rice 60-100g (wash and soak for 1 hour)🌾

• Korean ginseng/fresh ginseng 2-3 sticks

• red dates 6-8 pieces (core removed and cut in half)📅

• Raw chestnuts 4-8 tablets🌰

• Garlic 4-8 cloves (peeled)🧄

• clear water About 1.5 liters💧

Seasoning:

• rice wine 1/2 cup 🍶

• Salt Appropriate amount

• White pepper Appropriate amount ⚪

• ginger slices 2-3 pieces🫚

• Scallions 1-2 pieces (cut into sections)🌱

• wolfberry A little (optional) 🟠

Ingredients for the side dish:

• onion 1/4 (cut into large pieces)🧅

• lotus seeds 8 pieces (optional, core removed)🪷

👨🍳 Detailed cooking process

🔍 Preliminary preparation (about 1-2 hours)

1. Glutinous rice processing 🌾

   • Wash the glutinous rice 3 times until the water is clear.

   • Add a little water and rice wine and soak for at least 1 hour to soften the glutinous rice.

   • Stir occasionally during soaking to ensure that each grain of rice fully absorbs water

2. Ginseng processing 🌿

   • Use a soft brush to gently brush away the dirt on the ginseng surface

   • Rinse with clean water and cut off the ginseng root

   • Soak for 15 minutes to remove the bitter taste

3. Other material preparation 📝

   • Rinse the red dates with warm water, cut them in half and remove the core

   • Peel the garlic and keep it whole

   • If using raw chestnuts, they must be cooked and shelled first.

   • Wash and cut the green onions into large sections

🐔 Chicken handling (the most important step!)

4. Chicken cleaning ✂️

   • Wash the chicken thoroughly inside and out and remove the internal organs

   • Cut off the chicken head, feet, tail and wing tips

   • **Important:** Tear away the excess fat under the chicken skin with your hands. This step is very important and will affect the clarity of the soup!

   • Use kitchen paper to pat the chicken dry

5. Chicken stomach stuffing 🥄

   • First use half of the glutinous rice as the base

   • Add in order: 1 ginseng, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 red dates, 2 chestnuts

   • Add the remaining glutinous rice and fill it up to 80%.

   • **Editor’s Tip:** Don’t overfill the pan, as the glutinous rice will swell when cooking!

   • Use bamboo sticks to seal the chicken belly opening, or use cotton rope to firmly seal the chicken feet.

🔥 Formal cooking process

6. Start making soup 🍲

   • Put the stuffed chicken into a large soup pot

   • Add the remaining ginseng, garlic, red dates, and chestnuts

   • Add ginger slices, green onion segments, and onion pieces

   • Pour water until it covers the chicken by about 3-5cm

   • Add rice wine to enhance flavor and remove fishy smell

7. Heat control 🔥

   • **Stage 1:** Bring to a boil over high heat (approximately 10-15 minutes)

   • After boiling, use a spoon to skim off the foam and fat on the surface

   • **Phase 2:** Turn to low heat, cover and simmer for 1.5-2 hours

   • Check the water level every 30 minutes and add hot water if needed

8. Seasoning and completion 🧂

   • Add wolfberries in the last 15 minutes

   • Taste and add salt and white pepper

   • Remove the green onion segments and onion pieces

   • Test the chicken with a bamboo skewer; if it pierces easily, it means it is cooked.

🍽️ Authentic Korean way of enjoying it

Traditional way of eating:

• Serve the whole chicken with the soup, sprinkle the chicken with salt and black pepper.

• Scoop out the glutinous rice from the chicken stomach, add some chicken soup and mix well, then sprinkle a little salt and pepper

• Koreans don't season their soup in advance, but add salt when eating.

💡 Editor's exclusive experience

1. **Chicken selection: **Spring chicken or medium-sized chicken is recommended, the meat will be more tender and smooth🐓

2. **Ginseng selection: **Beginners can use ginseng roots instead of whole ginseng, which is milder🌿

3. **Time arrangement:** Do the prep work on the weekend so you can cook directly on weekdays, saving a lot of time! ⏰

4. **Storage method: **You can cook two chickens at a time, freeze them in portions, and heat them up when you want to eat them.

🌟 Nutritional value and efficacy

Ginseng chicken soup is rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals, and it nourishes Qi and blood, strengthening the body. It's especially suitable for those with weak constitutions and those prone to fatigue. However, be careful with this soup if you have a cold, fever, or a heat-related constitution! 🏥

I've tried this recipe many times and it always works! If you try it, please share it with me! 📸✨