Ginseng chicken soup is a type of soup, which involves

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

and ginseng (either

panax ginseng ''Panax ginseng'', ginseng, also known as Asian ginseng, Chinese ginseng or Korean ginseng, is a species of plant whose root is the original source of ginseng. It is a perennial plant that grows in the mountains of East Asia. It is mainly cultiv ...

, female ginseng, or pseudo ginseng) as one of the main ingredients. Ginseng can typically be cooked with chicken in broth, porridge, and soups. Varieties of ginseng chicken soup can be found in Asian countries, such as

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

, and

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

Chinese

, many traditional Chinese foods are associated with therapeutic properties and health-promoting effects. Some traditional Chinese foods which involves

poultry products Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of harvesting animal products such as meat, eggs or feathers. The practice of raising poultry is known as poultry farming. These birds are most typically members of the superord ...

are recognized for their tastes, their nutritional values and health promoting benefits. The Chinese

chicken soup Chicken soup is a soup made from chicken, simmered in water, usually with various other ingredients. The classic chicken soup consists of a clear chicken broth, often with pieces of chicken or vegetables; common additions are pasta, noodles, ...

s, which are cooked in many different types of herbs, such as

ginseng Ginseng () is the root of plants in the genus ''Panax'', such as South China ginseng (''Panax notoginseng, P. notoginseng''), Korean ginseng (''Panax ginseng, P. ginseng''), and American ginseng (''American ginseng, P. quinquefol ...

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...

, black mushrooms, wolf-berry fruits, dried Chinese jujubes, and other ingredients, such as a wine and

sesame oil Sesame oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from sesame seeds. The oil is one of the earliest-known crop-based oils. Worldwide mass modern production is limited due to the inefficient manual harvesting process required to extract the oil. ...

, have typically been used to facilitate the speedy recovery of patients. Ginseng chicken soups are also eaten by the overseas Chinese diaspora.

Renshen jitang

Chinese cuisine Chinese cuisine comprises cuisines originating from Greater China, China, as well as from Overseas Chinese, Chinese people from other parts of the world. Because of the Chinese diaspora and the historical power of the country, Chinese cuisine ...

, there is a ginseng chicken soup called Renshen jitang (人蔘雞湯; lit. "Ginseng chicken soup") and is considered as a "medicated food" (藥膳) following

Traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence ...

. The Renshen jitang is believed to be good for elderly and convalescent people, but is not unsuitable for young people. There are several variations of recipes for Chinese ginseng chicken soups; however, the cooking process typically involves the combination of the chicken, ginseng, and other ingredients in a large pot of boiling water, followed by a long simmering process.

Dun jitang

In Cantonese cuisine, there is a form of ginseng chicken soup called dun jitang or ''dungye tong'' (炖鸡汤), also known as "chicken herbal soup". It involves

double-boiling A bain-marie ( , ), also known as a water bath or double boiler, a type of heated bath, is a piece of equipment used in science, industry, and cooking to heat materials gently or to keep materials warm over a period of time. A ''bain-marie'' is ...

technique for a very long period of time and uses ginseng beards and chicken breasts or chucks of old chicken. The double-boiled chicken cooked with

dong quai ''Angelica sinensis'', commonly known as ''dong quai'' () or female ginseng, is a herb belonging to the family Apiaceae, indigenous to China. ''A. sinensis'' grows in cool high altitude mountains in East Asia. The yellowish brown root of the plan ...

(当归; i.e. female ginseng) or

is a common type of ''bo'' (補) eaten by Chinese women on their first trimester of pregnancy. It is also a common ''bo'' eaten by Chinese women during the

postpartum confinement Postpartum confinement is a traditional practice following childbirth. Those who follow these customs typically begin immediately after the birth, and the seclusion or special treatment lasts for a culturally variable length: typically for one mo ...

, along with many other kind of postpartum confinement dishes (e.g. boiled chicken with wine or brandy and with a lot of ginger).

Zibu wujitang

There is also another form of Chinese ginseng chicken soup called Zibu wujitang (滋补乌鸡汤; also known as "black chicken soup") which uses black chicken. The cooking process involves boiling the water before adding the chicken and the ginseng or female ginseng, along with other Chinese herbs before boiling again; it is then simmered for a long period of time. Rice wine can also be added before switching off the heat.

Heijitang

In Cantonese cuisine, there is variation of the zibu wujitang (滋补乌鸡汤). A variation of this recipe is called the "Double boiled black chicken soup"; this recipe involves

for a very long period time. It is sometimes known as ''Heijitang'' (黑鸡汤) or ''Hark gye tong''. As this soup contains silkie chicken, it is supposedly more nourishing than white chicken, and is good for women in postpartum period. Ginseng beard is used in this recipe; however, ginseng slices can also be an alternative.

Ginseng chicken

Jilin ) , image_skyline = Changbaishan Tianchi from western rim.jpg , image_alt = , image_caption = View of Heaven Lake , image_map = Jilin in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_al ...

cuisine, there is a type of ginseng chicken where ginseng is stuffed inside a young chicken before being place in a soup or broth; they are then steamed together.

Gallery

File:Double Boiled Chicken Soup with Chinese Herbs.jpg, Double Boiled Chicken Soup with Chinese Herbs File:Double-Boiled Silkie Bantam Chicken and American Ginseng Soup - Claypot King.jpg, Double-Boiled Silkie Bantam Chicken and American Ginseng Soup. File:田七洋参炖老鸡 Tianqi and Ginseng Chicken Double-boiled Soup - First Taste.jpg, 田七洋参炖老鸡 Tianqi (pseudo ginseng) and Ginseng Chicken Double-boiled Soup

Korean

Samgye-tang

, there is a popular, Korean traditional ginseng chicken soup known as

Samgye-tang ''Samgye-tang'' (), or " ginseng chicken soup" * is a '' tang'' (Korean soup) that consists primarily of a whole young chicken ( ''poussin'') or quail filled with garlic, rice, jujube and ginseng. It is traditionally considered to be a health ...

() or Korean Ginseng chicken soup (韩式人参鸡汤) which is served in restaurants all over Korea. Samye-tang involves the stuffing of a young whole chicken with

glutinous rice Domestication syndrome refers to two sets of phenotypic traits that are common to either domesticated plants or domesticated animals. Domesticated animals tend to be smaller and less aggressive than their wild counterparts; they may also hav ...

before being boiled in a broth of Korean ginseng, dried Chinese jujubes,

, and

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

Gallery

File:Samgyetang Chicken Ginseng Soup.jpg, Samgyetang Chicken Ginseng Soup

Malaysian

Chick Kut Teh

, there is a form of ginseng chicken soup called ''Chick Kut Teh'' (鳮骨茶). The Chick Kut Teh is a derivative of the traditional dish

Bak Kut Teh ''Bak kut teh'' (also spelt bah kut teh and abbreviated BKT; , Teochew Pe̍h-uē-jī: ''nêg8-gug4-dê5'') is a pork rib dish cooked in broth popularly served in Malaysia and Singapore where there is a predominant Hoklo and Teochew communit ...

(肉骨茶; lit. "meat bone tea"). The Bak Kut Teh was originally a dish made by

Chinese immigrants Overseas Chinese people are people of Chinese origin who reside outside Greater China (mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan). As of 2011, there were over 40.3 million overseas Chinese. As of 2023, there were 10.5 million people livin ...

in Malaya back in the 19th century. The

traditionally involves the combination of pork ribs with various spices and herbs and has

as one of its key ingredients. The Chick Kut Teh is made by using chicken instead of the traditionally use of pork; the chicken is simmered in water, garlic, bak kut herbs, and mushrooms, tofu and goji berries.

Gallery

References

{{Ginseng Chinese cuisine Chinese soups Chinese chicken dishes Korean cuisine Malaysian cuisine Panax