If you have been craving samgyetang, this classic version delivers everything you love about the original. A whole young chicken stuffed with sticky rice, ginseng and jujubes, simmered into the restorative soup Koreans eat on the hottest day of summer. It is simple, honest cooking — the kind of dish Korean home cooks have made for generations, and one you can master on the first try.
Why This Samgyetang Recipe Works
A young chicken, glutinous rice and fresh ginseng do the heavy lifting here, so every ingredient has a job. Nothing is complicated and nothing is wasted — samgyetang is proof that a handful of good ingredients beats a long shopping list.
A Note on Ingredients
Use the smallest chickens you can find — spring chickens are traditional for samgyetang because they cook tender in the long simmer. Fresh ginseng lives in the produce fridge of Korean markets; dried works too with a longer soak.
How to Make Samgyetang, Step by Step
Pack each bird with raw rice, ginseng, jujubes, chestnuts and garlic, tie the legs shut, and simmer two to three hours until the broth turns creamy and the meat slides off the bone. Eat samgyetang by dismantling the bird in the bowl, seasoning as you go.
Tips for the Best Samgyetang
- Skim nothing — the milky broth is the point.
- The rice swells into the most precious part of the bird; do not lose it.
- Serve with salt and pepper on the side for dipping, never in the pot.
Make Ahead and Storage
Best the day it is made; the broth keeps 2 days and makes a great base.
More Korean Recipes to Try
When you are ready for your next Korean project, browse all of our tested recipes or dig into our cooking guides. A great next step is our Haemul Pajeon (Korean Seafood Pancake) — and for the background of the dish, this overview of samgye-tang is worth a read.
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