Nothing beats a nice bowl of this Caribbean chicken soup recipe during the winter or any other day of the year. And let’s not forget the dumplings.
Recipe video:
It’s officially 2019 guys, so HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! I can’t believe it’s 2019, that sounds so crazy but we are here guys. In order to start this year off, I had to share this Caribbean chicken soup recipe.
I took a much needed break during the holidays and I’m back. Not only am I back with new recipes but also a cold. Yes, the cold got me sick in bed so I had to make this chicken soup recipe to heal myself.
I remember when I was younger, on Wednesdays we would have a bowl of my grandmother’s chicken soup and my favourite part of the soup was the dumplings. I cannot imagine a good Caribbean chicken soup recipe without the dumplings.
It’s very simple to make, it’s just flour, cornmeal, sprinkle of sugar and salt with some water. You don’t need to rest the dough or do anything special. All you need to do is mix, roll and finally boil. I like to roll mines thin and add them into the soup after 15 minutes.
This is truly a simple recipe that is quick to make. I personally like to add a little kick to it by adding a scotch bonnet pepper. The reason I added pepper to my soup is because I wanted to clear my throat, it wasn’t the way my grandmother would make it but I prefer it this way.
I didn’t add too many herbs to this recipe because I didn’t want an overpowering soup but I want subtle soup that heals the soul. But that doesn’t mean that this soup is bland, it’s far from that it’s full of flavour actually.
Before we get into the recipe, I just want to briefly go over the ingredients I used in this soup:
- Sweet potato: Usually pumpkin is used for this soup but you can find both in most recipes. I prefer sweet potato so I only used it but you can either use pumpkin or both. Make sure to cut it into chunks to prevent it from becoming too mushy if you don’t mind a mushy soup then you can overcook them like I usually do.
- Corn: I used fresh corn that I sliced but you can use the corn in the can if that is all you have, it’s perfectly fine. I just prefer corn on the cob when I’m making this soup.
- Chicken: You can use either chicken thighs, drumsticks or wings. But since I’m making it the exact way I used to enjoy it when I was younger, I used chicken wings. The benefit to using the wings is that they tend to cook quicker.
- Dumplings: This is a must in most Caribbean soups. I mean at least in the house I grew up in. No dumplings=No soup. Simple. That’s it. The dumplings cook quickly if you roll them out thinly, but if you make them too chunky they will take longer to cook. It usually takes 15-20 minutes if they are thin or 20-30 minutes if they are chunkier.
I hope you enjoy the recipe.
Now, let’s get into it.
Caribbean Chicken Soup
Ingredients
Seasoning for the chicken:
- 2 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper
Soup:
- 6-8 Chicken wings cleaned and halved
- 2 Garlic cloves minced
- 1 Sweet Potato/Pumpkin cut into chunks
- 1-2 large Corn sliced
- 1-2 Bay leaves
- 1 Medium onion diced
- 1 Bell pepper diced
- 1 Scotch bonnet pepper (optional)
- 1 Pimento pepper sliced
- 4-6 cups Water (enough to completely cover the chicken)
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Tomato paste
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Fresh or dried parsley
- 1 tsp Fresh or dried thyme
Dumplings: (makes about 8-10)
- 1 cup Flour sifted
- 1/2 cup Cornmeal
- 1/4 cup Warm water less or more
- 1 tbsp Granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Instructions
Season the chicken:
- In a mixing bowl add the chicken, paprika, salt and black pepper. Mix everything together and set aside.
Make the soup:
- Place a medium size pot over medium heat and pour in the vegetable oil. Once the oil has been warmed up add the onion, bell pepper, pimento pepper and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the chicken to the pot and cook on each side for 5-7 minutes before pouring in the water.
- Once the water is added, stir in the tomato paste, thyme, parsley, salt, bay leaves and scotch bonnet pepper if using.
- Cover and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
Make the dumplings:
- In a mixing bowl add the flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar. Once everything is well combined gradually incorporate the water. You need enough water to bind the dough together but you don’t want to have a wet dough.
- Taking bits of the dough, roll it in the palms of your hands. Roll the dough into a straight l shape or small balls. There is no restriction to the shape.
Add the dumplings and veggies to the soup:
- After the 20 minutes mark, add the dumplings, pumpkin or sweet potato and corn. Stir everything and let it cook for another 10-15 minutes.
Final step:
- Serve and enjoy after 30-35 minutes.
Other soup recipes you may enjoy: