Jamaican Chicken And Pumpkin Soup

It’s Saturday, what’s on your menu today? Almost every Jamaican loves soup and almost every household makes it a weekly Saturday tradition. Our soups are hearty and filling, a one pot meal and the Chicken and Pumpkin soup is just one of many soup recipes we have in Jamaica.  

The Jamaican chicken and pumpkin soup is an excellent fall recipe. It encompasses that autumn feel and crosses those elements with flavors from the island. The combination is a mouthwatering fusion worthy of being repeated again and again. And will keep you warm during the winter months 

Any part of the chicken can be use, however chicken back is often used because if is the most affordable. This is quick one-pot meal features pumpkins, carrots, yellow yam, Irish potatoes, cho cho and flour dumpling. It is a quick and easy recipe to to follow. Feel free to let us know the outcome of the recipe.

Fun fact: Jamaicans love all kinds of soup! Beef soup, red peas soup, mannish water, fish tea, chicken foot soup; you name it we make it.  

Any of these will be fine to use. 

INGREDIENTS: ½ Chicken (cut in 8 pieces) 2 sprig Thyme

2 corn 

6 carrots chopped  1 tbsp Salt 1 stalk escallion 4 Pimento Berries (Allspice) ½ lb Yellow Yam 2 Irish Potatoes 2 lb. Pumpkin (cut up into 1 inch pieces) 1 Cho-cho (Christophine) (cut up into 1 inch pieces) 1 pk Jamaican Chicken Noodle or Cock Soup 1 oz. Butter 

METHOD: 1. In a stock pot, add three quarts of water and then add salt to taste. Bring water to a boil then add chicken, pumpkin, and cho-cho together. Boil for 30 minutes. 2. Peel the skins off the yellow yam and potatoes and wash these root vegetables in cold water to remove the dirt. 3. Cut each vegetable into four slices and then add them to the pot. Tip- You can add spinners (small dumplings) to the soup at this time if you wish. 

4. The flame should be turned to high at this point and allow to boil for 15 minutes. 5. 10 minutes later add scallion, thyme, pimento seeds & Scotch Bonnet pepper, and cook for another 10 minutes, then simmer for another 5 minutes.

6. Stir it up and add chicken soup flavour mix and corn. 7. Check the yellow yam to ensure that it is soft. If not, cook until it becomes soft but not mushy. tip: You can speed up the time to prepare this chicken soup by slicing the yellow yam into thinner slices. 

Spinners (dumplings):

1. Mix flour and salt together in a bowl. Make a well in the middle, add ¼ cup of water. Knead the mixture to form the dough. Break into small pieces, rub between hands to make spinners for soup.