Samgyetang (Korean Chicken Soup) Recipe

Samgyetang is a Korean soup made with a small whole chicken filled with glutinous rice, garlic, and often ginseng and jujubes. The chicken simmers until tender, making a mild, savory broth that is served hot with the rice inside or spooned into each bowl.

Ingredients

⅓ cup (65 g) short-grain glutinous rice, also called sweet rice
1 whole small chicken, 3 to 3½ lb (1.4 to 1.6 kg), giblets removed if included
6 garlic cloves (about 30 g), peeled
1 small fresh Korean ginseng root, about ½ oz (15 g), or 1 dried ginseng root, about ⅓ oz (10 g); optional
3 dried jujubes, about ¾ oz (20 g), stems removed
10 cups (2.4 L) cold water, plus a little more if needed to partly cover the chicken
1 tsp fine salt (6 g), plus more to serve
¼ tsp ground black pepper (0.5 g), plus more to serve
2 scallions (about 30 g), thinly sliced

Instructions

Put the glutinous rice in a bowl, cover it with cool water, and soak for 30 minutes. Drain it well. While it soaks, remove any giblets from the chicken cavity, trim excess fat near the opening, and pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Do not rinse raw poultry; wash your hands and sanitize any surface or utensil that touches it.
Set aside 2 garlic cloves and 1 jujube for the broth. Mix the drained rice with the remaining 4 garlic cloves and 2 jujubes. Loosely fill the chicken cavity with this mixture, leaving room for the rice to expand as it cooks. If the cavity is very small, leave some rice out and simmer it in a small heatproof pouch or cook it separately rather than packing the chicken tightly.
Close the cavity with a small metal skewer or a wooden toothpick, if you have one. You can also cross the legs and tuck the ends through a small cut in the skin near the tail. This helps keep the rice inside, but the chicken will cook properly if some filling escapes.
Place the chicken breast-side up in a heavy pot that fits it snugly, ideally 5 to 6 qt (4.7 to 5.7 L). Add the water, reserved garlic and jujube, and the ginseng, if using. The water should come partway up the chicken; add a little more only if needed. Bring it just to a boil over medium-high heat, about 8 minutes, skimming off any foam that rises.
Lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar, and cook for 72 minutes. Turn the chicken carefully once about halfway through if one side is not submerged. Keep the liquid at a quiet simmer, not a hard boil, which can make the meat break apart and cloud the broth.
Check doneness with a food thermometer. The thickest part of the breast and thigh, without touching bone, and the center of the rice stuffing must all reach the USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). If any spot is cooler, simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes and check again. Remove the chicken to a serving bowl, then taste the broth and stir in the salt and pepper. Add a splash of hot water if the broth has reduced more than you like.
Let the chicken settle for 5 minutes, then scatter the sliced scallions over the broth. Serve the bird whole at the table for a traditional presentation, or cut it into portions with clean utensils and ladle broth over each serving. Give everyone extra salt and pepper to season their own bowl.

Tips

Choose a small bird. A chicken around 3 to 3½ lb (1.4 to 1.6 kg) fits a standard soup pot and cooks more evenly than a large roasting chicken. If your chicken is larger, allow more time and rely on the thermometer rather than the clock.
Keep the rice loose. Glutinous rice swells while it cooks. Filling the cavity firmly can leave the center undercooked, so use only what fits without pressure. Any leftover rice can be simmered separately in broth until tender.
Know your ginseng options. Fresh or dried Korean ginseng is traditional but can be hard to find. You can leave it out for a clean, mild chicken broth; the soup will lack ginseng’s distinct earthy, slightly bitter flavor. Do not substitute a large amount of ginseng powder, which can make the broth gritty and overpowering.
Season at the end. Broth reduces as it simmers, and saltiness varies with the chicken and pot. Add the measured salt after cooking, then let diners adjust their bowls rather than oversalting the whole pot.

Serving Suggestions

Bring the chicken and broth to the table in a deep serving bowl or the cooking pot set on a heat-safe trivet. Ladle broth into individual bowls, then offer pieces of chicken and the tender rice stuffing. The broth is intentionally gentle, so a small dish of salt and black pepper lets each person season it to taste. Sliced scallions add a fresh finish without covering the soup’s delicate flavor.

Serve samgyetang as a complete meal, or add a bowl of steamed rice if you want a more substantial table. Korean-style side dishes such as kimchi, cubed radish kimchi, or simply dressed cucumber provide a crisp, tangy contrast. Keep the sides separate from the soup so their strong seasoning does not overwhelm the clear broth.

Variations

Make it without ginseng. Omit the root and prepare the chicken, rice, garlic, and jujubes as written. This is a practical version when ginseng is unavailable and gives a milder broth. Some cooks also leave out jujubes or use fewer of them; the soup will be less fruity and gently sweet.

Use dried jujubes substitutes sparingly. If dried jujubes are unavailable, leave them out rather than adding a large handful of dates. A single small dried date can provide some sweetness, but it has a different flavor and may make the broth sweeter than the usual version.

Cook the rice separately. For easier portioning or if the chicken cavity is too small, simmer the soaked, drained rice in a separate saucepan with some of the soup broth until tender, usually about 20 to 25 minutes. Cook the chicken without stuffing and check that its thickest parts reach 165°F (74°C). Separating the rice changes the classic presentation but makes it simple to serve different amounts.

Add a little heat at the table. Keep the soup itself mild and offer sliced fresh chili or a pinch of Korean red pepper flakes on the side. Adding chile to the pot changes the broth’s character and makes it harder to accommodate people who prefer a gentle soup.

Storage and Reheating

Refrigerate leftover chicken and broth within 2 hours of cooking. For quicker cooling, divide the meat and broth among shallow, covered containers rather than leaving the whole pot out to cool. Refrigerated leftovers keep for 3 to 4 days. If storing the rice inside the chicken, remove it from the cavity first so it cools more quickly and can be portioned safely.

To reheat, place the desired amount of chicken, rice, and broth in a saucepan, cover, and warm over medium-low heat until steaming. Stir the broth and turn the pieces so they heat evenly. Check with a food thermometer and reheat leftovers to 165°F (74°C). Add a little water if the broth has become concentrated. You can freeze the soup in airtight freezer containers for about 2 to 3 months for best quality; thaw it in the refrigerator and reheat it to 165°F (74°C). The rice may soften after freezing, but the soup remains suitable to serve when handled safely.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does samgyetang mean?
Samgyetang is the Korean name for this ginseng chicken soup. It is commonly prepared with a small whole chicken, rice, garlic, and sometimes ginseng and jujubes. Recipes vary in the herbs and aromatics used, so ginseng is not essential for making a good home version.

Can I use regular rice instead of glutinous rice?
Glutinous rice, also called sweet rice, becomes pleasantly sticky and tender inside the chicken. Regular short-grain rice can work, but its texture will be less sticky; long-grain rice tends to be looser and is more likely to spill from the cavity. Whatever you use, leave room for it to expand and check the center reaches 165°F (74°C).

Can I make samgyetang with chicken pieces?
Yes, but it will no longer have the whole-stuffed-chicken presentation. Simmer bone-in pieces with the garlic, jujubes, and ginseng if using, and cook the rice separately in broth. Smaller pieces may finish sooner than a whole bird, so check each piece with a thermometer and cook poultry to 165°F (74°C).

Why is my broth cloudy?
A vigorous boil can break the chicken apart and stir particles into the broth. Keep it at a gentle simmer and skim foam near the beginning. A cloudy broth is still fine to eat if the chicken and stuffing reached the safe temperature; it is mainly a difference in appearance and texture.

Do I have to soak the rice?
Soaking for 30 minutes helps the glutinous rice cook more evenly inside the chicken. If you skip soaking, the center may take longer to soften, so check both the rice texture and its temperature before serving. If the rice is still firm, continue simmering and check again in 5 to 10 minutes.

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Safety notes: safe minimum internal temperatures from USDA FSIS; raw and undercooked fish guidance from the U.S. FDA. Food safety notes

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