Samgyetang & Rösti – A Warm Family Table
Samgyetang is a well-known Korean traditional dish, often enjoyed as a nourishing meal. This time, I paired it with Rösti, a Swiss dish that brings back memories from our honeymoon. A warm meal shared with family, and a few beginner cook challenges included!
Hello everyone~
Today I made Samgyetang and Rösti together.
My husband suddenly said he was craving Samgyetang, so I decided to make a generous batch and invite my in-laws over for a cozy family meal 😊
🐓 Starting with chicken prep
First, I blanched two whole chickens in boiling water for about 5 minutes. They were surprisingly heavy! At first, I thought I could just boil them directly, but I learned that blanching helps remove any unpleasant odors.
After blanching, I trimmed off the fat near the tail and the area under the wings, which are known to cause strong smells.
Do you remove the neck when prepping chicken?
I didn’t show it in the video, but I removed the neck from one of the chickens. It felt a bit strange to cut it… As a beginner cook, prepping ingredients still feels unfamiliar and tricky.
🧄 Adding ingredients and simmering
Once the chicken is cleaned, I stuffed it with whole garlic cloves. Then I added the herbal packet that came with it. Samgyetang herbs usually include astragalus root, jujube, and licorice, which give the broth a deep, comforting flavor.
I poured in enough water to fully submerge the chicken, covered the pot, and let it simmer slowly. Make sure to skim off any impurities that float to the top— it helps keep the broth clear and clean.
🍚 Our family’s Samgyetang style
Every household has its own way of enjoying Samgyetang. Some people stuff the chicken with glutinous rice, jujube, and ginseng, while others prefer a simpler broth.
In our family, we don’t stuff rice inside the chicken. Instead, we use the leftover broth to make chicken porridge after the meal. So this time, I left the chicken empty inside.
As the broth simmered, the aroma of garlic and herbs filled the house. It made everything feel warm and cozy— this is the kind of comfort only home-cooked meals can bring.
🥔 Making Rösti as a side dish
I wanted a side dish that would pair well with Samgyetang, and decided to make Rösti, a traditional Swiss potato dish.
Rösti is made by slicing potatoes thinly and pan-frying them until crispy. It’s quite similar to Korean-style potato pancakes. We had Rösti during our honeymoon in Switzerland, and it was so delicious that I’ve been wanting to recreate it ever since.
I sliced the potatoes as thinly as possible. Thicker slices take longer to cook and don’t get as crispy, so thin is definitely better!
🧈 Crisping it up
- Salt 5g
- Melted butter 15g
I mixed the potatoes with salt and butter, then spread them thin and wide in a pan with plenty of oil.
After flipping, I added more oil to help it crisp up. If you use too little oil, it won’t get crispy and tends to fall apart. Generous oil makes all the difference!
Rösti turned out golden and crispy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside— and surprisingly, it paired really well with Samgyetang!
💛 Wrapping up
Sharing this meal with my in-laws was such a joy. Samgyetang is my husband’s favorite, and Rösti brought back sweet memories from our honeymoon.
As a beginner cook, I still have a lot to learn, but seeing my family enjoy the food I made gives me so much happiness.
That’s it for today’s posting. Wishing you all a warm and lovely day ☀️