Jiho Hanbang Samgyetang opens in Singapore, bringing Korea’s famed ginseng chicken soup to the CBD

Just when Singapore seems to be getting very comfortable with samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup), here comes another name entering the chat. But before you roll your eyes at “yet another” Korean soup spot, this one might be worth paying attention to. 

Jiho Hanbang Samgyetang, one of the more popular samgyetang spots in South Korea, lands in the heart of the Central Business District at 18 Cross Street on tomorrow (May 5), courtesy of SBCD F&B Group — the folks behind SBCD Korean Tofu House and SBCD Korean Rice House.

And yes, you’re probably hearing about it here first.

What is Jiho Hanbang Samgyetang?

The brand traces its roots back to 1991, when it was founded by Lee Ji-ho, who has a PHD in business studies, and has since grown into a chain with more than 80 outlets across South Korea, and major cities such as Sydney and Shanghai.

What sets it apart is its grounding in hanbang, the traditional Korean approach to food as a form of nourishment. Ingredients such as ginseng, herbs, and certain roots are selected based on their restorative qualities and simmered for hours to draw out both taste and benefit. 

The Singapore outpost is Jiho Hanbang’s first in Southeast Asia. 

Why do Koreans eat samgyetang in the peak of summer? 

To understand samgyetang, you have to first get past the initial confusion. Why would anyone choose to eat something this hot, in weather that already feels relentless?

In South Korea, the answer is simple. As the South Koreans say it: “yi yeol chi yeol” — you fight heat with heat. 

“Traditionally, samgyetang is eaten as a means to cope with the intense heat and humidity,” says Brandon Chu, 43, head of corporate strategy at SBCD F&B Group. 

“South Koreans tend to eat it during Sambok, the three hottest days of the lunar calendar,” he adds. 

The belief is that the piping-hot bowls of chicken soup trigger the body’s natural cooling response. As the heat from the soup triggers perspiration, the evaporation of sweat helps regulate body temperature.

“Since samgyetang is a boiled dish, consuming the meat is healthy and easy to digest,” says Lee Young-Chai, 46, the chief executive and second-generation owner behind Jiho, in an exclusive interview with HungryGoWhere. “When the chicken, ginseng, and broth are combined, it becomes incredibly beneficial for the human body.”

But beyond physiology, there is also habit. Samgyetang is as much about ritual as it is about relief — a seasonal dish that people return to year after year, whether out of belief, tradition, or simply because it is what they have always done. 

“It feels like you don’t really have a choice. My mum would feed me when I was younger,” Brandon, who was born and raised in South Korea, but is now a Singapore citizen, says. “Especially during military service — those days you must have samgyetang.”

The dish itself dates back centuries, and how it is prepared has remained largely unchanged. A whole young chicken is stuffed with glutinous rice, ginseng, dates, deer antlers, and other herbs, then simmered until the broth turns silky, but deeply infused.

Eight-month search for the right chicken

Chicken soup has always carried a certain reputation. It is what you are given when you are sick, what you crave when you are run down, what people insist will make you feel better, even if they cannot quite explain why. 

It seems the folks here have taken it seriously. So seriously that they took eight months, touring “almost all the farms in Malaysia” to find the perfect bird. 

“We tried kampung chicken, spring chicken before settling on a young farm chicken that weighs between 400g to 500g,” Brandon says. 

It is smaller than what most diners might expect, but that size matters. The chook is apparently more tender and its fat content is supposedly just right to enrich the broth.

What we tried at Jiho Samgyetang SBCD

Roiling hot bowls of samgyetang arrive in dark earthenware. Each serves a whole young chicken, half-submerged in a pale, cloudy broth, wafts of ginseng palpable. 

But not all broths are made the same. There are different variations to pick: Black garlic, spicy, and perilla seeds. Against other samgyetang offerings in Singapore, Jiho Samgyetang SBCD comes in at a more accessible price point. (In Singapore, samgyetang often ranges from S$30 to S$40.)

In true SBCD hospitality — they call it a “uplifting and complete meal” — there is also the usual banchan, such as handmade kimchi, cucumber kimchi and seasoned garlic, offering a bright, sharp contrast to the rich herbal soup. And you may also end off the meal with a yogurt drink too.

The squid & minari salad (S$29.80) is a refreshing little number that does more than just play sidekick. You get chewy squid, crisp minari (Korean water parsley), sweet pops of Korean pear and a lightly sweet, mildly spicy sauce tying it all together, plus avocado for creaminess and seaweed for crunch. 

It’s bright, balanced and does a good job resetting your palate between mouthfuls of soup. 

Slightly earthy, the fried chicken gizzard (S$19.80) has a crispy exterior, but firm texture. 

The Healthy samgyetang (S$29.80) arrives as a whole young chicken steeped in a clear, herb-laced broth, the meat soft enough to give way easily when pressed, falling apart into the soup with little resistance. 

Inside, a generous stuffing of glutinous rice sits dense and compact, almost stubborn at first, but slowly loosening as it soaks up the broth. 

Coincidentally, this is also what SBCD F&B Group’s founder Nam Kyoung Soo, 57, calls his favourite dish. 

“Samgyetang is a dish made with great care,” he tells HungryGoWhere. “A single bowl of samgyetang provides our bodies with warmth, acting as a highly nourishing food.”

A small detail worth noting is the use of Jiho’s patented herbal sachets, steeped briefly in the broth to layer in additional depth, though the exact blend remains, as expected, under wraps. 

Spicy samgyetang (S$32.80) is the sassier cousin of the OG Korean chicken soup. 

Imbued with green chilli powder, the broth has a more assertive and brighter edge. It is not a slow creeping heat of laksa, nor the immediate punch of sambal-heavy dishes such as stingray, but sits somewhere in between. 

A thicker, creamier herbal broth sets the perilla samgyetang (S$32.80) apart, with distinctly nutty notes from finely ground perilla seeds stirred into the soup.

There is a slight graininess to the texture, adding some body to the samgyetang. Korean perilla is also known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, though here, it is the depth and roundness it brings to the broth that stands out.

Unexpectedly, the Cheonma duck health soup (S$119.80, feeds three to four) was the standout, which feels almost ironic in a place built around chicken.

The duck comes supple with a gentle gamey note, not overly tender, not tough, which suggests careful cooking.

The broth is complex, with earthy herbs, a measured spice, and a lingering tonic quality. Cheonma — a herb known as gastrodia tuber — is prized in traditional medicine for its reputed ability to support circulation and ease fatigue, and here it adds as nourishment. 

The texture gives away the use of pressure cooking.

If you’re keen to try this, be sure to place a pre-order at least 24 hours in advance via WhatsApp. 

The Beauty samgyejuk (S$29.80) is the porridge version of samgyetang that trades the whole bird for comfort, with strands of chicken pulled apart and evenly distributed through the bowl.

It comes silky, creamy and oh-so-smooth, the grains cooked down into a soft, cohesive texture with the same gentle herbal notes. Soul-ful indeed. 

The burnished glow of rotisserie chicken is absent here, but there is still magic in these birds half-steeped in medicinal soup. It felt almost too comical that Jiho Samgyetang SBCD sits right in front of a mixed-martial arts gym. As we worked our way through our bowls, there were more than a few curious glances, gym-goers pausing mid-routine to look over, drawn by the sight of a new kid on the block. 

This was a hosted tasting.

For more Korean eats, read on the new cafe-bakery Noci Bakehouse with Korean pastries and Korean steakhouse Drim Gold at Weave Sentosa.