Korean Herbs for Chicken Stew: Samgyetang Recipe Guide

Samgyetang is a Korean ginseng chicken soup made by simmering a small whole chicken with glutinous rice, garlic, jujubes, and aromatic roots. The herbs give the broth a gentle, earthy fragrance, while the chicken and rice make it a filling one-pot meal; ingredients and seasoning vary among households and regions.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, 3 to 3½ lb (1.4 to 1.6 kg), giblets removed
⅓ cup (65 g) sweet rice, also called glutinous rice
10 cups (2.4 L) cold water, plus more if needed to cover most of the chicken
1 small fresh Korean ginseng root, about ⅓ oz (10 g), or 1 small dried ginseng root, about ¼ oz (7 g)
5 dried jujubes, about 1 oz (25 g), stems removed
6 garlic cloves, about 1 oz (30 g), peeled
1 piece dried milk vetch root, called hwanggi, 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) long, about ⅓ oz (8 g), optional
1 piece fresh ginger, 1 inch (2.5 cm) long, about ½ oz (15 g), sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt, about 5 g, plus more to taste
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, about ½ g
2 scallions, about 1 oz (30 g), thinly sliced for serving

Instructions

Put the sweet rice in a small bowl and cover it with cool water. Soak for 30 minutes, then drain it well. This gives the grains a head start so they cook through inside the chicken. Do not extend the soak unless you also adjust the schedule; the time in the recipe is enough.
While the rice soaks, remove any remaining giblets from the chicken cavity and trim excess fat near the opening. Pat the chicken dry. Rinse the ginseng, jujubes, garlic, hwanggi, and ginger under cool water. If the chicken has a neck, reserve it for the pot or discard it. Wash your hands and any surfaces that touched raw poultry before handling the other ingredients.
When the rice has drained, put about half of it into the chicken cavity with 3 garlic cloves, 2 jujubes, and the ginseng. Add the remaining rice only if it fits without packing the cavity tightly. Rice expands as it cooks, so leave some room. If needed, secure the cavity with a short skewer or tie the legs loosely with kitchen twine so the filling stays inside; do not force the legs into a tight knot.
Set the chicken breast-side up in a heavy 5- to 6-quart (4.7- to 5.7-liter) pot. Add the remaining garlic and jujubes, the hwanggi, ginger, salt, and 10 cups (2.4 L) water. The liquid should reach most of the way up the chicken. Add a little more water if your pot is wide or the bird is not mostly submerged. Keep the pot large enough that the liquid will not boil over.
Cover the pot and bring the water just to a boil over medium-high heat, which usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes. As soon as it boils, reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. A quiet simmer with small bubbles is preferable to a rolling boil: it cooks the chicken evenly and keeps the broth clearer. Skim off any foam that gathers on top during the first 10 minutes.
Partially cover the pot and simmer for 85 minutes. Check occasionally that the broth is gently bubbling, not boiling hard, and add a splash of hot water if the level drops substantially. If the chicken is unusually large or the cavity is packed, it may need additional cooking time. Check the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone and the center of the rice filling with a food thermometer. USDA FSIS safe minimum temperature for poultry is 165°F (74°C); if either spot is below that, simmer for another 5 minutes and check again.
Turn off the heat once the chicken and filling reach the safe temperature. Carefully lift the chicken onto a rimmed plate or shallow serving bowl; it may be very tender, so support it from underneath with a wide spatula. Remove any skewer or twine. Taste the broth and add more salt if desired. Sprinkle the scallions and black pepper over the chicken or broth, then serve hot with extra salt on the side.

Tips

Choose the right herbs: Korean ginseng, often sold fresh or dried in Korean and other East Asian grocery stores, is the signature aromatic. Hwanggi, or milk vetch root, is a traditional optional addition with a mild, woody flavor. If you cannot find hwanggi, simply leave it out; the soup will still have its ginseng, garlic, and jujube character. These roots are for flavor, not for eating whole, so remove them from bowls if you prefer.
Use the right rice: Sweet rice is short-grain glutinous rice, not ordinary long-grain rice and not a sweetened product. It becomes sticky and tender inside the bird. If it is unavailable, use short-grain rice; the filling will be less sticky and may need a little longer to become tender. Do not substitute uncooked regular rice without checking it for doneness.
Keep the cavity loosely filled: A modest amount of rice and aromatics cooks more evenly than a tightly packed cavity. If your chicken is small or the rice will not fit comfortably, cook the extra rice separately in a saucepan with some broth rather than forcing it inside.
Season at the table: The broth is intentionally mild, and saltiness varies with the chicken and the water used. Taste before adding more salt to the pot. For a deeper flavor, use a little more garlic or ginger, but avoid adding a large amount of extra root herbs that could make the broth bitter.

Serving Suggestions

Serve the chicken in a deep individual bowl with plenty of broth and some of the rice filling. For a traditional, simple table, put out small dishes of salt and black pepper so each person can season their own portion. The mild soup also pairs well with steamed rice, kimchi, or a crisp Korean vegetable side such as lightly dressed cucumber. These accompaniments bring crunch, acidity, and heat without covering up the herbal broth.

To portion the chicken, cut it into pieces with kitchen shears or a sharp knife and share the tender meat among the bowls. Spoon broth over each serving, and include a jujube or garlic clove if someone would like one. The ginseng and hwanggi can be left in the pot or set aside; they are not usually the main part of the meal. If serving guests, provide a spoon for the broth and chopsticks or a fork for the meat and rice.

Variations

Without ginseng: If ginseng is unavailable or its earthy flavor is not to your taste, omit it and make a simple garlic-and-jujube chicken soup. It will not have the signature ginseng aroma, but it remains a satisfying rice-stuffed chicken stew. Do not replace ginseng with a large amount of powdered supplement; concentrated powders can taste harsh and are not a direct culinary substitute.

Use dates in a pinch: If dried jujubes are hard to find, use 2 small dried dates, about ½ oz (15 g), in their place. Dates are sweeter and less tart, so the broth will have a rounder, sweeter note. Start with two rather than adding several, and taste the broth before seasoning.

Make individual portions: Use 2 small poussin or Cornish hens, about 1 to 1½ lb (450 to 680 g) each, and divide the rice, garlic, ginseng, and jujubes between them. They may cook faster than one larger chicken, so begin checking the thigh and rice filling with a thermometer earlier, around 55 to 60 minutes of simmering. Cook until both reach 165°F (74°C).

Cook the rice separately: For easier serving, skip stuffing and simmer the chicken with the herbs and aromatics as directed. Cook the drained sweet rice in a separate saucepan with 1½ cups (355 ml) of broth until tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. This version is easier to portion and avoids handling hot rice from the cavity, though it is less like the classic stuffed presentation.

Storage and Reheating

For food safety, refrigerate the soup within 2 hours of cooking. Divide the chicken, rice, and broth among shallow, covered containers so they cool more quickly; you can remove the meat from the bones before storing if that makes portioning easier. Keep leftovers refrigerated for 3 to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze in airtight containers for up to 2 to 3 months for best quality. Leave a little room for the broth to expand, and thaw frozen portions in the refrigerator.

Reheat only the portion you plan to eat. Warm the chicken, rice, and broth in a covered saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring carefully and turning the pieces as needed, until steaming hot throughout. Check the center of the chicken and rice with a food thermometer; USDA FSIS recommends reheating leftovers to 165°F (74°C). Add a splash of water if the broth has reduced or the rice has thickened it. Avoid repeatedly cooling and reheating the full pot.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Korean herb used in chicken stew?
The best-known herb or root is ginseng, called insam in Korean. In samgyetang it is simmered with chicken, garlic, rice, and often dried jujubes. Hwanggi, or milk vetch root, is another traditional optional root used for fragrance. You can omit hwanggi if it is difficult to find; ginseng is the defining herbal note in this version.

Can I make this recipe without a whole chicken?
Yes. Bone-in chicken legs or thighs can be simmered with the broth ingredients, but they cannot be stuffed with rice. Cook the rice separately in broth and start checking the chicken for 165°F (74°C) well before the 85-minute mark, since smaller pieces cook faster. The broth will still be aromatic, but the dish will be a bowl of chicken soup rather than a whole stuffed bird.

Can I use dried ginseng instead of fresh?
Yes. Use one small dried root, about ¼ oz (7 g), in place of the fresh root. Dried ginseng can have a more concentrated, woody flavor, so choose a small piece and avoid adding extra simply to match the fresh root’s size. Rinse it before adding it to the pot.

Why is my chicken stew broth cloudy?
A hard boil can break up proteins and fat, making the broth look cloudy. It is still suitable to eat if the chicken reached a safe temperature, but a gentler simmer and skimming the early foam usually produce a cleaner-looking broth. Some cloudiness is normal, especially when rice starch escapes from the cavity.

Can I prepare samgyetang ahead?
You can rinse the herbs and measure the ingredients ahead, and the rice can be soaked for the 30 minutes specified in the recipe just before cooking. For best texture, cook the chicken on the day you plan to serve it. If you cook it ahead, refrigerate within 2 hours and reheat portions to 165°F (74°C) before serving.

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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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