Comfort food to soothe your blues? Ginseng Chicken (Samgyetang) is a Korean dish made to nourish your soul and restore your lost energy. Sam translates to ginseng, gye refers to chicken and tang means soup. In Korea, families or friends come together to enjoy this herbal delight during the summer with a side of kimchi.
This Ginseng chicken recipe provides an array of health benefits perfect for people who are recovering from an illness, students having their examinations or even a meal for your grandparents! The ingredients in the soup – goji berry, jujube and ginseng –replenishes the energy, strengthens the immune system and calms the nerves and mind. No wonder many call it the healing soup!
Enjoy this soup with a side of kimchi or steamed rice at home by following the recipe below. It takes a total time of 2.5 hours to prepare and cook, but it’s so worth the effort! So, here goes the Ginseng chicken recipe
Ingredients (4 servings):
-
- 1 whole chicken
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 ginger slice
- 1 medium ginseng root (fresh/dry)
- 10 dried jujubes (red dates)
- 2 tbsp goji berries
- 2 litres water
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Garnish:
- 2 green onions
- Sea salt
- Ground black pepper
Directions:
- Start by washing the chicken (including the cavity) under running cold water. Then, clean the inside of the cavity with a paper towel to remove any remaining blood.
- Prepare other ingredients by rinsing all the dried herbs to remove dirt.
- Stuff the chicken with sweet rice and some garlic cloves (reserve the rest). Leave some room in the cavity as the rice expands as it cooks.
- Then, cross the legs and tie them together with a cotton/kitchen tie. Insert a toothpick at the end of the cavity for extra secure, if necessary.
- In a large pot, place the whole chicken along with about 4 cups of chicken stock or water. Then, add in 1 green onion, ginger, jujube, ginseng, goji berries and remaining garlic clove.
- Cover the pot and bring it to a boil under medium-high heat for about 20 minutes. Skim off the foam on top.
- Cover the pot and reduce to medium-low for another 20 – 25 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken.
- Chop the remaining green onion and season with some salt and pepper according to your preference. Enjoy the Ginseng Chicken!
Check out our recipes for Soup Cake (Banh Canh) and ABC Soup for more options to warm your belly. Also, this Ginseng Chicken recipe can be modified according to your creativity.
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