Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup, or Sangyetang, is a one-pot wonder that offers a great combination of nutritious soup and comfort food on cold and rainy days. It is also considered a tonic soup that is good for nourishing the body and help promote blood circulation.
Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup, also known as Sangyetang, is an easy one-pot recipe that offers the combination of nutritious soup and comfort food with tonic properties to nourish the body and promote blood circulation. A friend of mine bought me this fresh ginseng root when she was in Korea on vacation. So of course the first thing I thought of was to make Sangyetang, which is also one of my youngest daughter’s favourite dishes!
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If you are looking to get hold of fresh korean ginseng in Singapore, it is sold in the main supermarket chains like NTUC, Giant or Sheng Siong, usually in the refrigerated section. But do bear in mind that fresh Korean ginseng is seasonal, so they are not available all year round. Usually when I find it in the supermarkets, I will buy some and store them up in my freezer!
Although at first glance it may seem like too much hassle, because it does take about 4 hours of slow boiling in order to get the chicken to that really tender, fall-off-the-bone state, it’s really not! Why do I say this? Because the preparation time is only 20 minutes, and then you put all the ingredients into 1 pot and you just leave it to simmer.
Of course you will still need to check on the water level from time to time, and top up as necessary. But nothing more. And in 4 hours time, you will have a whole pot of yummy Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup. This is one of the soup recipes on my blog that is actually AN ENTIRE MEAL on its own, because it also contains glutinous rice as a staple.
For just 20 minutes + a few minutes here and there of work, why not? That’s why in fact it is one of the easier dishes to cook, so please don’t be fooled by the longer cooking time! Take a look at the recipe and you will see what I mean.
SUGGESTED MODIFICATIONS FOR SPECIAL DIETS
- Egg-Free: No modifications needed.
- Fish-Free: No modifications needed.
- Gluten-Free: No modifications needed.
- Nut-Free: No modifications needed.
- Shellfish-Free: No modifications needed.
Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup (Sangyetang)
Ingredients
- 1 Large Chicken
- 1 Korean Ginseng Root Preferably fresh
- 3 tbsp Korean glutinous rice
- 6 cloves Garlic
- 6 thin slices Ginger
- 8 pieces Pitted red dates
- 2 stalks Spring onion Optional
Instructions
PREPARATION METHOD FOR KOREAN GINSENG CHICKEN (SANGYETANG) RECIPE (20 mins excluding soaking time)
- About 5 hours before your desired meal time, wash the glutinous rice and soak it for 1 hour.
- While the rice is soaking, remove the head, feet and backside of the chicken leaving the neck intact. Clean the inside of the chicken thoroughly, removing the fats, internal organs and blood clots. Rub some salt all over the skin of the chicken and rinse off.
- Cut the ginger into thin slices
- Peel the garlic cloves and leave the cloves whole
- Cut the spring onion into small pieces and set aside for garnishing (optional)
COOKING METHOD (4 hours)
- Boil a kettle of water.
- Stuff the rice into the cavity of the chicken together with the ginseng and garlic.
- Close up the cavity by using a satay stick or tooth pick.
- Put the chicken in a pot (using an earthen pot will have the best effect) and add enough boiling water from the kettle to cover the whole chicken.
- Add in the ginger and red dates.
- Cook the chicken over high heat until it starts to boil, then reduce the heat to medium.
- Continue to simmer for 4 hours.
- When it's done, add salt or light soya sauce to taste.
- Dish out into individual bowls and serve hot.
Notes
- Best to use fresh Korean ginseng if possible as it provides a more fragrant taste
- During the 4 hours of simmering the soup, do check on the water level from time to time. If you need to top up, you can do so by adding boiling water. Don't add too much water or the soup will become very diluted.
Look at that beautiful Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup with all that nutritional and tonic goodness, all ready to be eaten! Delicious! And.. if you love chicken but find yourself preparing the same few chicken dishes all the time for your family, why not check out our other chicken recipes to get more inspiration on how to cook that chicken?
Bee Leng, you are making me hungry