Samgyetang (삼계탕)

Whole young chicken stuffed with rice and ginseng — summer stamina food.

Korean name: 삼계탕
Spice level: Not spicy
Flavor: savory · herbal
Typically contains: chicken
Vegetarian / vegan: Not vegetarian — meat or seafood is core to the dish
Typical price: ₩15,000–₩20,000 per person checked 2026-07 — varies by area
Good to know: Beginner-friendly ●●●●○ Solo dining ●●●●○ Kid-friendly ●●●●○
Also written as: samgye tang, ginseng chicken soup, samgaetang

Spice and flavor are editorial assessments of the standard version — individual restaurants and recipes vary. Ingredient notes are typical, not guaranteed: always check with the restaurant for allergies or dietary needs. Eating and cooking notes describe common practice in Korea; our first-hand deep-dives live in the Eat Like a Local guides.

What is Samgyetang?

Samgyetang (삼계탕) is a whole young chicken stuffed with glutinous rice, ginseng, jujube, and garlic, simmered until spoon-tender in a milky broth. It is Korea's iconic summer stamina food: on the three hottest days of the lunar calendar (boknal), samgyetang restaurants have lines out the door, following the "fight heat with heat" (iyeol-chiyeol) tradition. The broth arrives unsalted — you season it yourself.

How to eat it

Season it yourself: the broth arrives unsalted — add salt and pepper to taste, and dip chicken in the salt dish.
Dismantle the chicken with your spoon and chopsticks in the pot; the rice stuffing has absorbed the broth.
Chase with the ginseng liquor shot (insam-ju) if provided — traditional, optional.

Cooking it at home

Stuff a small whole chicken with soaked glutinous rice, garlic, jujube and ginseng.
Simmer 60–90 minutes until the meat slides off the bone.
Season only at the table.

Good to know

Arrives at a full boil in the ttukbaegi — the pot itself is dangerously hot.
Ginseng has a bitter herbal edge that surprises some first-timers.

Eaten hottest in midsummer on the 'sambok' dog days — fighting heat with heat (iyeol-chiyeol). Expect lines at famous places in July–August.

Where to eat it

Selected classic places — verified, sourced, never sponsored. See all →

토속촌삼계탕 · Tosokchon Samgyetang Seochon (Gyeongbokgung) · ₩₩

Best for first-time visitorsSince 1983

Seoul's most famous samgyetang specialist, set in a sprawling hanok near Gyeongbokgung — a presidential favorite since 1983 and the default first-samgyetang stop.

Known for: Samgyetang

Naver Map ↗ Google Maps ↗

Open as of our last check (2026-07-17) · Sources: VisitKorea (한국관광공사) · Namu Wiki (토속촌삼계탕) — hours, prices and status can change; check the map link before visiting.

Nutrition

Calories	101 kcal
Carbohydrate	3.84 g
Protein	10.68 g
Fat	4.8 g
Sodium	82 mg

Per serving (~900g): ≈909 kcal · sodium ≈738 mg (37% of the WHO daily guideline, 2,000 mg)

Per 100g · total serving 900g · Official data: National Integrated Food Nutritional Information Standard Data (Korea MFDS) (DB item: 삼계탕, synced 2026-07-17). Values vary by recipe and portion.