Chicken Souse (pronounced sowse) is a tasty chili-lime tea soup with a zesty flavour profile. It is essentially the chicken soup of the Caribbean with medicinal properties to give your immune system a boost when you are feeling “under the weather.”
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves 4
8 boneless skinless Ontario Chicken Thighs, quartered
2 Tbsp (30 mL) white vinegar
1 Tbsp (15 mL) fine sea salt
1 bay leaf
1 small Ontario Onion, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced 1/2-inch thick
4 Ontario Potatoes, quartered
2 Ontario Carrots, sliced 1/2-inch thick
3 Ontario Thyme Sprigs
8 limes, juice divided
1 Tbsp (15 mL) whole allspice pimientos
1-2 Scotch Bonnet Pepper, diced
salt to taste
Add chicken to a 4-quart (4 L) pot, cover with water, add vinegar, salt, bay leaf and place over high-heat. Bring to a boil and scald chicken for 1 minute, remove pot, drain and discard water, set chicken aside on a plate.
Return pot over low heat, add onion, celery, potato, carrot, thyme, juice, allspice, pepper, salt and cover with lid, let simmer for 10 minutes to develop flavourful broth.
Return chicken to pot, add warm water to cover by 2 inches and bring to a boil, then lower to simmer. Let cook for about 15-20 minutes, until chicken and potatoes are done when pierced with a knife. Season to taste with salt and additional lime juice if necessary. Ladle into bowls and serve with Johnny Cake.
