Cock-a-leekie is a classic Scottish soup that is often enjoyed on special occasions like Burns Night. It is made with chicken, leeks, and a variety of other vegetables, and is typically served with a side of oatcakes or barley bread. This flavorful and hearty soup is a great way to warm up on a cold winter's day.
The recipe for cock-a-leekie stew is easy to follow and can be made in under an hour. The soup is made with a few simple ingredients, including chicken, leeks, carrots, celery, and barley. It is seasoned with salt, pepper, and thyme, and is simmered until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
In addition to the classic cock-a-leekie stew recipe, the article also includes a few variations. There is a vegetarian version of the soup that is made with vegetable broth and tofu, as well as a gluten-free version that is made with gluten-free barley. There is also a recipe for a slow cooker cock-a-leekie stew, which is a great option for busy weeknights.
No matter which recipe you choose, you are sure to enjoy this delicious and comforting soup.
COCK-A-LEEKIE
This porridgelike soup has Scottish roots. Barley makes it thick, and prunes give it a slightly sweet note; white wine and vegetables, includung leeks, add flavor. It's a popular lunch bowl that hits the spot.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Ingredients Meat & Poultry Chicken Chicken Breast Recipes
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Heat a 6-quart Dutch oven on medium-high until hot. Add thighs; cook until browned, turning once, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with breasts.
- Add broth, wine, celery, carrot, and garlic to Dutch oven. Bring to a boil; scrape any browned bits from pot; return chicken to pot, reduce heat, and simmer, skimming as necessary, for 1 hour. Transfer chicken to a plate; let cool. Transfer vegetables to another plate; reserve.
- Add leeks, prunes, and barley to broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until thick, about 40 minutes more. Once chicken has cooled, shred meat. Finely dice carrot and celery. Stir chicken, carrot, celery, and parsley into soup, heat through, and serve.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 416 g, Cholesterol 132 g, Fat 5 g, Fiber 5 g, Protein 43 g, Sodium 754 g
SCOTTISH COCK-A-LEEKIE SOUP
It may take a few hours to make this famous Scottish soup but there's really not much to it other than some chopping and simmering. It's one of the world's best chicken soups! Top with freshly ground black pepper and chopped fresh chives.
Provided by Chef John
Categories Chicken Soup
Time 4h10m
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Cut off the leek tops (the dark green, fibrous parts) and wash well. Set aside the leek bottoms.
- Put clean leak tops in the bottom of a large pot. Place chicken on top and add bay leaf, garlic, dried plums, and 3 quarts water. Set over high heat until it starts to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low or low and simmer gently, occasionally pushing the chicken under the liquid with tongs, for 1 hour 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare leek bottoms by trimming off the root ends and slicing them in half lengthwise. Turn leeks and cut crosswise into ½-inch slices. Transfer to a large bowl and fill with cold water so leeks are floating. Toss with your hands to loosen dirt. Grab leeks with your hands, shake gently to remove water, and transfer to another bowl. Place in the refrigerator until needed.
- Carefully lift chicken with two forks, let liquid drain from the cavity, and place it in a bowl. Separate meat from skin and bones. Tear meat into bite-sized pieces put in the refrigerator until needed.
- Place skin and bones back into the pot and gently simmer for 1 more hour.
- Set a colander in a bowl. Use a skimmer spoon to transfer all solids from the broth to the colander. Discard solids and transfer any broth back to the pot.
- Add half of the sliced leeks to the pot with salt, pepper, and rice. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour, skimming some fat off if you want and adding more water if it's reducing down too much.
- Add remaining sliced leeks, chicken, and thyme. Simmer over medium-low for 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 810.1 calories, Carbohydrate 37 g, Cholesterol 227 mg, Fat 46.2 g, Fiber 4 g, Protein 59.9 g, SaturatedFat 13.1 g, Sodium 1224.8 mg
COCK-A-LEEKIE SOUP
Steps:
- Cut up the whole chicken and chop some of the meat into pieces. (You will have leftover chicken meat.)
Nutrition Facts : Calories 930 kcal, Carbohydrate 44 g, Cholesterol 274 mg, Fiber 6 g, Protein 90 g, SaturatedFat 12 g, Sodium 622 mg, Sugar 11 g, Fat 43 g, ServingSize Serves 4, UnsaturatedFat 0 g
COCK A LEEKIE SOUP
Traditional Scots soup of chicken and leeks. One pound of potatoes, peeled and cubed, could be substituted for the barley, if desired.
Provided by briony
Categories Soups, Stews and Chili Recipes Soup Recipes
Time 1h40m
Yield 12
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- In a large pot over high heat, combine the chicken, water, onion and barley. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Remove chicken, discard the bones and skin, chop meat into bite size pieces and return to the pot.
- Add the chicken broth, leeks, celery, thyme, parsley, salt and ground black pepper. Simmer for 30 more minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 242.8 calories, Carbohydrate 12.4 g, Cholesterol 125.9 mg, Fat 6.5 g, Fiber 2.1 g, Protein 32.4 g, SaturatedFat 1.6 g, Sodium 502.8 mg, Sugar 2.6 g
COCK-A-LEEKIE SOUP (SCOTTISH CHICKEN AND LEEK SOUP)
Leeks star in this classic Scottish chicken soup, adding their sweet, oniony flavor to the meaty, fragrant broth. Some versions of this recipe omit the prunes, but their rich fruitiness is what sets this dish apart from other chicken soups. Rice, either brown or white, can stand in for the barley, and some recipes call for oats (in which case use an equal amount of steel-cut, rather than rolled). For a heartier, more stewlike soup, use 3/4 cup barley.
Provided by Melissa Clark
Time 2h30m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Season chicken with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Set chicken aside while prepping the other ingredients.
- Put leek greens, carrot peels, celery leaves, garlic, parsley stems, thyme, bay leaf and star anise at bottom of a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Place chicken on top of the vegetables. Add remaining 1 teaspoon salt and the peppercorns, and pour in 8 cups cold water, or enough to just submerge the chicken.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to a simmer and partly cover the pot. Cook until chicken is cooked through and very tender, 45 to 55 minutes.
- While the chicken cooks, thickly slice 3 of the leek whites into 1/2-inch coins. Thinly slice the remaining leek white; set thinly and thickly sliced leeks aside separately.
- When the chicken is tender, using tongs, transfer to a large bowl or plate to cool. Strain the broth into a large bowl, discarding vegetables and herbs.
- Wipe out the Dutch oven and return it to medium-high heat. Add butter, letting it melt. Add the thick leek coins (save the thinly sliced leek for garnish), a pinch of salt and pepper, and sauté until tender and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer leek whites to a bowl (they can go on top of the chicken if there's room).
- Pour broth back into the pot. Bring broth to a brisk simmer, and stir in barley, carrots and celery. Let broth simmer uncovered until the liquid is reduced by a third, and the barley and vegetables are tender, 40 to 50 minutes.
- While the broth is simmering, use a fork or your fingers to shred chicken into bite-size pieces, discarding skin and bones.
- Once the barley and vegetables are tender, stir in shredded chicken, sautéed leek whites and the prunes, and simmer for another 5 minutes to allow the prunes to soften (some might disintegrate). Taste and add salt, if needed. To serve, garnish with thinly sliced leek whites and parsley leaves.
COCK-A-LEEKIE
Provided by Frank Bruni
Categories dinner, main course
Time 1h30m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Place chicken stock in a large saucepan and place over high heat to bring to a boil. Meanwhile, set aside a large bowl of ice water. When stock is boiling, add leeks and poach for 2 minutes. Remove with tongs and place in ice water until cool, then drain.
- Add star anise and chicken pieces to broth. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently until chicken is just done, about 30 minutes. Transfer chicken and anise to a bowl and add enough hot broth to just cover; set aside. Return remaining broth to high heat and reduce to 1 1/2 to 2 cups. Meanwhile, in a medium pan of lightly salted water, boil red potatoes until tender, about 20 minutes.
- Add prunes and cream to reduced broth. Boil until prunes are soft and sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, fry bacon until lightly browned and beginning to crisp, about 5 minutes. Add leeks and continue to cook until leeks are lightly browned, another 5 minutes. Transfer bacon and leeks to paper towels to drain; keep warm.
- Season sauce with salt to taste. Drain potatoes and toss with mint. Drain chicken (broth may be reserved for another use), discarding star anise. To serve, place chicken on a plate, ladle with prune sauce, and top with leeks and bacon. Add potatoes and serve.
COCK-A-LEEKIE SOUP
James Martin gives the classic restorative Scottish soup a twist - the prunes add a sweet contrast to the rich chicken broth
Provided by James Martin
Categories Lunch, Main course
Time 1h45m
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan until hot. Fry the chicken pieces in batches until golden brown, then remove and set aside. Add the bacon, carrots, celery and leek tops, and fry for 5 mins until it all starts to brown. Pour off any excess fat.
- Splash in the wine and boil rapidly, scraping the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken pieces with the herbs and add enough cold water to cover. Slowly bring to the boil, then simmer for 40 mins until the chicken is tender.
- Remove the chicken to a plate, cover with foil and leave to cool slightly. Strain the soup into a clean saucepan and discard all the other ingredients. Leave to stand for a few mins and skim off any fat that rises to the top. Pull the meat from the chicken bones and tear into large chunks.
- Simmer the soup with the chicken, leeks and prunes for another 20-30 mins. Season to taste and serve with really good bread.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 337 calories, Fat 16 grams fat, SaturatedFat 5 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 9 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 8 grams sugar, Fiber 3 grams fiber, Protein 36 grams protein, Sodium 1.1 milligram of sodium
Tips:
- For a richer flavor, use free-range or organic chicken.
- To make the stew ahead of time, cook it according to the recipe and then let it cool completely. Store the stew in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you're ready to serve, reheat the stew over medium heat until warmed through.
- If you don't have a Dutch oven, you can use a large pot with a tight-fitting lid.
- To make the stew gluten-free, use gluten-free flour or cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
- To make the stew vegetarian, omit the chicken and add more vegetables, such as carrots, celery, and potatoes.
Conclusion:
Cock-a-leekie stew is a classic Scottish dish that is perfect for a cold winter day. It is a hearty and flavorful stew that is made with chicken, leeks, and barley. The stew is typically served with a side of bread or mashed potatoes. This stew is a great way to use up leftover chicken, and it is also a very affordable meal. So next time you're looking for a comforting and delicious meal, give cock-a-leekie stew a try.
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