Description
Dak Gomtang is a comforting traditional Korean chicken soup made by simmering a whole chicken with garlic, ginger, and scallions to create a rich, flavorful broth. This hearty soup is served hot with shredded chicken meat and garnished with scallions, accompanied by rice and optional spicy seasoning for a warming, nourishing meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Soup Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (3 to 4 pounds)
- 10 – 12 plump garlic cloves
- 1 1-inch piece ginger, sliced
- 1/2 medium onion
- 2 – 3 scallion white parts
- 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns (optional)
Garnish and Seasoning
- 3 scallions, finely chopped to garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons gochugaru (optional spicy sauce)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic (for spicy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon soup soy sauce (guk ganjang, or regular soy sauce if unavailable)
- 3 tablespoons chicken broth from the soup (for spicy sauce)
Instructions
- Prepare Soup Base. Place the cleaned whole chicken into a large stock pot that can hold at least 6 to 8 quarts. Add the garlic cloves, sliced ginger, half onion, scallion white parts, optional black peppercorns, and pour in about 10 cups of water or enough to fully cover the chicken.
- Simmer the Chicken. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface to keep the broth clear. Reduce heat to medium, cover the pot, and simmer for 40 to 50 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken. Check doneness by piercing the thickest part of the breast; it should be tender and fully cooked.
- Remove Chicken Meat. Turn off the heat and carefully remove the chicken from the pot. Let it cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and shred it into bite-size pieces.
- Optional: Enhance Broth Flavor. For a deeper flavor, return the chicken bones to the pot and simmer on medium-low heat for an additional 30 minutes to one hour.
- Strain the Broth and Remove Fat. Strain the soup to remove solids and skim off or refrigerate to solidify excess fat, then discard the fat for a cleaner broth.
- Prepare to Serve. To serve, place cooked rice into bowls, add shredded chicken on top, then ladle hot broth over. Serve garnished with finely chopped scallions, salt, and pepper to taste. Provide optional spicy sauce made by mixing gochugaru, minced garlic, soup soy sauce, and some chicken broth so each person can season their bowl individually.
- Accompany. Serve the Dak Gomtang piping hot alongside kimchi for a traditional Korean meal experience.
Notes
- If you prefer a cleaner broth, refrigerate the soup after straining and remove solidified fat before reheating.
- The spicy sauce is optional but adds a delightful kick; adjust the gochugaru quantity according to your spice tolerance.
- Using whole black peppercorns is traditional, but you can omit them if unavailable.
- Simmering the bones again after removing the meat intensifies the broth’s flavor but can be skipped for convenience.
- Serving the soup with rice is traditional and makes the meal more filling.
