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Dish guide · Soups and stews

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Samgyetang

삼계탕

Ginseng chicken soup

♨️ Served hot🙂 Not spicy🥬 Not vegetarian

A whole young chicken stuffed with glutinous rice and simmered with ginseng, jujubes and garlic. Koreans traditionally eat it on the hottest days of summer.

What it is

  • Each bowl holds one small, young chicken, stuffed with sticky rice and cooked whole in a light broth with ginseng, jujubes (Korean dates) and garlic.
  • Chestnuts and other herbs are sometimes added.

How to eat it

  1. 1Pull the meat off the bones with chopsticks and a spoon, and stir the rice from inside the chicken into the broth.
  2. 2Season with the salt and pepper on the table. Many people dip pieces of chicken in salt.

History

  • Chicken soups were made in the Joseon era, but samgyetang as eaten today spread widely in the 20th century, especially from the 1960s.
  • It is the classic food for boknal, the three hottest days of summer in the lunar calendar. The tradition follows the old idea of iyeol-chiyeol, "fighting heat with heat".

Allergies and diet

Usually contains

chicken
  • Some versions add chestnuts, pine nuts or other nuts.

Recipes differ between restaurants. If you have an allergy, always ask the staff before you order.

🗣️ Allergy card for the staff

Pick your allergy to see the sentence in Korean.

📍 Where to try it

Sources

We check every fact against at least two sources and write it in our own words. Last checked: 2026-10-26.