Jamaican Chicken Soup is a simple and hearty soup with a very rich flavour. It is such an easy soup to make that will have your taste buds singing and your belly full and warm. There is a complete meal in each bowl of soup.
Practically every cuisine has a chicken soup, American and Canadian Chicken noodle soup, Nigerian Chicken pepper soup, Chinese chicken egg drop soup etc. It is generally believed that chicken soup eases the symptoms of the common cold and we eat loads of chicken soup in my home anytime someone is feeling under the weather.
Jamaican cuisine has a lot of influences from other cultures due to their history and you will notice some West African ingredients in this soup. There are so many tubers and root vegetables that can be used although pumpkin or squash (Anyu, ) is a must. It gives it its characteristic yellow colour. Use whatever else you have available. Yam, especially yellow yam, green or yellow plantains, Irish potato, sweet potato, Edoo-Cocoyam (Ede, Taro), Corn-on-cob, Macaroni, Pumpkin (squash, Anyu, Elegede) etc.
The pumpkin should be cooked to the point where it starts to break down, this slightly thickens the soup and adds colour to it. I add a dash of turmeric for extra colour but it’s totally optional. For the Pimento berries, you can substitute with allspice powder which is commonly sold in Nigerian markets and shops.
A lot of people don’t fry their chicken first before using it for the soup but frying adds a big punch of flavour to it. You can make Jamaican chicken soup as mild or spicy as you like. Throw in the scotch bonnet whole and pick it out when the heat level is good for you or if you want it extra spicy, crush it into your soup when the soup is ready.
To prepare Jamaican Chicken Soup
500g Chicken 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 300g Pumpkin/squash 1 medium carrot 2 small Irish potatoes 1 small sweet potato 1 slice yam 1 small green plantain 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 small onion 1 teaspoon thyme 1 scotch bonnet salt 1 seasoning cube 1 teaspoon turmeric (optional) 6 pimento seeds or 1/4-1/2 teaspoon allspice powder 2-3 teaspoons Chicken seasoning powder 1 stalk green onion
To make Spinners (dumplings)
3/4 cup flour pinch salt water
Wash and cut the chicken into bite-size pieces.
Wash and peel the pumpkin, carrot, Irish potato, sweet potato, yam, green plantain.
Cut to bite-size, set aside.
Peel and crush garlic and slice the onion.
Place a frying pan over high heat, add vegetable oil and when hot, put chicken pieces and fry until browned on both sides.
Pour about 5 cups of water into a pot add chicken, pumpkin, carrot, sweet potato, yam, green plantain and onion.
Add crushed garlic, seasoning cube, thyme and salt.
Cover and set over medium-high heat.
Cook until the chicken and vegetables have softened.
Meanwhile, mix flour and salt in a small bowl. Add just enough water to form a soft dough.
Knead and cover the dough, set aside.
Stir in Irish potato, scotch bonnet, turmeric, pimento seeds/allspice powder and chicken seasoning powder.
Pinch off small balls of the dough and roll into fingers about 3 inches long, these are called ‘spinners’. Add them to the soup with the spring onions.
Stir and cover, simmer for 10 minutes so that the spinners will cook through and float to the top.
Take off the heat. Serve as a complete meal.
If you enjoyed my Jamaican chicken soup with dumplings, you will also enjoy my Jamaican Goat Curry, Nigerian chicken pepper soup, Coconut Curry sauce, Chicken Turmeric sauce.
Jamaican Chicken Soup (with dumplings)
Ingredients
- 500 g Chicken
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 300 g Pumpkin/squash
- 1 medium carrot
- 2 small Irish potatoes
- 1 small sweet potato
- 1 slice yam
- 1 small green plantain
- 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 1 small onion
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 scotch bonnet
- salt
- 1 seasoning cube
- 1 teaspoon turmeric (optional)
- 6 pimento seeds or 1/4-1/2 teaspoon allspice powder
- 2-3 teaspoons Chicken seasoning powder
- 1 stalk green onion
To make dumplings
- ¾ cup flour
- pinch salt
- water
Instructions
- Wash and cut the chicken into bite-size pieces.
- Wash and peel the pumpkin, carrot, Irish potato, sweet potato, yam, green plantain. Cut to bite-size, set aside.
- Peel and crush garlic and slice the onion.
- Place a frying pan over high heat, add vegetable oil and when hot, put chicken pieces and fry until browned on both sides.
- Pour about 5 cups of water into a pot add chicken, pumpkin, carrot, sweet potato, yam, green plantain and onion.
- Add crushed garlic, seasoning cube, thyme and salt. Cover and set over medium-high heat.
- Cook until the chicken and vegetables have softened.
- Meanwhile, mix flour and salt in a small bowl. Add just enough water to form a soft dough. Knead and cover the dough, set aside.
- Stir in Irish potato, scotch bonnet, turmeric, pimento seeds/allspice powder and chicken seasoning powder.
- Pinch off small balls of the dough and roll into fingers about 3 inches long, (these are called 'spinners'), add them to the soup with the spring onions.
- Stir and cover, simmer for 10 minutes so that the spinners will cook through and float to the top.
- Take off the heat. Serve as a complete meal.
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I am Ganiru, a wife, a mother, a food blogger, a chef, an author and an accountant. I love to cook and write about food, especially Nigerian and afro-centric food...
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What is a seasoning cube and where do you find it?
Seasoning cube is a blend of salt, spices, herbs and condiments. It also comes in powdered form, very similar to stock/bouillon cube. You can buy it in any grocery shop.