Is summer too hot for you? Do you feel worn out from the heat?? Well, guess how Koreans fix that?! They stand in line for hours in front of restaurants in Seoul to eat a pot of piping hot Samgyetang – Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup!!!
Samgyetang(삼계탕) is probably one of the most popular “energy” foods in Korean cuisine. And some people, like my husband, swear by it. When he has symptoms of allergy (stuff nose, runny nose, itchy eyes and sneezes), he says it’s actually not allergies but it’s because his body is cold inside. Not cold, in the sense of being chilly cold that you need a sweater but cold in the oriental medicine sense. It’s kind of feeling lethargic, weak and tired. Anyway, if he has a pot of this Korean ginseng chicken soup for dinner then he will be all better next day!
Now, if you were in Korea right now in August with 85% humidity with over 30°C/90°F temperatures, you would not enjoy cooking samgyetang at home in the hot summer. And that’s why so many Koreans stand in line in front of restaurants to eat the soup. For at least 3 days of the summer – first day of summer (chobok), middle of summer(jungbok) and last day of summer(malbok) in the lunar calendar – Koreans must eat Samgyetang to beat the heat.
So in support of people back in Korea, we decided to visit a local Korean restaurant in Santa Clara called BN Chicken to get our fill on Samgyetang. If you like chicken, it’s a great place to eat because they have fried chicken, noodles in chicken soup (dak kalguksu) and even chicken katsu. The samgyetang chicken was a little overcooked for my taste but the broth was really hearty and yummy. And their side dishes are all pretty good too.
Back in 2011, I posted a recipe on how to make yeong gye baeksuk.
Making samgyetang is very similar to making yeong gye baeksuk except for adding ginseng and stuffing the cavity. So please see my old yeong gye baeksuk post for more detailed cooking instructions on how to prepare Korean chicken soup and also discussions on differences between samgyetang (삼계탕), yeong gye baeksuk (영계백숙) and dak baeksuk (닭백숙).
Samgyetang (삼계탕) - Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cornish hen (2-3 lbs / 1-1.3 kg)
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 medium onion
- 1 dried or fresh Korean Ginseng (substitute American Ginseng)
- 3 jujube dates (대추)
- 3 ginkgo nuts (optional)
- 2 green onions (chopped)
- 1 cup soaked sweet rice (optional - soak about 1 hr)
- 6 cups water
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Rinse and clean chicken. Cut off wing tips and tail end (see my yeong gye baeksuk post)
- Stuff chicken with sweet rice (optional) and garlic.
- Add about 7 cups water, chicken, whole onion, ginseng and jujubes to pot. Optionally add ginko nuts.
- Bring to boil and then simmer for 50 min or so until meat falls off the bone.
- Season soup with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with chopped green onions and serve.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
So where ever you are this summer, I hope you will get to enjoy samgyetang one way or another!
Thank you to BN Chicken for allowing me to take photos of the food. Visit bnchicken.com for info.
This is a wonderful site! I enjoy just reading it, but I’m accumulating supplies and then I’ll learn and try and taste.
Hi Maryann, Thank you so much for the kind feedback! I hope you get to make some recipes and enjoy them.
I found a can of cooked ginkgo nuts (https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Boy-Canned-Boiled-shelled/dp/B097KDRTD5/ref=sr_1_17?dchild=1&keywords=gingko+nuts&pd_rd_r=995d59aa-770f-4c64-b812-eaf1354e6961&pd_rd_w=huUAO&pd_rd_wg=jFui1&pf_rd_p=4fa0e97a-13a4-491b-a127-133a554b4da3&pf_rd_r=J41NMC1TVTX957GYPVQ2&qid=1628171253&sr=8-17) on Amazon. Is this what you use?
well, i don’t know of this particular kind so not totally sure but it should be ok to use.
Looking forward to making this but just wondering about the jujube dates … are these left whole is the pot or die they blend up in the mixing ?
Yes, they are left whole in the pot and then discarded when all cooked. You can eat it but the texture is not very pleasant.
I make this everytime I get sick. I literally swear it and love this recipe.
Same with my family!! I make it for my husband and daughter whenever they get sick and it usually makes them feel better. Thank you Marlena~ for stopping by. Take care! ❤️
I know nothing about ginseng but received a ginseng plant as a gift. What is one ginseng? Is that one root, one plant?
I’m no expert in ginseng plant but I believe one plan gives you one root. Ginseng plant needs kind of a special care so not sure if they will grow easily. Good luck!