Cock a Leekie Soup or Scottish Chicken & Leek Soup

Nothing warms you up on a cold winter’s day than a hot bowl of soup. Cock a Leekie soup is a Scottish Institution, a chicken & leek soup that features barley and prunes is a dish that tastes very modern. This simple soup is known as the Scottish national soup and uses simple ingredients in a wonderful chicken broth.

Cock a leekie, also written as cock o leekie, and cockaleekie soup; gets its name from the era the dish and farm economics of the period. The taste makes me smile as much as the name makes me laugh. This is an old-fashioned recipe dating to the early 1700’s. I love old dishes and recipes made from minimal ingredients. Cock a leekie soup embraces grains and dried fruits to add body and taste to what is a very simple recipe.

Equipment

Crock Pot, my favorite for soups and stews.

Cutting Board

Chef Knife

Kitchen Tongs

Measuring cups and spoons.

Forks for shredding the chicken.

Stirring and serving spoons.

Sieve for rinsing pearl barley.  

Ingredients

2 Chicken Legs & Thigh.

1½ Litres (1½ Quarts) Chicken Stock. I used my favorite instant chicken broth.

½ Cup Celery diced.

1½ to 2 Cups Leeks diced.

⅓ to ½ Cup Prunes diced.

2 Bay Leaves.

3 Sprigs Thyme.

½ Cup Pearl Barley

Salt as needed.

Bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a saucepan or slow cooker, taste the stock, and add salt if needed.

Dice the celery into ¼ inch pieces.

Cut the leeks into ¼ inch thick rings.

Cut the prunes into ½ inch chunks.

Add in the diced celery, thyme, bay leaf, and chicken legs and simmer for 60 minutes.

Add in the white part of the leeks and cook for 20 minutes.

Add in the green part of the leeks and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove the chicken and using forks shred the chicken meat, discard the bones and skin then return the meat to the pot.

Using a sieve rinse the pearl barley in cold water.

Add the pearl barley and the prunes to the pot and simmer for 45 minutes before serving.

I like to have a few crackers on the side my wife likes crackers and prunes on the side. However you like it serve while hot.

Barley would likely have been a much more common ingredient in the history of this recipe due to its relative affordability and commonality in Scotland. I use it in this recipe because I like to cook with as many different grains as I can, however brown rice is a perfectly acceptable substitution. Use a cup for cup amount and so long as you use whole grain rice, the cooking time remains the same.

The soup will last in the fridge for 2 to 3 days and makes a fantastic easy lunch.

It does not freeze well, but if you need to freeze some of the soup, bag it in strong freezer bags in portion sizes, and then pop the contents into a bowl and microwave on high for a minute or two until nice and hot.

I personally would not use chicken breasts; the breast will dry out and become stringy due to the lack of fat.

You may be surprised to see prunes as an ingredient in this recipe, they are very traditional ingredient, even as far back as the early 19th century. Prunes add wonderful bites of sweetness to the recipe and should not be skipped. Some people prefer the prunes cooked in the stock rather than served as a garnish. The prunes are the one thing that sets cock a leekie soup apart from chicken and leek soup.

A quick chicken broth if you have none at hand.

Ingredients

1 lb Chicken pieces bone-in and skin-on

1 teaspoon Onion Powder.

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder.

1 teaspoon Celery Salt.

½ teaspoon Parsley Flakes

½ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

2 quarts water

 Instructions

1.    Place the chicken, spices, and water in a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot and bring it to a boil.

2.    Skim the foam layer from the top with a spoon, then reduce the heat to a slow simmer.

3.    Partially cover the pot and simmer the broth for 1 hour.

4.    Check the broth periodically to ensure it maintains a slow, steady simmer rather than a boil.

5.    Remove the solids using a large, slotted spoon.

6.    Strain the broth through a colander.