Caribbean Chicken Soup Recipe with Pumpkin, Provisions & Dumplings

It’s soup szn! Usually, I’m never really in a rush for soup season. I try to hold on to my summer recipes for as long as possible. But this year? I don’t know, I’m ready for soup season to come quickly!

One of the things I love most about my culture is making a big pot of soup and freezing some for whenever I want it down the line. I love Caribbean soups because they’re so hearty. Between the meat, ground provisions, vegetables and dumplings, you’ve got yourself a filling meal in one pot.

We grew up eating rice on the side of our soup too because sometimes you have to make that pot stretch and feed a whole lot of people! Like many of our Caribbean soups, this one is made with calabaza pumpkin also known as West Indian pumpkin or West Indian squash. Here in America, we have so many popular varieties of squash, like butternut and acorn but I’m usually always reaching for my calabaza!

This soup starts with lightly seasoned cut up chicken leg quarters, fresh aromatics, ground provisions, corn and spinners. If you grew up in the Caribbean, you already know that dumplings are practically a staple in our soups. They soak up all that goodness in the pot!

I like making a big enough batch to freeze at least two quarts for those cold days when I want something hearty or those days when I simply don’t feel like cooking. Listen, sometimes you want a good homemade meal without having to do all that work again! I’ve shared my red pea soup before, along with a pumpkin velouté style soup, and now I’m bringing you another one you just have to try!

Yield: About 10–12 servings | Approximately 1 hour 15 minutes | Easy to Moderate

Ingredients

• 4 large skinless chicken leg quarters, cut between the joints and then chopped into another 2–3 pieces, depending on size
• ⅓ of a whole calabaza pumpkin (West Indian pumpkin), approximately 3 pounds, peeled, seeded and cut into 1–2-inch pieces (a whole pumpkin can easily weigh 9-12 pounds)
• 3 ground provisions of your choice, peeled and cut into pieces (such as yam, sweet potato, dasheen, eddo, cassava, russet potato or Japanese white yam)
• 2 ears fresh corn, sliced into 1 inch rounds
• 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 3–4 scallions, roughly chopped
• 3–4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 7–10 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 whole Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper
• 12–16 cups water

Seasoning

• 1 packet Cock Soup Mix
• 1 packet Grace or Maggi Pumpkin Soup Mix
• 2 tsp whole allspice (pimento berries)
• 1 tsp Dash of Dacy Garlicky Onion Herb or a similar blend, plus additional as needed
• 1 tsp Dash of Dacy Salt & Pepper Blend or a similar blend, plus additional as needed
• 1 tsp Dash of Dacy Caribbean Jerk Seasoning or a similar blend
• Accent flavor enhancer, optional

Dumplings / Spinners

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• ⅓–½ cup water, starting with ⅓ cup
• ½ teaspoon salt
• A dash of sugar, optional

For Garnish

• Chopped scallions
• Microgreens, optional

 

Method

1. Prepare and Season the Chicken

Remove the skin from the chicken, trim away excess fat and remove any unwanted bits. Separate each leg quarter into the drumstick and thigh. Cut each drumstick in half and if the thigh is large, cut it into another 2–3 pieces.

Clean the chicken using your preferred method, taking care to avoid rinsing raw chicken directly under the faucet, as splashing can spread bacteria around your sink and surrounding surfaces. Pat the chicken dry thoroughly.

Lightly season the chicken with Dash of Dacy Garlicky Onion Herb, Salt & Pepper Blend and Caribbean Jerk Seasoning. Don’t get nervous about the jerk seasoning, it has all the properties of an all purpose blend with a hint of spice, that’s why I love using it in this recipe. For this kind of soup, a light hand is best. The soup mixes will bring additional seasoning to the pot and you can always adjust the flavor later.

2. Start the Soup Base

In a large soup pot, bring 12–16 cups of water to a boil. Peel, seed and cut the calabaza pumpkin into 1–2 inch pieces. Divide the pumpkin into two equal portions of approximately 1½ pounds each. Add the seasoned chicken, the first portion of pumpkin and the whole allspice berries to the boiling water. Cover the pot and cook over medium heat for approximately 15 minutes. As the pumpkin begins to soften, it will start breaking down into the broth, helping create a flavorful base while the chicken begins to cook.

3. Prepare the Ground Provisions and Vegetables

While the chicken and pumpkin cook, peel and cut your ground provisions into manageable pieces. Prepare the corn, carrots, onion, scallions, garlic and thyme. If you’re using potatoes or certain yams, you can keep the peeled pieces submerged in water while you finish prepping to help prevent discoloration.

4. Add the Aromatics and Corn

Add the corn, onion, garlic and thyme to the pot. Stir gently, cover and cook for another 15 minutes. The aromatics will begin flavoring the broth as the chicken continues to cook.

5. Make the Spinners

In a bowl, combine the flour, salt and sugar if using. Gradually add the water, starting with ⅓ cup and mix with a fork until a dough forms.

Knead until the dough is smooth and pliable. If it’s too dry to come together, add a little more water at a time until you have a workable dough. Rest dough, covered for about 5 minutes. Pinch off small quarter size pieces of dough and roll each piece between your palms to form long, skinny spinners. As you shape each one, drop it directly into the simmering soup. Keep moving around the pot so the spinners are distributed throughout.

6. Add the Remaining Pumpkin, Provisions and Soup Mixes

Add the remaining 1½ pounds of pumpkin, the ground provisions, carrots, Cock Soup Mix and Pumpkin Soup Mix to the pot. Both soup mixes contain noodles, so add the contents of each packet to the pot. Stir gently to distribute the ingredients throughout the broth.

7. Simmer Until Everything Is Cooked

Cover the pot and simmer over medium heat for approximately 25 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked, the ground provisions are tender and the spinners are cooked through. The first batch of pumpkin pieces will continue to soften and thicken the broth as everything cooks together. Use a fork to pierce the ground provisions. They should be soft enough to pierce easily. Check the chicken for doneness as well.

8. Finish and Adjust the Flavor

Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning as needed. Add more Dash of Dacy Garlicky Onion Herb, Salt & Pepper Blend or Accent if using. Add the whole Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper along with some additional chopped scallions. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes allowing the pepper to infuse the broth.

Important: Add the pepper towards the end of cooking and keep it whole! If it bursts open, the heat can quickly become overwhelming and make the entire pot too spicy to enjoy. We want that pepper flavor without setting everybody’s mouth on fire!

9. Serve

Remove the thyme stems and whole pepper before serving. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with chopped scallions and microgreens, if desired.

Serving Suggestions: Serve hot on its own or enjoy a bowl alongside white rice or Caribbean style whole wheat crackers.

A Little Something About Leftovers: Listen, I have pulled this soup out of my freezer two weeks later, a month later, even three months later and it is still just as good. Honestly, it might even taste better after everything has had time to sit!

My kids love it, I love it and I’m sure you will too. Especially if you’re a soup person and if you’re NOT a soup person? Well, I don’t know what to tell you LOL!

Make a big pot, save yourself a few portions and thank yourself later when it’s cold outside and you don’t feel like cooking. You’re welcome!