This Jamaican chicken soup recipe is a heart warming broth made from chicken thighs, roots vegetables with a healthy homemade cock soup mix rendition.
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I’m so happy to be sharing this Jamaican soup that I cherish so dearly. Like most Caribbean people I grew up consuming soup and this one is not to be missed. If you adore soup that is flavoursome, contains an abundance of root vegetables, herbs, spices with some meat then this is the soup for you.
If you are from the islands or heritage lies within the Caribbean then you will know just like rice, soup plays a crucial role within our community.
For Jamaicans and other English speaking islands Trinidad, Barbados, Antigua, Grenada etc… Soup is traditionally served on Saturday and some people refer to it as “Saturday soup”.
Some islands refer to soup as “sopa or “bouyon”.
Of course you can consume soup any other additional day of the week along with Saturday. For us, we would have soup on Saturdays and Tuesdays. It was an effortless, one pot and not to mention tasty experience.
Saturday soup tends to vary, as there are no set rules to the game – beef, mutton, mannish water (goat parts), vegetable, fish and so fourth.
What’s in Jamaican chicken soup
Each individual will tailor their chicken soup to their preference. No family makes the soup exactly the same, what I mean by this is the root vegetables that are incorporated tend to vary.
You can include any of the following;
- Yam (yellow or white)
- Breadfruit
- Cocoyam
- Dasheen
- Cassava
- Pumpkin/squash
- Plantain (Yellow/green)
- Sweet potato
- Irish Potatoes
- Cho cho
- Sweet corn
With that being said, you will always find Jamaican chicken soup with the same elements;
- Chicken pieces usually on the bone (thighs, wings, back, drumstick, feet or leg)
- Root vegetables of your choice (Pumpkin, potatoes, carrots, cho cho and yam are the most popular)
- Some dumpling (flat disc shaped or spinners (long fingers)
- A packet of cock soup for colour, thickness and additional flavour
Healthier version of cock soup mix
As mentioned above cock soup is a colour and flavour enhancer that many Jamaicans like to use when making their soup. My family would also follow this method but having scanned through the ingredients on the packet, it just doesn’t sit well with me.
Half of the ingredients in cock soup are refined ingredients, contain wheat and sugars that can attribute to high blood pressure.
With diabetes and high blood pressure being so astronomical in the Caribbean community I think it would be best to refrain from using it.
DIY Cock soup alternative (the recipe you need)
Granted, I’m aware that by not using cock soup you will be left with an thin, watery anemic looking type of soup. I get it, it would be culturally offensive, unsightly and probably not taste very nice.
However, your girl has a back up plan here is the link to my own homemade rendition of Grace inspired cock soup mix.
This is a great alternative that offers, flavour, thickness and the colour that is needed to replicate a hearty Jamaican chicken soup dish. No one will know the difference unless you tell them!!
How to make Jamaican chicken soup
- Bring a stock pot of water to the boil
- Place the chicken, half of the pumpkin/squash and the pimento berries in the stock pot with water.
- Leave the pot to boil for 30 minutes (place a lid halfway over the pot) until the chicken is cooked and squash/pumpkin is tender. The pumpkin should have broken down and change the colour of the water. If it hasn’t use a fork to mash the pumpkin/smash.
- Skim off any excess form that develops on the top of the boiling water.
- Make your dumpling by placing the flour and pink salt in a medium sized bowl, add a little water at a time (you may not need all of the water so use your own judgement).
- Mix the flour and water into a dough ball.
- Grab a small (golf ball size) amount of the dough and roll into the palm of your hands to create “spinners”.
- Carefully lower each of the spinners into the boiling pot of soup
- Add the rest of the pumpkin/squash, scallion, cho cho, potatoes, carrots, thyme, homemade cock soup mix and scotch bonnet.
- Once all of the ingredients have been added reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 45 minutes until the soup thickens up.
Notes and tips for making Jamaican chicken soup
- I recommend removing the chicken skin before making the soup, if you don’t care for the excess fatty deposits in your soup ( I hate it).
- Make sure the water levels are constant when cooking the chicken (10 cups). If the water levels do reduce top up so there’s enough water/liquid to make the soup.
- Use which part of the chicken you want. I even add a few strips of chicken breast to serve people a combination of on the bone chicken with some loose pieces.
- If the pumpkin doesn’t break down completely when cooking it with the chicken, then use the back of a fork to mash it down to yield some colour.
- It is customary to rinse the chicken with lime/lemon, vinegar and/or salt BEFORE cooking it. This is done to remove any debris and to neutralize the chicken.
- If you want a spicy soup burst/prick the scotch bonnet before dropping it into the pot.
- Use a stock pot that yield at least 4 quarts/3 litres to avoid the risk of any over spill.
- Feel free to use whatever vegetables (as listed above) that you want to use, it’s a matter of preference.
- You can add cassava dumpling or cornmeal dumpling instead
Tools you may need
6 Quarts nonstick stockpot 
Ladle
Brown rice flour
Tapioca starch
Organic yellow cornmeal
More Jamaican recipes you may like
Crema de malanga (taro/dasheen soup)
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Jamaican Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 -2 lb chicken I used thighs and 2 chicken breast fillets(8-10 pieces), cut into chunks
- 10 cups water 2 1/2 litres
- 1 lb pumpkin can use 1 large butternut squash, chopped
- 2 medium potatoes Irish or sweet potatoes, chopped
- 1 Cho cho chopped
- 2 medium carrots chopped
- 2 scallion chopped
- 6 sprigs thyme
- Scotch bonnet
- 8 pimento berries
- Homemade cock soup mix see post for recipe link
For the dumpling
- 2 cups of gluten free flour 260g
- 1/2 cup water approx(125ml)
- 1/2 teaspoon pink salt
Instructions
- Bring a stock pot of water to the boil
- Place the chicken, half of the pumpkin/squash and the pimento berries in the stock pot with water.
- Leave the pot to boil for 30 minutes (place a lid halfway over the pot) until the chicken is cooked and squash/pumpkin is tender. The pumpkin should have broken down and change the colour of the water. If it hasn't use a fork to mash the pumpkin/smash.
- Skim off any excess form that develops on the top of the boiling water.
- Make your dumpling by placing the flour and pink salt in a medium sized bowl, add a little water at a time (you may not need all of the water so use your own judgement).
- Mix the flour and water into a dough ball.
- Grab a small (golf ball size) amount of the dough and roll into the palm of your hands to create "spinners".
- Carefully lower each of the spinners into the boiling pot of soup
- Add the rest of the pumpkin/squash, scallion, cho cho, potatoes, carrots, thyme, homemade cock soup mix and scotch bonnet.
- Once all of the ingredients have been added reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 45 minutes until the soup thickens up.
Notes
- I recommend removing the chicken skin before making the soup, if you don't care for the excess fatty deposits in your soup ( I hate it).
- Make sure the water levels are constant when cooking the chicken (10 cups). If the water levels do reduce top up so there's enough water/liquid to make the soup.
- Use which part of the chicken you want. I even add a few strips of chicken breast to serve people a combination of on the bone chicken with some loose pieces.
- If the pumpkin doesn't break down completely when cooking it with the chicken, then use the back of a fork to mash it down to yield some colour.
- It is customary to rinse the chicken with lime/lemon, vinegar and/or salt BEFORE cooking it. This is done to remove any debris and to neutralize the chicken.
- If you want a spicy soup burst/prick the scotch bonnet before dropping it into the pot.
- Use a stock pot that yield at least 4 quarts/3 litres to avoid the risk of any over spill.
- Feel free to use whatever vegetables (as listed above) that you want to use, it's a matter of preference.
- You can add cassava dumpling or cornmeal dumpling instead
Nutrition
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