Description
This Caribbean Chicken Soup recipe is loaded to the max with hearty chicken and delicious provisions. Deeply aromatic spices, veggies, and dumplings swim gloriously in a very rich, coconut-infused broth. A classic soup recipe across the Caribbean diaspora, this chicken soup is one that you don’t want to miss. It’s so easy to bring together and is perfect to feed the entire family, a super wholesome delight!
Ingredients
- 3 lbs chicken parts, I use a mix of drumsticks & boneless/skinless thighs
- 1 tablespoon Jamaican-style curry powder
- 1 tablespoon Adobo seasoning
- 1 tablespoon Sazon seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- ⅓ cup green seasoning or sofrito
- Kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh sliced scallions
- 6-8 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 10 cups chicken broth or stock
- 1 packet Grace pumpkin flavored soup mix
- 4 large carrots, sliced on a bias into rough pieces
- 2 ears fresh corn on the cob, sliced into thick rounds
- 2-3 yukon gold potatoes, peeled & cut into quarters
- 1 (13.5 ounce) can full-fat coconut milk, room temperature
- Cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp water), to thicken soup- optional
For the dumplings:
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- ⅓ cup fine yellow cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅔ cups water
Instructions
- Prep the chicken & season. Pat the chicken parts dry with a paper towel. Remove the skin on the chicken drumsticks by holding the meat end with one hand and using a paper towel with the other hand to help peel back the skin until it pops off. This process is similar to how you would remove the membrane from a rack of ribs. Then place the skinless chicken pieces into a large bowl. Season the chicken with the curry powder, adobo, sazon, allspice, green seasoning/sofrito, and salt/pepper- to taste. Use your hands (fitted with disposable gloves if desired) to massage the spices into the chicken, ensuring every inch is coated. Then cover the bowl and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
- Sauté the aromatics. In a large, heavy-bottomed dutch oven or stockpot (about 6-7 quarts), heat the oil over medium heat. When shimmering, add the onion, bell pepper, scallions, and fresh thyme. Sauté the veggies and aromatics, stirring often, until tender, about 5-6 minutes. Then stir in the garlic and continue cooking until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Sear & simmer the chicken. Add the seasoned chicken pieces into the pot and toss well to combine with the aromatics. Let the chicken cook, stirring every so often, to achieve some brownness, about 4-5 minutes. Then cover the chicken with broth/stock and gently stir to fully combine. Let the mixture come up to a slight boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low, and cover the pot with a lid, leaving a slight crack.
- Let the chicken simmer for 1 hour- until the chicken is cooked through, and the mixture is super fragrant.
- Build the soup & add provisions. Grab the pumpkin soup packet and use a fine mesh sieve to sift it over the hot pot (we want the flavor from the soup mix itself, not the little noodles, discard). Then add the carrots, corn, potatoes, and coconut milk. Carefully stir the ingredients well to combine. Cover the pot and let everything meld together and cook up for 20-25 minutes.
- Prep the dumplings. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt- whisking the mixture well to combine. Then pour in the water and use your hands (fitted with disposable gloves, if desired) to mix the dough together until just combined into one cohesive mass. Divide the dough into 2-inch balls or so, and then roll each small ball in the palm of your hands into a little log/small baton (as pictured in the blog post). Repeat the process until all dumplings have been formed and set aside. Note: if your dumplings are super sticky, simply add a touch more flour, a tablespoon at a time, to remedy- only if needed.
- Add the dumplings. Drop and scatter the dumplings into the pot. Continue cooking the soup for another 10-12 minutes or until the dumplings and provisions (carrots/potatoes) are soft and tender.
- Serve. Discard the thyme sprigs. If you want the soup to have a thicker texture, add a cornstarch slurry to the soup and stir well. Serve this Caribbean chicken soup immediately, dividing the soup evenly into serving bowls. Enjoy!
Notes
- Please read blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.