Plate 05 of 10

Chicken Souse

The Saturday breakfast and the morning-after cure. Chicken wings blanched first so the broth stays clear, then simmered with allspice, onion and celery, potatoes added and cooked until tender while the chicken passes 74 °C, and the pot finished off the heat with enough lime juice and salt to make it bright without harshness. A goat pepper on the side, and johnny cake.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 1 hr
Serves: 6
Difficulty: Easy

Researched · Kitchen testing pending

A white bowl of clear souse with chicken wings, potato chunks, onion slices, celery and allspice berries, a whole orange goat pepper on top, and a wedge of johnny cake beside.

Souse is the Bahamian soup of lime and allspice, and chicken souse is the Saturday-morning version, sold from cook shops and made at home for whoever is awake. Wings simmer with onion, celery and allspice until the broth is clear and gold, potatoes go in for the last twenty minutes, and the pot is finished with lime and salt until it tastes bright.

A goat pepper sits whole on the side, and the bowl comes with a wedge of johnny cake to soak up the broth.

Ingredients

1.5 kgChicken wings and drumettes
2 LWater
12Allspice berries
2 mediumOnions, sliced
4 stalksCelery, in 2 cm pieces
700 gPotatoes, peeled, in 4 cm chunks
180 mlFresh lime juice
12 gFine salt, or to taste
1Goat pepper, whole

The blanch

Boiling the chicken briefly, draining and rinsing it takes off the scum that would cloud the broth. Souse is judged on its clarity; the extra pot is worth it.

Lime at the end

The juice goes in off the heat, so it stays fresh and sharp. Souse should taste bright, like a squeeze over the bowl, not sour like a pickle.

The five tastes on this plate

Salt is added to taste at the end. Fat is what the wings give. Acid is lime, the whole character. Heat is the goat pepper, whole on the side. Umami is chicken bones simmered an hour.

Equipment

6-quart pot
Colander
Ladle and a spoon for skimming
Instant-read thermometer

Nothing special. Souse is a pot, a colander and an hour.

Method

Blanch the chicken8 min
Cover the wings and drumettes with cold water in the pot, bring to a boil and boil 3 minutes. Drain in the colander, rinse under cold water and rinse the pot.
Cover wings and drumettes with cold water, bring to a boil and boil 3 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water and rinse the pot before continuing.
Simmer25 min
Return the chicken to the pot with the 2 litres of fresh water, the allspice, onions and celery. Bring to a simmer, skim once, and cook gently 25 minutes.
Return chicken to the pot with 2 L fresh water, allspice, onions and celery. Bring to a gentle simmer, skim once and cook gently for 25 minutes.
Potatoes20 min
Add the potatoes and simmer 18 to 20 minutes until tender, by which time the chicken reads at least 74 °C at the bone and the meat is loosening.
Add potatoes and simmer 18–20 minutes until tender. Check chicken reaches at least 74 °C near the bone and the meat is beginning to loosen.
Season3 min
Off the heat, add the lime juice and the salt. Taste: it should be distinctly bright and clean. Adjust with more lime or salt.
Remove from heat, then add lime juice and salt. Taste for a bright, clean broth and adjust with additional lime or salt as needed.
Serve
Ladle into deep bowls with plenty of broth. Set the whole goat pepper on the table for whoever wants to press it into their bowl, and serve johnny cake beside.
Ladle chicken, potatoes and plenty of broth into deep bowls. Serve with johnny cake and a whole goat pepper at the table for seasoning individual bowls.
06
Sensory cues of doneness
- Visual: a clear, pale gold broth; potatoes soft at the corners; chicken skin loose on the bone.
- Auditory: a lazy simmer; boiling clouds it.
- Olfactory: allspice and celery, then lime as the bowl is set down.
Look for clear pale-gold broth, softened potato corners and loose chicken skin. Maintain a gentle simmer to keep the broth clear; expect allspice, celery and fresh lime aromas.

Storing it

Keeps 3 days refrigerated and is often better on the second morning. Reheat to a simmer, 74 °C through, and freshen with a squeeze of lime.

Troubleshooting

Cloudy broth.: The blanch was skipped, or the pot boiled. Blanch and rinse, then simmer gently.
Sour rather than bright.: Too much lime, or added while boiling. Off the heat, in two pours, tasting.
Potatoes falling apart.: In too early, or a floury variety. Waxy potatoes, and the last 20 minutes only.

Substitutions

One-to-one swaps, with the technique change each one needs.

Ingredient substitutions

Ingredient	Replace with	Culinary impact and technique adjustment
Chicken wings	Sheep tongue, pig feet or oxtail, the other souses	Simmer 2 to 3 hours before the potatoes
Potatoes	Sweet potato or green banana	Sweeter; add 5 minutes later
Goat pepper	Scotch bonnet or habanero	The same family, kept whole the same way

Scaling

Half

A 3-quart pot; the same timings.

Double

A 12-quart pot; blanch in two batches.

What to serve it with

Johnny cake, the Bahamian companion
Grits, on a Saturday
A goat pepper on the side, and strong coffee

Questions

Is souse served hot or cold?

Hot, as a soup. The English pickled souse is a different dish.

Why wings?

Bone, skin and collagen for the broth, and small pieces that cook in an hour. Sheep tongue and pig feet souse take a longer simmer.

When is it eaten?

Saturday morning, and after a late night. It is the Bahamian cure.