Korean · Authentic-ish Korean
Samgyetang
342 kcal a serving, against 649 for the traditional version. That is 307 kcal off, or 47%, with 44g of protein. Serves 2. 20 minutes prep, 1 hour simmer.
What the traditional version is
A young chicken, left whole and on the bone, is stuffed with glutinous rice, garlic cloves, ginseng root and dried jujube, then simmered in water until both meat and rice are meltingly soft. The skin infuses the broth, and it's served bubbling hot, sometimes with a bowl of salt and pepper for dipping.
What changed, and what each change costs
Use 250g skinless chicken thighs and 150g skinless chicken breast instead of a whole skin-on chicken
With the bird jointed and skinless, you cut out most of the fat and make the protein number look much less lazy. Skipping the skin robs the broth of a lot of its body, but the meat stays tender and the soup still delivers.
What it costs you. The broth is lighter and tastes less velvety. If you want that classic sticky lips finish, toss in a chicken wing, skin on, or finish the broth with a splash of sesame oil right at the end.
Drop the glutinous rice from 80g to 30g
Samgyetang's rice is there for comfort - you scoop it up along with the chicken, and it soaks in all the broth. But the rice is where most of the calories sneak in, so you can't pretend it's no big deal. I keep enough to say you did the job.
What it costs you. There's less of that starch-thickened, creamy soup when you reach the bottom. If you want it old-school, double the rice and smile through your next run.
Jujube and ginseng are both pricey and not easy to find at the local, so halve both
You want their perfume, not for the food to taste like a health shop. Reducing them means you get the waft of ginseng but don't need a specialist trip.
What it costs you. It isn't quite as herbal or earthy - but if you actually love strong ginseng, double it back up and ignore me.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 649 | 342 |
| Protein | 37.6g | 44g |
| Fat | 33.6g | 7.4g |
| Saturated fat | 9.1g | 1.8g |
| Carbohydrate | 47.4g | 22.8g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 5.8g | 12.9g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Korean prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
The method is in the book
Samgyetang as you get it in Korea is pure comfort - think Sunday roast but in a bowl, steamed up with herbal broth. You don't get the rich layer of chicken fat on this version, and if you grew up with traditional, you'll notice. But this is still more soothing than anything out of a tin. If you want the full, cling-to-your-lips broth, don't let me stop you from using a whole bird. But for a strong bowl of soup that leaves you feeling lighter, this does the job.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Korean, along with 51 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.