Samgyetang — Korean Ginseng and Glutinous Rice Stuffed Chicken Soup

Scrape the dark residue from the chickens’ abdominal cavities with your fingers and rinse under running water; this residue is the only thing that clouds the broth. Trim off the tail fat, but leave the neck skin to hold the stuffing.

Divide the drained rice, ginseng, jujubes, and 6 garlic cloves between the two chickens and stuff the cavities. Leave one-third of each cavity empty; the rice doubles in size as it cooks, and an overstuffed chicken can split while simmering.

Thread one drumstick through the skin and into the opening of the cavity, then cross the other drumstick over it in the same way. This is the Korean method for closing the cavity without string. If the legs will not stay in place, tie them together with kitchen twine. Rice can spill through an open cavity and make the soup starchy.

Arrange the chickens side by side in a narrow, deep pot. Add enough water to cover them, along with the remaining garlic, sliced ginger, and scallions. When the water boils, skim off the foam, reduce the heat to the lowest setting, and cook with the lid slightly ajar. Do not let it boil vigorously; a hard boil will cloud the broth.

Insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh without touching the bone; the internal temperature must reach 74°C / 165°F. Also check the center of the rice inside the cavity and do not remove the pot from the heat until it reaches 74°C / 165°F. The chicken is ready when the meat pulls easily from the thigh.

Place each chicken in a deep bowl and ladle the strained broth over it. Sprinkle with finely chopped scallions. Serve the salt and black pepper separately on a small plate; samgyetang is cooked without salt, and each diner dips every bite into salt at the table.