Samgyetang
삼계탕
A small whole chicken stuffed with glutinous rice, ginseng and jujube, simmered until the broth goes milky and kind.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: 삼계탕.
0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 15 min
- Total
- 1 hr 40 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- A bit special$16–28 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Samgyetang is a summer stamina soup that looks like winter: a whole young chicken in a pot, rice bursting from the cavity, ginseng in the broth. You eat the meat, the rice porridge that forms, and the soup. It is medicinal-feeling without being a pharmacy.
Ingredients
- Chicken, Cornish hen or small whole chicken1 small bird
- Rice, glutinous or short-grain, soaked 30 minutes80 g
- Ginseng1
- Jujube4
- Garlic, whole8 clove
- Spring onion2
- Water1½ l
- Salt, to serve, with black pepper4.9 ml
- Black pepper2½ ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Soak the rice. Stuff the chicken loosely with drained rice, a few garlic cloves and a jujube. Do not pack tight — the rice swells. Tie the legs if you can.
10 minStep 2
Cover with water, add ginseng, remaining garlic and jujube. Bring to a boil, skim, then simmer gently 60–75 minutes until the meat is falling and the broth looks cloudy-gold.
70 minStep 3
Serve the whole bird in the broth with spring onion. Salt and pepper at the table — the pot itself stays quiet until you season your bowl.
Adapt this recipe
The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 24 August.
Substitutions
Fresh ginseng → A smaller piece of dried ginseng
Stronger. One piece is enough.
Tips
- Chestnuts in the cavity are a common extra.
- Leftover broth is breakfast. Do not throw it away.
History & culture
Eaten on the hottest lunar days (boknal) to fight heat with heat. Also a get-well pot. Restaurants serve one bird per person in a stone bowl.
Ginseng-chicken soup has older herbal cousins. The stuffed-rice restaurant version is the one people now photograph.
Traditional
Provenance: Editorial adaptation. Original editorial adaptation for I Want Some Food. Not copied from another recipe site. Official recipe photography is pending. Photograph: 채지형 (Chae Ji-hyung) via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jeju-do%20samgyetang%20with%20abalone%2001.jpg
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.
How long does Samgyetang take?
1 hr 40 min all in — 25 min prep, 1 hr 15 min cook. That is the time on this recipe, not a guess.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 2 pots. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free.
What does it cost to cook?
A bit special — about $16–28 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Stockpot, Dutch oven.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp (to serve, with black pepper).
What can I use instead?
Fresh ginseng → A smaller piece of dried ginseng. Stronger. One piece is enough.
Any tips from this recipe?
Chestnuts in the cavity are a common extra. Leftover broth is breakfast. Do not throw it away.
Can I prepare this ahead?
Leftover broth is breakfast. Do not throw it away.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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