Korean Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. 
Serving Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken Soup)
A hot, steaming soup made with a whole young chicken stuffed with glutinous rice, ginseng, jujube, and garlic. Eaten traditionally on the hottest days of summer.
No common allergens detected
Based on this recipe's ingredient list. Always verify with your own brands and labels.
Good to know
- One-pot
Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: one-pot dinners
Instructions
6 steps- 1
Thoroughly wash the chicken inside and out, removing any excess fat from the tail and neck areas.
- 2
Stuff the chicken's cavity tightly with the soaked glutinous rice, 3 cloves of garlic, and 1 jujube. Close the cavity by crossing the legs and tying them with kitchen twine, or by cutting a small slit in one flap of skin and threading the opposite leg through it.
- 3
Place the stuffed chicken in a heavy pot or stone bowl (ttukbaegi). Add the fresh ginseng root, remaining garlic cloves, and jujubes.
- 4
Pour in enough cold water to barely cover the chicken (about 4-5 cups). Bring to a rapid boil over high heat, skimming off any foam.
- 5
Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover tightly, and simmer for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the broth turns milky white and the meat is tender enough to pull apart with chopsticks.
- 6
Garnish generously with chopped scallions. Serve bubbling hot with a small side dish of salt and black pepper for dipping the meat.
Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Listahan Family Score™
73/100
Good fit for most families
Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.
Nutrition
per serving95
Calories
2 g
Protein
21 g
Carbs
0 g
Fat
Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.
Listahan cooking guide
Chef notes & practical guide
Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.
Cultural context
Samgyetang is eaten in Korea during the three hottest days of summer, known as boknal, on the principle of fighting heat with heat to restore stamina lost through sweating. A whole young chicken is stuffed with glutinous rice and simmered with ginseng and jujube, turning a single bird into a restorative one-person meal traditionally served in its own stone bowl.
Listahan note
This version stuffs the cavity tightly and ties the legs shut so the glutinous rice cooks inside the bird and thickens the broth from within, rather than scattering loose rice into the pot.
Technique cues
- Soaking the glutinous rice for an hour before stuffing lets it absorb broth and swell without staying chalky in the center of the bird.
- The milky white color of the broth comes from a long covered simmer that emulsifies collagen and marrow from the small bones; rushing it leaves the soup thin and clear.
- Skimming the foam right after the first rapid boil keeps the finished broth clean-tasting instead of muddy.
Kitchen flow
- Parallel prep
- Soak the glutinous rice and peel the garlic while you wash and trim the chicken.
- Make-ahead
- The stuffed and tied bird can be assembled and refrigerated a few hours before it goes into the pot.
- Leftover move
- Shred leftover meat back into the strained broth with the cooked rice for a quick rice porridge.
- Cleanup rhythm
- Use a stone ttukbaegi or one heavy pot so there is a single vessel plus the twine to discard.
Ingredient brief
Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.
whole young chicken
Main protein
Purpose: A small cornish-hen-size bird cooks through in about an hour and gives one tender serving per person without overcooked breast meat.
Handling: Wash inside and out and trim excess fat from the tail and neck so the broth does not turn greasy.
Adaptation: Two cornish hens split among four works if a single small chicken is unavailable, though each diner gets less rice.
sweet glutinous rice
Stuffing and thickener
Purpose: Packed inside the cavity it absorbs the chicken juices and lightly thickens the surrounding broth.
Handling: Soak for an hour first so it swells evenly and does not stay hard at the core.
Adaptation: Short-grain sushi rice works but is stickier and less chewy than true glutinous rice.
fresh ginseng root
Aromatic and restorative
Purpose: It gives the broth its signature earthy, faintly bitter medicinal note that defines the dish.
Handling: Wash well and add whole so it perfumes the broth without breaking apart.
Adaptation: Dried ginseng slices work; use about half the amount since the flavor is more concentrated.
dried jujubes
Sweet accent
Purpose: These Korean dates add gentle sweetness that balances the bitterness of the ginseng.
Handling: Add whole; one goes inside the cavity and the rest into the pot.
Adaptation: Dried red dates from a Chinese grocer are the same fruit and need no adjustment.
whole cloves garlic
Aromatic anchor
Purpose: Simmered whole, the garlic turns soft and sweet and deepens the savory base.
Handling: Leave cloves whole so they hold together; three go in the cavity, the rest in the pot.
Adaptation: Pre-peeled cloves are fine; skip pre-minced garlic, which clouds the clear-then-milky broth.
Technique notes
- Close the cavity by threading one leg through a slit cut in the opposite skin flap if you have no twine, so the rice stays sealed inside during the long simmer.
- Add only enough cold water to barely cover the bird; too much water dilutes the broth before the collagen can concentrate it.
- Serve the salt and pepper on the side for dipping rather than salting the pot, so each diner seasons the bland-by-design broth to taste.
Ingredient swaps
- Lower-sodium direction
- Leave the teaspoon of salt out of the pot entirely and let diners season their bowl from the side dish.
- Weeknight shortcut
- Use bone-in chicken thighs and a handful of cooked rice stirred in at the end; you lose the stuffed-bird presentation but cut the simmer roughly in half.
- Gluten-free direction
- The dish is naturally gluten-free as written; just confirm your ginseng and jujube are not packed with wheat-based fillers.
Serve alongside
- Baechu kimchi
- Kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi)
- Buchu geotjeori (chive salad)
- Steamed short-grain rice
- Insam-ju (ginseng wine)
- Barley tea, served warm
- Soju, neat
Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.
Storage & reheating
- Refrigerate the meat and broth together for up to 3 days.
- Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low until steaming, adding a splash of water if the rice has soaked up the broth.
- Freeze strained broth for up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the fridge; the cooked rice and meat are best added fresh.
Equipment
- Stone ttukbaegi or heavy lidded pot
- Kitchen twine
- Skimming spoon
- Tongs for lifting the whole bird
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