Chicken souse

Ingredients

Chicken

• 1.5 kgchicken pieces, bone in
• juice of 2 limes, for washing
• 2 litreswater

The broth

• 2onions, sliced
• 3celery sticks, sliced
• 3carrots, thickly sliced
• 600 gpotatoes, in chunks
• 6whole allspice berries
• or 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3bay leaves
• 1goat pepper or scotch bonnet, whole
• 1 tablespoonsalt
• 1 teaspoonblack pepper

To finish

• juice of 4 limes
• or more, to taste

To serve

• johnnycake
• or crusty bread
• hot sauce
• extra lime wedges

Directions

1. Use whole berries and fish them out later. Rub the chicken pieces with lime juice. Rinse them thoroughly under cold water. Pat the pieces dry afterwards. Use bone-in pieces rather than boneless. Trim off any loose fat you find. Put the chicken in a large pot. Cover it with all the cold water. Starting from cold draws flavour into the broth.
2. Bring it slowly up to a simmer. Skim it off carefully with a spoon. Keep skimming until no more rises. Souse should be clear, so this matters. Take your time over this step. Add the sliced onions and celery. Add the allspice berries and bay leaves.
3. Add the whole pepper without cutting it. Never let it burst in the pot. Season it with salt and black pepper. Simmering it takes about forty minutes. Keep it at a bare simmer throughout. Never let it boil hard at any point. Add the carrots after twenty minutes.
4. Add the potatoes after thirty minutes. They need about twenty minutes themselves. Lift the pieces out if they are ready early. Both are done in Bahamian kitchens.
5. Take the pot off the heat entirely. Add it gradually and taste as you go. It should be genuinely sharp and sour. Add more lime until it makes you sit up. Adding it off the heat keeps it fresh and bright.
6. Taste the finished broth carefully. Adjust the salt as it needs it. Add more lime if it seems flat. Add more pepper if you want more heat. It should be sour, salty and warm with allspice.
7. Ladle broth, chicken and vegetables into bowls. Make sure everyone gets some of each. Serve warm johnnycake alongside it. Put hot sauce and lime wedges on the table. It keeps two days refrigerated. Add a little fresh lime when reheating.

Technique

• Souse across the Caribbean generally means a sour pickled dish, and the Bahamian version keeps the sourness but serves it as a hot broth.
• Allspice is the dried berry of a single Caribbean tree rather than a blend, and its name comes from tasting of clove, cinnamon and nutmeg at once.
• The lime goes in off the heat, since boiling dulls it considerably.

Substitutions

• Sheep tongue and pig’s feet are both made into souse the same way in the Bahamas.
• Crusty bread stands in for johnnycake.

Variations

• Some cooks pull the meat off the bones before serving.
• A version with more pepper is made for those who want heat.
• Conch souse is the other great Bahamian version.

History

Chicken simmered in a clear broth sharp with lime, onion, potato and allspice, eaten for Saturday and Sunday breakfast.

Frequently asked questions

What is Chicken souse?

Chicken souse is a soup & stew from Bahamas: limey chicken broth with allspice, weekend breakfast. Chicken simmered in a clear broth sharp with lime, onion, potato and allspice, eaten for Saturday and Sunday breakfast.

How long does Chicken souse take to make?

Chicken souse takes 30 minutes of preparation and 1 hour of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Chicken souse?

Yes, within limits. Sheep tongue and pig’s feet are both made into souse the same way in the Bahamas. Crusty bread stands in for johnnycake.

What is the most important thing to get right in Chicken souse?

Use whole berries and fish them out later. Rub the chicken pieces with lime juice. Rinse them thoroughly under cold water. Pat the pieces dry afterwards. Use bone-in pieces rather than boneless. Trim off any loose fat you find. Put the chicken in a large pot. Cover it with all the cold water. Starting from cold draws flavour into the broth.