Jamaican Chicken and Pumpkin Soup – This hearty meal is warm, comforting, and flavorful. The mouthwatering fusion of flavors is perfect for a cozy family dinner, a pick-me-up on sick days, or a cold-weather meal to warm your heart. ❤️
Jamaican chicken soup is anything but boring. Caribbean seasonings make this vibrant soup taste amazing. Plus, loads of vegetables ramp up the nutritional value and deliver an exciting array of textures and flavors.
And did I mention how easy this recipe is? Even getting all the ingredients is a breeze if you have a Caribbean market nearby! Once you gather the ingredients, it’s literally a matter of a few minutes to saute, assemble everything in the pot, and cook for half an hour. Then you’ve got a healthy pot of soup for pure comfort food.
Content…What Is It? |
What Is Jamaican Chicken and Pumpkin Soup?
You might recall that rice and peas are a typical dish served on Sundays in Jamaica. Well, chicken soup is this beautiful island’s Saturday tradition. This hearty deliciousness is filling to keep you going all weekend long!
Many Jamaicans add dumplings or spinners to the mix. I skipped them in this recipe, but feel free to add them in. Of course, we can’t forget the pumpkin. The Caribbean pumpkin or calabaza is traditional, but I used butternut because it’s easier to find in the States.
What You’ll Need
- Chicken – I use deboned chicken thighs cut into chunks for the base of my Jamaican chicken soup recipe. You could also use bone-in chicken, but cooking will take a little longer.
- Seasonings – Onion, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper, paprika, scotch bonnet pepper, bay leaves, diced green onion, and allspice give this soup that classic Jamaican flavor.
- Veggies – Chayote is a green pear-shaped tropical fruit with a cucumber-like flavor that adds fresh notes to the soup. Green plantain, pumpkin (or butternut squash), and carrots are my go-to veggies for this soup.
- Cock Soup Mix – I used Grace cock soup mix to add flavor and depth to this soup. Maggi is another good option. However, the cock soup flavoring includes ground dried pumpkin. Adding a little pumpkin (or butternut squash) puree to the broth will add a more traditional flavor if you can’t find it.
- Broth – I like to use chicken broth for added flavor in the base of this soup. You can also use vegetable broth.
How to Make Jamaican Chicken and Pumpkin Soup
- Saute the Aromatics -Heat a stock pot or Dutch oven with oil, then add onions, green onions, garlic, thyme, allspice, bay leaf, and scotch bonnet pepper or hot sauce. Stir for about 3 minutes to get the aromatics going. (Photo 1)
- Add the chicken, salt, and pepper. Stir for about a minute, then add the broth (or water and bouillon) to the pot. (Photo 2)
- Assemble – Finally, toss in the vegetables: green plantains, squash, pumpkin, chayote, carrots, plus the cock soup bouillon. (Photos 3-4)
- Simmer – Cover and cook on medium-low for about 30 minutes.
- Serve – Adjust the salt to taste, remove from the heat, and serve with bread or dumplings.
Recipe Variations
- You can use bone-in chicken thighs or any other cut of chicken. If using chicken breasts, reduce the cooking time so they don’t dry out. Or cook them separately and add them at the end just before serving.
- Jamaican chicken foot soup is delicious, easy, and full of collagen. Replace the chicken with chicken feet (you should be able to find them in ethnic stores or your local butcher). You can also add a couple of corn on the cobs cut into 2″ chunks.
- Make it beef soup. Replace the chicken with stew beef and the chicken broth with beef broth, and you’re good to go. Add the vegetables about 30 minutes before the beef is tender.
- Ground provisions refer to a variety of root vegetables for a healthy, hearty stew. This is the perfect opportunity to use taro, yams, sweet potatoes, and cassava (yuca). While corn on the cob and green plantains or bananas aren’t root vegetables, they also work to increase heartiness.
- Sub the plantains with potatoes if you’re not obsessed with them like I am. 😜
- DIY Grace’s cock soup mix. If you need gluten-free or MSG-free, mix a teaspoon each of garlic granules, onion granules, dried parsley, thyme, ground black pepper, and paprika. Add a tablespoon of ground turmeric for color and two tablespoons each of dried pumpkin powder, rice flour, and cornmeal, then add a pinch of red pepper flakes, celery seeds, and a few broken strands of gluten-free pasta and mix well. I don’t typically add salt, so I have more control over the saltiness of the finished product.
Tips and Tricks
- Not sure where to find chayote? Also known as christophenes or chocho, it’s available in most supermarkets and especially commonplace in Latino or Caribbean markets.
- Cook it in the slow cooker. You can also throw these ingredients minus the veggies in your crock pot and cook them on low for 5-6 hours. I like to add the vegetables about 30 minutes before I’m ready to serve the soup to keep them from getting too mushy. Speaking of mushy…
- Getting the flavors right is easy, so focus on texture. Tender chicken is quite simple, but avoiding seriously mushy vegetables is more challenging. Prevent the mush by checking them every so often during the cooking process. Adjust cooking time to suit your preferred texture.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Let the chicken soup cool before storing it in an airtight container. You can keep it refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat over medium heat on the stovetop when ready to serve it.
Serving and Storage Instructions
Serve Jamaican chicken and pumpkin soup hot, with some dipping bread. Refrigerate leftovers for 3-4 days or freeze them for 2-3 months. Reheat them in the microwave or on the stovetop.
What Goes With Jamaican Chicken and Pumpkin Soup
Serve this hearty soup with some bread! I like to make either no-knead or homemade garlic bread. Round out your meal with a side of rice and a simple tossed salad. 🥗
More Sensational Jamaican Soups & Stews to Try
- Jamaican Stew Peas
- Slow Cooker Oxtail Soup
- Jamaican Oxtail Soup
- Brown Stew Chicken
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew
This blog post was originally published in November 2016 and has been updated with additional tips and gorgeous photos
Jamaican Chicken and Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
- 3 pounds (1.5k) or more chicken thighs, cut into chunks
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons (4g) minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons (2g) fresh thyme
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper
- 1 teaspoon (2g) smoked paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 cups (1.2l) or more broth (or water and bouillon)
- 2-3 green onions, finely sliced
- 1 teaspoon (2g) allspice
- 1 chayote, cut into large chunks
- 1 green plantain, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2-3 cups (280-420g) butternut squash, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 1-2 carrots, cut into large chunks
- 2-3 tablespoons (8-12g) parsley (optional)
- 1 packet cock flavored soup mix
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a stock pot or Dutch oven with oil, then add onions, green onions, garlic, thyme, allspice, bay leaf, and scotch bonnet pepper or hot sauce. Stir for about 3 minutes to get the aromatics going. Then, add chicken, salt, and pepper, and stir for about a minute.
- Pour the broth into the pot, and toss in the vegetables: plantains, squash, chayote, and carrots. Add the cock flavor and adjust the salt to taste.
- Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Adjust seasonings to taste, remove from heat, and serve with bread.
Tips & Notes:
- Chayote, also known as christophenes or chocho, is available in most supermarkets and especially in Latino or Caribbean markets.
- You can also throw these ingredients minus the veggies in your crock pot and cook them on low for 5-6 hours. I like to add the vegetables about 30 minutes before I’m ready to serve the soup to keep them from getting too mushy. Speaking of mushy…
- Getting the flavors right is easy, so focus on texture. Tender chicken is quite simple, but avoiding seriously mushy vegetables is more challenging. Prevent the mush by checking them every so often during the cooking process. Adjust cooking time to suit your preferred texture.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Erin says
I would like to pin this recipe, but I can’t find the icon to pin it.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Erin,
Sorry to hear about this . Don’t know what the issue is …. Works fine on my end.
Andrea Houston says
Made this recipe tonight and added spinners. Excellent recipe, very tasty! Thank you!
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! So happy to hear it worked out well for you.
Aaron Smith says
For this recipe would I use green plantain or ripe plantain?
ImmaculateBites says
I like to use ripe plantains . However, it needs to be firm and no black spots. If not use green plantains
Kelly Anne says
When did you add the pumpkin?
ImmaculateBites says
I subbed with butternut squash.
Chase says
Hey Kelly Ann, you can add the pumpkin at the very beginning with the chicken, diced up finely, what you want is for it to be cooked out, it’s what gives the soup its reddish color and thickness.
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks for the tip.
Lisa says
Wow. Thank you so much for this recipe. So easy and delicious. This will be a new favourite. I added some fresh ginger and a few spoons of coconut milk, for a special twist!
Rachel says
Hello, I was looking for a recipe that would be like my deceased grandmothers soup, I never got her recipe. This was the first one I tried and it was just right! (My father and sister agree with me) I don’t eat meat or msg so I made it without the chicken or the cock soup mix but it was still so delicious I made it 3-4 times through the winter. Thank you!
I add nutritional yeast for added flavor and I’ve tried with okra and spinners. So yummy!
imma africanbites says
Thank you for taking the time to let me know, Rachel. I appreciate it. It’s such a comforting dish indeed.
Basilica Fernandez says
Thank you so much and God bless you for the website. I relocated from NY to NC, and in preperation of returning back to NY after 28 horrible months in a place with limited staples and condiments for Carib cooking. Upon my return back to NY, I want to prepare a large feast for my family and dear friends. Your recipes are true blessings. I did not get to cook for many family members here, as I did in NY and cooking for large numbers is something I truly miss.
Thank you so and if you can, can you post recipes for stew peas and red pea soup.
God bless and stay good.
Mary says
Ok, I love the combinations of oral sensory flavors but in reading the recipe, I see no mention of PUMPKIN…Do you cook it into a puree form and how much of the pumpkin is added? I might have missed it but did look several times for when and where it was added…………………missed it!!
ImmaculateBites says
Hi,
Jamaican pumpkin is also known as Calabaza or Cuban Squash. I used squash for this recipe.
Gemma says
I made this soup but had to leave out the cho-cho and plantain… unfortunately they are very difficult to get in Scotland! I put in some potatoes and I also added corn and spinners. Delicious! I have used many recipes from this sore and I have never been disappointed. Thank you
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Gemma, So happy to hear this. Thanks for giving my recipes a try.
Jared says
How crucial is the scotch bonnet? I have everything ‘but’ that…i grabbed a habanero. Should I do a tsp of sugar to sweeten it?
imma africanbites says
Yes please, since scotch bonnet are slightly sweeter than habanero. But other than that, habanero works fine in this recipe. Please let me know how it turns out for you.
BRITTANy says
Wow I made this recipe and it was amazing!! The only thing I changed was skipping the plantains and adding a little butter. I also mashed the pumpkin after a while just to thicken up the soup. Thank you for an awesome recipe! I will definitely be making this again
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks for taking the time to provide feed back. Glad to hear it worked out well for you.
Denise says
Hi, is there something else I can use instead of the flavored packet cock soup?
ImmaculateBites says
Just omit it ! I tried it without and it turns out just fine.
Michelle Hunter says
A tin of Condensed chicken soup
Therese says
What is the equivalent for cock soup? Not sure if we have it here! Looking forward to making this!!
Jennifer McIntosh says
I love the website. Thank you for sharing…I’m definitely learning. Can you please clarify….what is Coyote? I cant find it in my market. Thanks for your help.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Jennifer! Chayote is a pear shaped light green vegetable-also called christophene, chocho, vegetable pear, custard marrow,and mirliton. It’s in the produce isle next to cucumber, carrots. You can ask the produce department if they carry it. Hope this helps.
joan pike says
It is actually a chayote(latin america) lol since a coyote is a wild dog. In Jamaica it is called cho-cho. On some other islands it is called christophine.
ImmaculateBites says
Ah, So embarrassed ! Didn’t see the typo. Thanks for pointing this out to me Joan. Recipe updated
Aisha says
Is there any vegetarian / vegan/ halal option for the cock soup packet? I really want to try the recipe but I see there’s chicken fat in the packet and our family only eats halal.
ImmaculateBites says
Sorry I don’t know of any. However, you can give it a go without the cock soup packet. Or use a any packet soup to substitute the packet.
Djblazs says
Grace makes a pumpkin flavor soup mix that is vegan. That would work well.
Stacy says
I made this soup last night and it was delicious. I am enjoying your website and I’m looking forward to trying more recipes. I have also tried a shrimp recipe. Thank you for sharing.
ImmaculateBites says
YaY!!! Thank for taking the time to let me know. Happy Cooking !!!
Steff says
Hello Imma,
I made your Jamaican chicken and pumpkin soup/ stew..it was out of sight!! My son and I loved it! Thank you so much for sharing.
I also love curry chicken and oxtails..but I need a recipe from you for roti..I love it..but I don’t have a quick easy recipe and technique for it. Imma, can you help a sister out. Also, if you have a nice curry shrimp recipe, I would love that too! You have skills girl!! Please continue to share..wink*
ImmaculateBites says
Thank Steff! I got you covered Girl!!! Here is the link to roti https://www.africanbites.com/chicken-roti/ and Curry shrimp here https://www.africanbites.com/jamaican-curry-shrimp/. Do let me know how it works out for you. Or if you need anything else. Happy Cooking!!!!
MallyBoo says
hi there!
is the plantain green or yellow? and should i peel the chayote or is it skin on?
trying your slow cooker brown chicken stew in two days, and i found browning sauce (i’m from the uk) so ill let you know how it goes.
peace
ImmaculateBites says
Hi MallyBoo! It’s green plantains, you can also use firm ripe plantains. You don’t want it too mushy. The chayote is skin on. Thanks for trying out my recipes!
Can’t wait to hear how the brown chicken stew turns out.
Happy Cooking!!!!
Mallybooboo89@gmail.com says
That’s some super speedy replying you did there! I appreciate that, thanks!
And thank the lord it’s green plantain cos that what my supermarket sells… I’ve had an awful experience cooking these plantains so hopefully it’ll cure my phobia!
Will definitely let you know about the stew- I’m marinating the chicken over night tonight for dinner tomorrow!
Thanks again!
Gail says
The chayote should never be skin on.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Gail!
The ones available here, in most supermarkets are young and tender and the skin is quite edible. They serve it all the time in restaurants with skin on. The super mature ones are the ones that you have to peel before consuming .