How to Make Jamaican Chicken Soup (Step by Step)

Jamaican chicken soup is one of those meals that fill the belly and the soul. This is a simple Jamaican chicken soup using curry pumpkin, which is a variety of pumpkin in Jamaica, yellow yam (also called soup yam or Negro yam), dasheen to thicken the soup, and coco (cocoyam, also called taro), which is also used to thicken soup.

Irish potatoes and carrots are added, along with cho-cho (chayote, also called Christophine) and turnip, which can also go in the soup. Sweet corn on the cob is in my soup, although that’s not traditional — it’s preference.

I used two soup mixes:
Maggi Pumpkin Soup Mix and Grace Cock Soup Mix. I sieved them to remove the noodles, leaving what we call the flavour.

Now, while the internet says Saturday is traditional soup day in Jamaica, unless I grew up in another Jamaica in the Caribbean, Friday was the original soup day. Because of that, I used to hate Fridays and Saturdays as a child, I didn’t like soup. And it wasn’t just any soup on Fridays, it was beef soup.
Saturday was fish soup, usually with Wrenchman (soldier fish) or Doctor fish (Doctorfish Tang).

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Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour

Servings

4

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Ingredients

For the Dumplings

• 2 cups all-purpose white flour

• A dash of salt

• Water (to make dough)

For the Soup

• Chicken legs, breast, and back section (skin removed, cut into medium pieces)

• White vinegar and water (for washing chicken)

• 1 lb curry pumpkin (peeled and chopped)

• 2 Irish potatoes (peeled and chopped)

• 2 carrots (peeled and chopped)

• Sweet corn on the cob (cut into pieces)

• Yellow yam (peeled and chopped)

• Dasheen (peeled and chopped)

• Coco (cocoyam/taro), optional

• 5 pimento seeds

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 stalk scallion (crushed)

• A few sprigs of green thyme

• 1 whole green hot pepper

• 1 packet Maggi Pumpkin Soup Mix (no noodles)

• 1 packet Grace Cock Soup Mix (no noodles)

• Water (as needed)

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Instructions

1. Make the Dumplings

1. In a container, add the flour and a dash of salt.

2. Use your hand to combine.

3. Add water a little at a time and mix with your hand until a dough forms.

4. If the dough is too soft, add a little more flour.

5. Cover and set aside.

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2. Prepare the Chicken

1. Wash the chicken with a white vinegar and water solution to remove the raw scent and slime (or whatever you call it).

2. Set aside.

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3. Start the Soup Base

1. In a large pot, add 2 cups of water.

2. Add carrots, Irish potatoes, curry pumpkin, pimento seeds, and garlic.

3. Cover and cook partially on medium heat.

4. Add more water if needed.

Curry pumpkin is soft by nature and cooks easily, so there’s no need to rub it against the pot to mash it out, it melts into the soup and gives colour naturally.

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4. Build the Soup

1. Once vegetables are partially cooked, add more water if needed.

2. Add the chicken to the pot.

3. Wash the sweet corn with salted water, then add it to the soup.

4. Add the yam, dasheen, and coco.

5. After about 5 minutes, pinch off pieces of dough, roll into balls, and use your finger to make a slight dent in the middle.

6. Add dumplings to the pot.

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5. Add Seasoning

1. Mix both soup mixes with a little room-temperature water to form a smooth paste.

   • Do not add soup mix directly to hot soup or it will lump.

2. Pour the paste into the pot and stir.

3. Add scallion, thyme, and whole hot pepper.

4. Stir, cover, and allow everything to cook.

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6. Finish the Soup

1. Taste and adjust if needed.

   • I didn’t add salt because the two soup mixes already contain enough.

2. Simmer to your preferred thickness.

3. Turn off heat and serve hot.

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Nutritional Value (Approximate, Per Serving)

• Calories: 420–480 kcal

• Protein: 30–35 g

• Carbohydrates: 45–50 g

• Fat: 12–15 g

• Fiber: 6–8 g

• Sodium: Depends on soup mix used

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Final Note

This is real Jamaican chicken soup  not watered down, not fancy, just food that holds yuh. Whether yuh grow up loving soup or running from it like me, one good bowl can change yuh mind

 

FAQ About Jamaican Chicken Soup

What thickens up chicken soup?

In Jamaican cooking, we often use dasheen or coco, also called cocoyam or taro, to thicken soups. When cooked, these ground provisions break down and naturally give the soup a nice, hearty thickness.

Can I make Jamaican chicken soup without soup mix?

Yes, you definitely can! Back in the day, before soup mix was popular, Jamaican chicken soup was seasoned with plain salt to give it that bold flavour. Some cooks used white seasoning salt, which looked like regular salt but had MSG for an extra punch. Today, Grace and other companies make soup mixes as a quicker, supposedly healthier alternative. In other Caribbean islands like Trinidad, they cook soup without soup mix too, using pumpkin and their version of green seasoning and it tastes just as good!

What was the white seasoning salt Jamaicans used before soup mix?

My granny used to tell me about it! Before soup mix existed, white seasoning salt was a kitchen staple in Jamaica. It was used on soups and on meats, chicken, beef, pork, anything that needed flavour. It looked like regular salt but packed a punch thanks to MSG. Later, doctors warned about MSG, and that’s when soup mixes were created. Even now, some old-school cooks still prefer the classic white seasoning salt flavour; it’s part of our Jamaican kitchen heritage.