I only ever had my first taste of Cock-a-Leekie soup (aka chicken and leek soup) last year. I loved it so much that I decided to remake and blog about it in time for Burn’s night.
In case you did not know, Burn’s Night, celebrated annually in Scotland, commemorates the life of the poet Robert Burns and his contribution to Scottish culture (such as the rather beautiful “Auld Lang Syne”). I will neither confirm nor deny the rumor that I might have been listening to “Auld Lang Syne” nonstop, whilst testing out versions of Cock-a-Leekie soup.
This classic Scottish soup, is simply a chicken and leek soup, made richer by being simmered in chicken broth and thickened with rice. Just the right sort of perfectly warming and filling soup needed on cold, cold, cold winter days.
Here is how to make Cock-a-Leekie soup and do serve it up with some warm crusty bread and a dose of music on the side.
And for other Burn’s Night recipe inspiration why not check out Food to Glows Burn’s Night Creamy Kale soup, Foodie Quine’s Burn’s Night recipe roundup, Cooksister’s Burn’s Night dinner recipes and Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary Cullen Skink. Also do check out this spicy lentil soup recipe and this Hoppin John soup recipe.
Don't forget to tag #recipesfromapantry on Instagram or Twitter if you try Chicken And Leek Soup - aka Cock-a-Leekie Soup! It is really, really awesome for me when you make one of my recipes and I'd love to see it. You can also share it on my Facebook page. Please pin this recipe to Pinterest too! Thank you for reading Recipes from a Pantry.
Chicken And Leek Soup - aka Cock-a-Leekie Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 8 large chicken thighs
- 4 sticks celery sliced
- 4 carrots peeled and cut into half moons
- 6 pieces of smoky bacon diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 L (8 cups) warm chicken stock
- 2 leeks sliced into thick rings
- 12 prunes quartered
- 50 g (1.7oz) basmati rice
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a sauce pan and brown the chicken thigh for 2-3 mins on each side. Remove the chicken and set aside.
- Then add in the celery, carrots, bacon and bay leaves and fry for 3 mins.
- Drain any extra oil before quickly add in the warm stock making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan.
- Return the chicken to the pan, bring to the boil, then simmer for about 45-50 mins until the chicken is cooked through, making sure to skim the soup as necessary.
- Discard the bay eaves, remove the chicken and vegetables and set them aside in a warm place.
- Add the leeks, prunes and rice, bring to the boil and simmer for about 15 mins until the rice is cooked through.
- Remove the chicken meat from the bones, discard the bones, shred the chicken and return along with the vegetables to the soup.
- Adjust the seasoning and warm through before serving with some crusty bread.
- Serves 8 as a starter.
Notes
This looks AMAZING!
I loooooooooooove soup….I can have soup 7 days a week and not complain
I love chicken soup but have never tried leek chicken soup. It sounds perfect right now as it’s really cold in here, and I think that it’s going to snow tonight! I will have to buy some leeks and make this!
I’ve never cooked with leeks before. I might have to try this recipe! <3
I love the flavor of leeks – I need to give this soup a try! Gorgeous photos, too. 🙂
This sounds perfect for cold winter nights!! I’ll have to try this out soon!!
Talk about Tasty!