Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken Soup)

Ingredients

• 2poussin, small young chickens, about 500 g each
• 3 1/2 ozglutinous rice, sticky rice — despite the name it contains no gluten
• 2fresh ginseng root, dried ginseng works; use one piece if so
• 8 clovesgarlic, peeled and left whole
• 4jujubes, dried red dates
• 2scallions, finely sliced
• 1 tspsea salt, plus more for the table
• 1/2 tspblack pepper
• 2 quartswater

Method

1. 1

   Rinse the glutinous rice until the water runs clear, then cover with cold water and soak for 30 minutes. Drain well.

2. 2

   Trim any loose fat from the cavity of each poussin and pat the birds dry inside and out with paper towels. Don't rinse them: rinsing raw poultry splashes bacteria around the sink.

3. 3

   Pack each cavity about two thirds full with the drained rice, then push in half the garlic, a ginseng root and two jujubes. Cross the legs over the opening to hold everything in.

4. 4

   Sit the birds upright in a deep pot, add the water and the remaining garlic, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a bare simmer, cover, and cook for 60 minutes, skimming the foam that rises in the first ten, until the legs pull away easily and the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F.

5. 5

   Stir the salt and pepper into the broth. Lift each bird into a deep bowl, ladle the broth over and scatter with scallions. Put extra salt on the table — it is meant to be seasoned at the last moment, by whoever is eating it.

Nutrition per serving