The Drama: Where Soldiers and Doctors Fall in Love
Descendants of the Sun (태양의 후예) was the drama that made the world fall in love with K-Drama in 2016.
Captain Yoo Si-jin (Song Joong-ki), a special forces soldier, meets Dr. Kang Mo-yeon (Song Hye-kyo), a cardiothoracic surgeon, in Seoul. Their paths cross again in Uruk, a fictional war-torn country where both serve their missions—his with bullets, hers with scalpels.
The drama gave us everything: romance under fire, moral dilemmas, bromance between soldiers, and the eternal question of whether love can survive when duty calls. It also introduced millions of international viewers to Korean culture, including its food.
In a world where soldiers push their bodies to the limit and doctors fight to save lives, one thing remains constant: the need for nourishment that goes beyond mere calories. In Korean culture, that nourishment has a name—samgyetang.
When Korean soldiers need strength, when someone is recovering from illness, when summer heat threatens to drain every ounce of energy—Koreans reach for samgyetang. It’s not just chicken soup. It’s medicine disguised as food.
The History of Samgyetang
What Is Samgyetang?
Samgyetang (삼계탕) literally translates to “ginseng chicken soup”—sam (삼/蔘) meaning ginseng, gye (계/鷄) meaning chicken, and tang (탕/湯) meaning soup. But this is no ordinary chicken soup.
A whole young chicken (poussin) is stuffed with glutinous rice, ginseng, jujubes (Korean red dates), and garlic, then simmered until the meat falls off the bone. The result is a milky, deeply nourishing broth served in an individual clay pot, still bubbling.
Fighting Fire with Fire: The Boknal Tradition
Here’s where it gets interesting: Koreans eat samgyetang on the hottest days of summer.
Boknal (복날) refers to the three hottest days of the Korean summer—Chobok, Jungbok, and Malbok—typically falling in July and August. On these days, temperatures soar past 35°C (95°F), and streets empty as people seek refuge indoors.
But Koreans don’t hide from the heat. They fight it with more heat.
| Term | Meaning | Concept |
|---|---|---|
| 이열치열 | Yi yeol chi yeol | ”Fight heat with heat” |
| 보양식 | Boyangsik | Nourishing/restorative food |
The philosophy: when your body is depleted by summer heat, you need to restore your gi (기/氣)—your vital energy. Cold food might feel refreshing but doesn’t replenish what’s lost. Hot, nourishing soup does.
From Joseon Royalty to Modern Tables
During the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897), chicken soups similar to samgyetang were already prized as health food. Historical records mention yeongye-tang, chonggye-tang, and hwanggye-tang—all variations of chicken-based restorative soups.
The custom was to serve young chicken soup to elders during the hottest summer days. During King Injo’s reign, chicken boiled with medicinal roots was prepared for the ailing queen.
The modern form of samgyetang—with its distinctive stuffing of ginseng, glutinous rice, and jujubes—was documented in Joseon Yorijaebeop (조선요리제법), a cookbook written in 1917 by Bang Sin-yeong, a professor at Ewha Womans University. This text remains a cornerstone of Korean culinary heritage.
Why Ginseng?
Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) has been used in traditional medicine for over 2,000 years. It’s believed to:
- Boost the immune system
- Increase energy and reduce fatigue
- Improve cognitive function
- Support overall vitality
When combined with slow-cooked chicken and glutinous rice, ginseng creates what Koreans consider the perfect restorative meal—especially for the sick, the exhausted, and those who simply need to feel whole again.
The Recipe: Captain Yoo’s Samgyetang
This recipe creates an authentic samgyetang that would make any Korean grandmother proud. Serve it to someone who needs strength—whether they’re returning from battle or just having a hard week.
Ingredients
- 1 whole young chicken (Cornish hen) (about 500-600g / 1-1.3 lbs)
- 1/3 cup glutinous rice (sweet rice) (soaked for 1 hour) Amazon →
- 1 fresh ginseng root (or 2-3 dried ginseng slices) Amazon →
- 4-5 jujubes (Korean red dates) Amazon →
- 6-8 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2-3 green onions
- 8-10 cups water
- Salt and black pepper (for serving)
Optional Additions:
- 1 piece dried astragalus root (hwanggi) Amazon →
- 5-6 ginkgo nuts
- 3-4 chestnuts, peeled
Equipment
- Deep pot (fits chicken snugly)
- Korean earthenware pot (ttukbaegi) (for serving) Amazon →
- Kitchen twine
- Toothpicks (for closing the chicken)
Video Tutorial
Video by Maangchi - The most trusted voice in Korean home cooking
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the Chicken Remove any giblets from the chicken cavity. Rinse thoroughly inside and out under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels. Trim excess fat from the cavity opening.
Step 2: Prepare the Stuffing Drain the soaked glutinous rice. In a small bowl, combine the rice with 2-3 garlic cloves and 2 jujubes.
Step 3: Stuff the Chicken Spoon the rice mixture into the chicken cavity—don’t overstuff, as the rice will expand during cooking. Add the ginseng root inside the cavity. Secure the opening with toothpicks or cross the legs and tie with kitchen twine.
Step 4: Cook Place the stuffed chicken breast-side up in a deep pot. Add remaining garlic, jujubes, and green onions. Pour in 8-10 cups of cold water—enough to cover the chicken.
Bring to a boil over high heat. Skim off any foam or impurities that rise to the surface. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 40-50 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the meat pulls away from the bone easily.
Step 5: Rest Turn off heat and let the chicken rest in the broth for 10 minutes. This allows the flavors to settle and the meat to become more tender.
Step 6: Serve Carefully transfer the whole chicken to a large individual serving bowl or traditional earthenware pot. Ladle the hot broth over the chicken, including the garlic cloves and jujubes. Garnish with chopped green onions.
Serve immediately with small dishes of:
- Coarse sea salt
- Black pepper
- Kimchi
How to Eat: Pull the tender meat from the bones with chopsticks. Season the broth to taste with salt and pepper. The glutinous rice inside the chicken will be infused with ginseng flavor—scoop it out and enjoy it with the soup. The jujubes and garlic are meant to be eaten as well.
FAQ
Why do Koreans eat hot soup in summer?
The Korean philosophy 이열치열 (yi yeol chi yeol) means “fighting heat with heat.” The belief is that eating hot, nourishing food helps your body regulate temperature and replenish energy lost through sweating. Rather than shocking the system with cold food, hot soup helps the body adapt naturally.
What is Boknal?
Boknal refers to the three hottest days of the Korean summer calendar—Chobok (beginning), Jungbok (middle), and Malbok (end). These days are determined by the traditional lunar calendar. On Boknal, Koreans traditionally eat stamina-building foods like samgyetang, jjukkumi (webfoot octopus), or minari (water parsley) dishes.
Can I use regular chicken instead of Cornish hen?
Yes, but traditional samgyetang uses a young, small chicken (around 500g) that fits in an individual serving pot. If using a larger chicken, you may need to adjust cooking time (1-1.5 hours) and serve it family-style. The smaller bird ensures the broth is concentrated and the meat-to-soup ratio is perfect.
Where can I find fresh ginseng?
Fresh Korean ginseng is available at Korean grocery stores, H Mart, and some Asian supermarkets. Dried ginseng slices work as a substitute and are more widely available, including on Amazon. Look for susam (fresh ginseng) or baeksam (dried white ginseng).
Is samgyetang actually medicinal?
While samgyetang is considered boyangsik (restorative food) in Korean culture, modern science has shown that chicken soup does have anti-inflammatory properties that can help with recovery from illness. Ginseng has been studied for its potential immune-boosting effects. Whether or not it’s “medicinal” in the clinical sense, generations of Koreans swear by it.
What makes samgyetang different from regular chicken soup?
Several things: (1) The whole chicken is stuffed with glutinous rice and ginseng, (2) it’s served as one individual portion per person, (3) the broth is intentionally mild—you season it yourself at the table, and (4) the emphasis is on restoration and health rather than just flavor.
How does this connect to Descendants of the Sun?
Descendants of the Sun showcases the lives of Korean soldiers and doctors pushing their bodies to the limit. In Korean culture, samgyetang is the soup you eat to rebuild strength—after military service, after illness, after any great exertion. It represents the care Koreans show through food, the same care Dr. Kang shows her patients and Captain Yoo shows his soldiers.
Make It Tonight
In Descendants of the Sun, love blooms in impossible circumstances. Bullets fly, buildings collapse, earthquakes strike—yet Captain Yoo and Dr. Kang find each other again and again.
That’s what samgyetang is about. It’s not flashy. It won’t win cooking competitions. But it shows up when you need it most, hot and nourishing, ready to rebuild what’s been broken.
Make this soup for someone who’s fighting their own battles. Watch them close their eyes as the first spoonful goes down. That’s Korean love, served in a bowl.
오늘 밤, 태양의 후예 정주행하면서 직접 만든 삼계탕과 함께하는 건 어떨까요?
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Hero image: “Asian Herbal Chicken Soup” by minchephoto photography via Pexels
Part of our K-Drama Kitchen series—cooking the dishes that made us hungry while watching.
