Cock-a-Leekie Soup (Scottish Chicken Soup) | Food Wishes

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🥗Healthier: dried apricots

💰Cheaper: raisins

Dried apricots provide a similar sweetness and texture.

Cut off the first couple inches of the top green part of the leeks and set aside for the broth.

Wash and rinse the leeks thoroughly in a large bowl of cold water to remove dirt and sand.

Transfer the cleaned leeks into a bowl and reserve in the fridge until needed.

Place the whole chicken in a large pot.

Add the bay leaf, halved garlic cloves, and dried plums to the pot with the chicken.

Pour in 3 quarts of cold fresh water.

Turn the heat to high and bring the mixture to a simmer.

Once simmering, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 1 hour and 15 minutes, occasionally dunking and swirling the chicken in the pot.

Remove the chicken from the pot using tongs or the two fork method and let it cool in a bowl.

While the chicken cools, pull off the wings and leg bones and add them back to the simmering broth for extra flavor.

Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, separate the meat from the skin and bones, tearing it into spoon-sized pieces.

Add the bones back to the broth and let it simmer for another hour for a more flavorful broth.

After an hour, strain the broth to remove the solids, leaving only the liquid in the pot.

Add half of the reserved leeks to the pot with the strained broth.

Season the broth with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Optionally, add white rice to thicken the soup.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

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