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Jamaican Chicken Soup!
Tasty And Nutritious One-Pot Meal

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Jamaican Chicken Soup Vendor (Soupie)Jamaican Chicken Soup Vendor (Soupie)

by Venesha Johnson | Associate Writer

There isn’t a day or occasion that isn’t good enough for soup. It is had at parties, funerals, weddings and just for dinner at home. It is a great start to the day, a great filling lunch or a hearty dinner.

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Jamaican Chicken Soup is perfect for the ill and recovering, great for babies or those who just are not in the best mood and would like something warm and comforting. It is a great meal that is packed with loads of vitamins and minerals. 

It is the definition of a complete one-pot meal because you only need one pot big and it will be enough to feed the entire family and neighbours and friends who just might pass by.

What is awesome too is how customizable it is. You can add or take away quite a few ingredients without taking away from the taste and nutritious benefits. That is, of course, if you keep the non-negotiable ingredients.

Every Jamaican family has their own way of making chicken soup that is usually passed down from elders to youngsters. But there are a few must-haves, there have to be vegetables and ground provisions, for example, chow chow, okra, yellow yam, Irish potatoes, carrots and dumplings are also a must-have whether they are whole dumplings or small spinners.

What Part Of The Chicken Is Best For Soup?

Another must-have is the chicken, otherwise, it wouldn’t even be chicken soup right? But even then you will find variations of chicken soup, there is the chicken back soup which uses only the carcass of the chicken once the legs, thighs, breasts and wings are removed, you also have chicken foot and neck soup which uses the neck and feet of the chicken.

However, most times when we say chicken soup without specifying if it's the back, neck or feet, we are referring to soup made with the breast or sometimes thighs of the chicken.

What Can I Add To My Chicken Soup To Give It Flavour?

The final thing you will need is your seasonings. To season our soups we use a variety of fresh herbs and spices such as garlic, scallion and thyme, pimento seeds and scotch bonnet pepper. Adding a packet or two of the island's popular soup mixes are also a must-have whether it is a Maggi chicken soup mix or grace cock soup mix, the soup just won’t taste complete without either. 

Alright, so how do we make this deliciously warm and comforting meal you ask? Well, it’s quite easy. Here are all the ingredients you need to make a pot of Jamaican Chicken soup for your entire family:

Jamaican Chicken Soup Recipe

INGREDIENTS

  • A large pot (big enough to hold at least 3 litres of water or more)
  • 1 to 2 pounds of chicken breast and thighs
  • 2 chow chow 
  • 1 lb pumpkin
  • 1.5 lb of white flour
  • .5 lb carrot
  • .5 lb Irish potatoes 
  • 1 lb yellow yam
  • 1 small green breadfruit
  • 1 pack Maggi chicken soup mix
  • 1 pack grace cock soup mix
  • 6 cloves of garlic
  • 6 springs of scallion
  • Some pimento seeds (a hand full will do)
  • 2 scotch bonnet peppers
  • A few sprigs of thyme
  • 3 cobs of corn 
  • 3 turnips

PROCEDURE

  1. The first thing you will need to do is fill your pot ¾ of the way and set it to boil. You do not want to fill it all the way because as you add the ingredients the water level will rise.

  2. Prepare your ingredients. Wash and clean your chicken breasts and thighs and cut them into medium pieces. Cut your corn in half. Cut your chow chow, pumpkin, turnips, carrots and Irish potatoes into medium slices as well. Your green breadfruit should be cut into long slices around an inch wide and your yellow yam into slices around 2 inches thick then cut them down the middle.

  3. Once your pot of water is at a roaring boil it’s time to add your chicken, corn and pumpkin to the pot. You are going to boil these until the pumpkin is fully cooked and the corn is tender then add in your chow chow, carrots, turnips and Irish potatoes.

  4. Test the last set of vegetables you added in to ensure that they are tender but not cooked all the way through then add your yellow yam.

  5. Prepare your dumplings. Combine your white flour by gradually adding water while kneading with your fingers until a tight dough is formed. Pull away small pieces of the dough, roll it into a circle then use your palm to flatten the dough. Your dumplings should be round with about a half-inch thickness. Once you have made all your dumplings add them to your pot.

  6. Add your breadfruit slices, these are usually easy to cook, so ensure your dumplings are almost fully cooked before adding them to the pot so they don’t overcook.

  7. Seasoning your soup. Before you add your seasonings, ensure that all the different foods in your pot are fully cooked. Add all your seasonings thyme, garlic, pimento seeds, scallion, scotch bonnet pepper and both packages of soup mix and stir with a large spoon. Cover and let boil for another 20 minutes.

  8. Once your soup is finished cooking, carefully remove the two scotch bonnet peppers without letting them burst. If they do, the soup might be too spicy.

Serve in large soup bowls and enjoy your delicious creation.

There really is no set time for how long a pot of soup will take to make. This is because it is made up of a lot of ground provisions and those tend to vary in cook time depending on where they were grown.

You will find that it may take you an hour and a half to make today, and you try next week and it takes an extra hour. But one thing is for certain, the bigger your pot, the longer it takes, so be patient, it will definitely be worth it.

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References & Sources For Jamaican Chicken Soup

  1. Chicken Noodle Soup, Beef Soup, Cock Soup, https://gracefoods.ca/product/soups/

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