Caribbean · Jamaican comfort food
Jamaican Chicken Soup
A hearty Saturday soup with chicken, pumpkin, ground provisions, corn, dumplings, and fragrant island herbs.
6–8servings30 minprep60–75 mincookOne potmethod
From Dianne's kitchen
The magic comfort bowl
Growing up, Saturday soup was more than a meal—it was a family rhythm. A generous pot could hold chicken, pumpkin, corn, provisions, dumplings, and whatever vegetables were ready for the pot.
Every household makes it a little differently. This is the kind of flexible, nourishing family recipe that invites you to use what you have.
What you'll need
Ingredients
For the soup
- 1½–2 pounds bone-in chicken pieces
- 1 tablespoon lime juice, for rinsing
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chicken base
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 4–6 pimento berries
- ½–1 teaspoon turmeric
- 8 cups water
- Yam, potato, and carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
- Pumpkin, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 chocho, optional
- 2 corn cobs, cut into rounds
- 1 green plantain, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 scallions
- Fresh thyme
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 whole Scotch bonnet pepper
- Soup noodles, optional
For the dumplings
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- About 1 cup water
Step by step
Instructions
- Rinse the chicken with lime water, drain, and season with salt and black pepper.
- Bring the water and chicken base to a boil. Add the chicken, pimento, onion powder, turmeric, pumpkin, and carrot. Cook for about 20 minutes.
- Add the yam, potato, chocho, corn, and plantain. Simmer for another 20 minutes.
- Mix the flour and salt, then add water gradually to form a firm dough. Pinch off pieces and roll them into small spinners.
- Add the dumplings, scallions, thyme, garlic, whole Scotch bonnet, and noodles if using.
- Simmer for 15–20 minutes more, until the chicken and provisions are tender. Remove the whole pepper before serving.
Dianne's kitchen tip
Let the pumpkin enrich the broth.
Add some pumpkin early so it softens into the broth and gives the soup its beautiful golden body.
Keep the Scotch bonnet whole for flavor without too much heat, and remove it carefully before serving.