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Jamaican Chicken Pumpkin Soup

Jamaican Chicken Pumpkin Soup

Jamaican Chicken Pumpkin Soup is a flavorful, comforting soup that not only will warm you up during these winter season or on a Saturday, but will sure to full your stomach.

It is similar to my Jamaican Pumpkin Soup without pureeing all of the vegetables.

For this recipe, I did puree some of the pumpkin to add that rich color to the soup.

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This is a hearty chicken soup recipe that is filling and sure will be satisfying after each bowl.

Whether you choose to have it for lunch or dinner it will warm up your heart and your kitchen.

A pot of Jamaican Chicken Pumpkin Soup.

Saturday Soup

Growing up in Jamaica, Soup was a tradition on a Saturday afternoon as Rice & Peas is for dinner on a Sunday.

Saturday Soup for us Jamaicans is a whole meal which includes corn, yellow yam, potatoes, dumplings and vegetables.

As I have written in my Pumpkin Soup (Jamaican Style), when I came here to live in America, soups was given especially when you were sick (that’s what I was told).

I was kind of taken back a little. But to my understanding soup for Americans is mostly liquid, unlike Jamaican soup that has meat, ground provisions and vegetables in it.

Jamaican Types of Soup

Jamaicans have different types of soup that we love to enjoy not only on a Saturday but any day of the week.

I believe it’s because it a whole meal

These includes: Chicken Pumpkin Soup, Red Peas Soup, Ital (Vegetable) Soup and Fish Tea/Fish Soup.

My favorite is Red Peas Soup because I love peas (beans) a lot.

But you can still give me a bowl of Jamaican Chicken and Pumpkin Soup too.

Which part of the chicken is best to make Jamaican Chicken Pumpkin Soup

As a Jamaican, I love to use the chicken parts that has bone in them.

Yep some hot chicken back soup is the way to go.

You can use some drumsticks, thighs, chicken breast and my favorite: the chicken back.

However, the choice is yours.

Whatever part you want to use it’s your preference.

For this recipe, I used about three Split Chicken Breast Ribs & Back pieces.

Jamaican Soup Mixes

Jamaican Soup Mixes adds flavor and some body to any type of soup you are cooking.

The Grace brand is the most popular brand.

Another brand that can be used is the Maggi Soup It Up.

Soup mixes can also be used to make a flavorful broth, if you aren’t in the mood to add anything else to your pot.

These soup mixes are not just for soups but are also added to other chicken dishes, rice dishes and steamed fish.

For this recipe, I used the Grace Pumpkin Flavored Soup Mix and Cock Flavored Soup Mix as shown below.

Soup Mixes used to make the Jamaican Chicken Pumpkin Soup.

How do you make Jamaican Chicken Pumpkin Soup from scratch

Firstly, clean chicken by washing it in a vinegar water mixture. Mix the all purpose and salt with the water to form a dough. Set aside for later.

Cleaning the chicken pieces to make the Jamaican Chicken Pumpkin Soup.
Adding the salt to the flour to make the dough.
The dough to make the dumplings and spinners.

Add the cleaned chicken, yellow yam, pumpkin, turnip, corn, garlic, pimento berries, bay leaves and water. Boil for about 10 minutes or so.

After adding the corn, chicken pieces, pimento berries, bay leaves, pumpkin, turnip, yellow yam, garlic and water to a big pot to start making Jamaican Chicken Pumpkin Soup.

Secondly, remove some of the pumpkin and turnip with some of the hot liquid and puree in a blender. Be careful not to burn yourself. Add the pureed mixture back to the pot and stir.

Adding the pureed pumpkin and turnip mixture to the pot.

Thirdly, add the dumplings and spinners and stir. Then add the celery, carrots, potatoes, cho cho (chayote) and scotch bonnet pepper. Continue to stir to prevent the dumplings and spinners from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Adding the dumplings and spinners to the pot to make Jamaican Chicken Pumpkin Soup.
It’s a different green bowl from the one that I washed the chicken in.
The celery, carrot and cho cho (chayote) in the pot to make Jamaican Chicken Pumpkin Soup.
Adding 4 potatoes to the pot.

Fourthly, allow to cook for about 20 minutes and then add the scallion (green onion), thyme and the 2 soup mixes and continue to stir.

After adding the scallion and thyme to the pot.
Adding the soup mix to the pot.

Finally, let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Taste and add salt if needed. Remove the thyme, bay leaves, scallion (green onion) and scotch bonnet pepper before serving. Serve warm and enjoy.

Jamaican Chicken Pumpkin Soup Recipe

Ingredients for Jamaican Chicken Pumpkin Soup

  • 1 1/2lb Chicken (I used Tyson Split Chicken breast, ribs and back)
  • 1lb Yellow Yam, diced
  • 2lb Pumpkin (Calabaza), diced
  • 1 large Turnip, diced
  • 2 stalks Corn (each broken into 4 pieces)
  • 3 clove Garlic, minced
  • 12 Pimento Berries, washed
  • 3 Bay Leaves, washed
  • 12 cups Water
  • 2 large Carrots, diced
  • 1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper
  • 2 stalk Celery, diced
  • 1 large Cho Cho (Chayote)
  • 4 small Potatoes (diced if using big potatoes)
  • 2 stalk Scallion (Green Onion), beaten or sliced
  • 1 packet Jamaican Pumpkin Soup Mix
  • 1 packet Jamaican Cock Soup Mix
  • 5 sprigs Thyme, washed
  • Salt to taste (optional)

Ingredients for Dumpling and Spinners

  • 2 cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • Approximately 2/3 cup Water

Instructions

To make Jamaican Chicken Pumpkin Soup

  1. Cut each pieces of Chicken in to 4 pieces. Wash chicken pieces with vinegar and water or lemon juice and water. Rinse off with water 3 times and drain off all water.
  2. Mix the all purpose flour and salt together with the water to form a dough to make the dumplings. Set aside for later.
  3. In a large pot, add the chicken pieces, yellow yam, pumpkin, turnip, garlic, pimento berries, bay leaves, corn and 12 cups water.
  4. Allow to boil on medium high heat for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the pumpkin and turnip are cooked.
  5. Remove majority of the pumpkin and turnip (if you can) with enough hot liquid to cover the vegetables and puree. Be careful while blending. I let it cool down in a ice bath as a precaution.
  6. Add the pureed mixture back to the pot and bring it back to a boil.
  7. Form the dumplings and the spinners in the meantime.
  8. Add the dumplings and spinners to the pot along with the carrots, celery, cho cho, potatoes and scotch bonnet pepper. Mix together so the dumplings and spinners don’t stick at the bottom. Be careful not to burst the scotch bonnet pepper while stirring the pot.
  9. Let it cook for about 20 minutes and then add the scallion, thyme and 2 packets of soup mix.
  10. Allow to simmer on medium low heat for the next 10 to 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the soup mix from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Taste and add salt if needed.
  11. Remove the scotch bonnet pepper, bay leaves, scallion and thyme before serving.
  12. Serve warm and enjoy.

To make Dumplings and Spinners

  1. In a small bowl, add the all purpose and salt and mix together.
  2. Pour the water, little by little and with your hands mix together to form a dough. You may not need all of the water.
  3. Leave dough in the bowl until you are ready to use.
  4. Divide the dough into small pieces and roll in between the palm of your hands to form the dumplings and spinners.

Notes:

  1. Try not to burst the scotch bonnet pepper while stirring the pot or else it will turn into a pepper pot soup and no one will want to eat it.
  2. Discard the thyme, scallion (green onion), bay leaves and scotch bonnet pepper before serving.
A bowl of Jamaican Chicken Pumpkin Soup.

Please let me know what you think about this Jamaican Chicken Pumpkin Soup in the comment section below.

Thanks for stopping by and please come back again.

Blessings & Love always, as you carry on, on your YouNique Journey!

A bowl of Jamaican Chicken Pumpkin Soup.

Jamaican Chicken Pumpkin Soup

Yield: 8 Servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Jamaican Chicken Pumpkin Soup is a flavorful, comforting soup that not only will warm you up during these winter season or on a Saturday, but will sure to full your stomach.

Ingredients

Ingredients For Jamaican Chicken Pumpkin Soup

  • 1 1/2lb Chicken (I used Tyson Split Chicken breast, ribs and back)
  • 1lb Yellow Yam, diced
  • 2lb Pumpkin (Calabaza), diced
  • 1 large Turnip, diced
  • 2 stalks Corn (each broken into 4 pieces)
  • 3 clove Garlic, minced
  • 12 Pimento Berries, washed
  • 3 Bay Leaves
  • 12 cups Water
  • 2 large Carrots
  • 1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper
  • 2 stalk Celery
  • 1 large Cho Cho (Chayote)
  • 2 stalk Scallion (Green Onion), beaten or sliced
  • 1 packet Jamaican Pumpkin Soup Mix
  • 1 packet Jamaican Cock Soup Mix
  • 5 sprigs Thyme
  • Salt to taste (optional)

Ingredients For Dumplings & Spinners

  • 2 cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • Approximately 2/3 cup Water

Instructions

To Make Jamaican Chicken Pumpkin Soup

  1. Cut each pieces of Chicken in to 4 pieces. Wash chicken pieces with vinegar and water or lemon juice and water. Rinse off with water 3 times and drain off all water.
  2. Mix the all purpose flour and salt together with the water to form a dough to make the dumplings. Set aside for later.
  3. In a large pot, add the chicken pieces, yellow yam, pumpkin, turnip, garlic, pimento berries, bay leaves, corn and 12 cups water.
  4. Allow to boil on medium high heat for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the pumpkin and turnip are cooked.
  5. Remove majority of the pumpkin and turnip (if you can) with enough hot liquid to cover the vegetables and puree. Be careful while blending. I let it cool down in a ice bath as a precaution.
  6. Add the puree back to the pot and bring it back to a boil.
  7. Form the dumplings and the spinners in the meantime. *See Instructions below
  8. Add the dumplings and spinners to the pot along with the carrots, celery, cho cho and scotch bonnet pepper. Mix together so the dumplings and spinners don't stick at the bottom.
  9. Let it cook for about 20 minutes and then add the scallion, thyme and 2 packets of soup mix.
  10. Allow to simmer on medium low heat for the next 10 to 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the soup mix from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Taste and add salt if needed.
  11. Remove the scotch bonnet pepper, bay leaf, scallion and thyme before serving.
  12. Serve warm and enjoy.

Notes

  • Try not to burst the scotch bonnet pepper while stirring the pot or else it will turn into a pepper pot soup and no one will want to eat it.
  • Discard the thyme, scallion (green onion), bay leaves and scotch bonnet pepper before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 354Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 505mgCarbohydrates: 61gFiber: 8gSugar: 8gProtein: 15g

The nutritional information that is provided, is computer generated and therefore it is an estimate. Please do your own research with the ingredients that are listed here, if you have any concern about any specific diet or your health.

Rose Jay

Sunday 12th of November 2023

I’m making this after church. But minus the pumpkin, I don’t really like pumpkin. But your recipes are all so good, I’m sure it won’t matter. I’m going through all of these to try to make it all.

Yanique Vincent

Sunday 12th of November 2023

Hi Rose Jay, Pumpkin is mostly used for color, added sweetness and thickness in soup. But other vegetables can do the same. Please let me know how it turns out. Thanks very much.

Jenean Graham

Friday 10th of February 2023

I made chicken soup today using your recipe, it was out of this world. I followed your recipe as is. The only changes I made was less dumplings, I use one cup of flour instead of two and I use cassava instead of yellow yam. I don’t know how to pick a good piece of yam. I usually pick a piece that’s bitter when cooked. Your recipes have never failed me.

Yanique Vincent

Friday 10th of February 2023

Hi Jenean, Thank you for your kind words. You made my day... Awesome Sauce. Thank you for giving it a try. P.S. me either lol but I am grateful that the store said I can bring back the yellow yam if it's not good when I cut it.

Nelcia Medley-Avila

Saturday 13th of February 2021

I made this recipe today and it came out delicious! It tasted like my mother's cooking.

Yanique Vincent

Monday 15th of February 2021

Hi Nelcia, I am so happy it tasted like your mother's cooking....Yayyyy. Thanks for taking the time to give me your feedback and for giving it a try.

Jenean Graham

Saturday 16th of January 2021

I made this soup today but I used chicken feet. It was delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipe.

Yanique Vincent

Saturday 16th of January 2021

Hi Jenean,

That's awesome. I love me some chicken foot soup too but my children question the "chicken foot" every time lol. You are most welcome. Continue to enjoy your day. Thanks for your feedback.

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