Tang (hearty soup)

삼계탕 Samgyetang

A whole young chicken stuffed with rice and ginseng, in a clear broth.

Ginseng Chicken Soup
Spice: Not spicy

Samgyetang in an earthenware pot, seen from above — AI-generated image

At a glance

Fact	Details
Main ingredients	Young chicken, glutinous rice, ginseng, jujubes, garlic
How it's served	Boiling hot in an earthenware pot (ttukbaegi), with salt, pepper, kimchi and often a small shot of ginseng liquor
Spice level	Not spicy — No chili heat.
Ask about	Pine nuts (tree nuts) are a common garnish; some broths include wheat noodles or milk vetch root.
On the menu	삼계탕 (Samgyetang)
Also called	samgyaetang · chicken ginseng soup
Region	Nationwide

Based on the usual recipe. Restaurants vary, so always tell the staff.

How to eat Ginseng Chicken Soup

Season the broth yourself
Add salt and pepper from the table, a little at a time. Some people dip the meat in the salt and pepper instead.
Pull the meat off the bone
The meat is soft enough to tear with chopsticks. Put the bones in the empty dish if one is provided.
Eat the rice with the broth
Scoop the soft rice from inside the chicken and eat it with the broth. The ginseng root is edible but slightly bitter.

How to order it

Order it as 삼계탕. Each bowl holds one whole small chicken for one person, so you can order it alone.

On the menu: 삼계탕
Usually sold: 1 serving, one whole chicken

Where it comes from

The dish was once called gyesamtang, with gye meaning chicken. The name later changed to put ginseng (sam) first. In the past, chicks hatched in spring were half-grown by summer and were used for this summer dish. It is traditionally eaten on the three boknal days in the hottest part of summer.

Sources: Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (encykorea.aks.ac.kr) · Korea.net (korea.net)