One of the things we love most about living in Korea is discovering traditions that seem a little surprising at first. Eating a steaming bowl of chicken soup on one of the hottest days of the year definitely falls into that category! Today we’re showing you how to make Samgyetang, Korea’s beloved ginseng chicken soup that’s traditionally enjoyed during Sambok to help restore energy and beat the summer heat.
About the South of Seoul “A Year to Learn Korean Cooking’ Series
Many of us live in South Korea for only a year. However, the time flies past faster than we can imagine. At South of Seoul, we decided to create a simple series that will offer 2-4 dishes to learn each month so that when you leave South Korea you have a slew of new dishes you feel comfortable making anywhere.
This series is a collaboration with Kimchi Rednecks. In 2020 they created the first blog in this series Online Resources for Learning to Cook Korean Food. These two love to have adventures in the kitchen and share the results with their community. Be sure to follow KimchiRednecks on YouTube for other great videos about living life in South Korea.
About Samgyetang
Samgyetang 삼계탕 is a Korean ginseng (sam) chicken (gye) soup (tang). This delicious soup featuring a whole chicken stuffed with garlic, glutinous rice (sweet rice), jujube and ginseng refreshes the body on hot days and renews your stamina. Koreans believe that you fight fire with fire (Yi yeol chi yeol 이열치열). Therefore, eating hot foods on hot days helps to balance your body temperature, restore energy and keep you healthy during the hot, sweltering summers.
Traditionally, Koreans eat samgyetang during the hottest days of summer/dog days of summer referred to as sambok 삼복. Samgyetang isn’t just a delicious chicken soup. Learn more about the history, traditions, and modern celebrations of Sambok in our complete guide.
The dates of sambok change each year happening between June and August. The three hottest days of the year are known as chobok 초복, jungbok 중복 and malbok 말복. For 2026, the dates are as follows: July 15 (chobok), July 25 (jungbok) and August 14 (malbok).
In addition, well-known samgyetang restaurants will have people lined up on the dates of sambok to enjoy the delicious soup. Also, grocery stores will have prepackaged samgyetang ready to heat and eat, as well as samgyetang kits that have the herbs ready to make the dish at home.
We tried out one of these ready to cook samgyetang options and did a video about it. You can view that on our YouTube channel and see how it turns out.
Biggest Hurdle In Cooking Samgyetang
Since you are able to find samgyetang kits in local grocery stores as well as online vendors like Amazon, we find the biggest hurdle in making this dish to be keeping your stuffing inside your chicken. There are two methods typically used to secure the legs so that the stuffing remains inside. Firstly, you tie the legs together using cooking or butcher’s twine. Or you cut tiny slits into the chicken skin and thread the legs into the skin to keep them together.
When we made our samgyetang, we did not have any cooking twine. Our plan was to thread the legs through slits in the skin. However, the skin in that area on our chicken was very thin and one of the legs broke through. Luckily, I had some silicone bands that were safe to use in cooking that enabled us to properly secure the legs.
One other note, since most restaurants cook many chickens at once, the broth for their samgyetang often has a richer chicken flavor that might be missing if you are only cooking one chicken. To enhance the flavor of our dish, we added some chicken bouillon to the broth and it was perfect. The version we made includes both gingko nuts and chestnuts. We were told that they make the dish much more flavorful.
In case you are unfamiliar with glutinous rice/sweet rice (chapssal 찹쌀), it is not actually sweet at all. It is a stickier rice than the usual short grain rice. You may also be able to find it listed as mochi rice as well.
Three Recommended Samgyetang Cooking Videos to Watch
Since this is Korean comfort food, it is incredibly easy to find this dish in Korean restaurants. There are many fabulous restaurants that you can try the dish if you want before you make it. Cooking samgyetang at home is easy and delicious. Consequently, this dish will be in rotation often in our house no matter the weather.
Watch these three versions of samgyetang and then make one of your own!
Korean American Cooking Samgyetang
Korean Cooking Samgyetang
Americans in Korea Cooking Samgyetang
Let Us Know How It Turns Out
When you make samgyetang for the first time at home, be sure to leave a comment and let us know how it turned out! Also, if you live in Pyeongtaek you can even share your success (or failure) with us in the Pyeongtaek Food & Fun Facebook group. If you are looking for a restaurant to try samgyetang in the Pyeongtaek area, make sure to check the South of Seoul app for locations near you. We tried a local chain, Toejong Samgyetang, in the Godeok area and you can see our review here.
More Korean Cooking Resources to Explore
If making Samgyetang has you ready to dive deeper into Korean cooking, we’ve got you covered. One of the things we’ve learned after years of living in Korea is that having the right ingredients on hand makes Korean recipes so much easier and a lot more fun.
If you’re just getting started, be sure to check out our Korean Pantry Essentials guide. We break down the must-have ingredients you’ll find in Korean kitchens, explain what they’re used for, and share tips to help you stock your pantry with confidence. Once you have the basics, you’ll be surprised how many authentic Korean dishes you can make at home.
Other Helpful Resources
- Learn more about Sambok (Boknal) and why Samgyetang has become one of Korea’s most beloved seasonal traditions.
- Discover more traditional Korean recipes and cooking tips right here on the South of Seoul blog.
- Looking for ingredients? Visit your local Korean grocery store or explore nearby traditional markets to find fresh ginseng, Korean jujubes, glutinous rice, and other authentic ingredients.
- Want to see more of our adventures in Korea? Follow KimchiRednecks as we explore Korean food, culture, travel, and everyday life from our home here in South Korea.
Read more in our Year to Learn Korean Cooking Series
