Cock-a-Leekie soup is a Scottish dish made with chicken and leeks, traditionally boiled in water to create a broth. Vegetables, rice, cream, and seasonings can be added, and prunes are optional. The dish dates back to the 16th century and can be served with bread and parsley.
Cock-a-Leekie soup is a Scottish dish hundreds of years old. Using both chicken (rooster) and leeks (leek), the heat of a leek rooster soup is generally better suited for winter. Originally, the recipe also included prunes, but in modern recipes these are excluded. Rice, cream and extra vegetables are also possible additions.
The first mention of rooster leek soup is at the end of the 16th century, when a Scottish nobleman served the soup at home to his guests. Traditionally, it appears that the chicken that went into the soup was boiled in water, thus creating a broth. Modern interpretations may suggest that the cook roasts the chicken for about a quarter of an hour beforehand to brown the skin. A whole chicken or parts of the chicken, from thighs to breast, can go into the pot to flavor the soup. Some recipes only call for chicken stock and don’t call for any chicken meat ingredients.
Leeks are the other essential component of cock-a-leekie soup. The amount of leeks in the chicken depends on the cooks preference, from one leek per pot to six or more leeks. Typically, the cook cuts the leeks into half circles or cuts them into smaller portions. Leeks take much less time to cook than chicken, which requires about an hour longer in boiling water than the vegetable.
In addition to leeks, vegetables like carrots, onions, and celery can also go into the pot, once they’re cut up small like leeks. White rice is included in some recipes, but in relatively small quantities compared to chicken and leek. Seasonings like salt and pepper also need to be added, and bay leaves or thyme are options.
Some people add a tablespoon of brown sugar to the soup, and other recipes call for the cook to add butter to the soup near the end of cooking. Cream is one ingredient that can give soup a thicker texture. Prunes, while traditional, are too sweet for some. If the cook wants to add them to cock leek soup, the best time to add them is at the end of cooking, and cutting the plums into thin slivers can tone down the sweetness.
Once the chicken is cooked properly so that no pink appears in the meat, the cook can either remove the carcass or, if the meat is portioned, leave it as is in the soup. Whether the cook carves all the meat on the bird and puts it back into the soup is up to personal taste, as the remains of the chicken can be useful for other meals. Bread is a suitable accompaniment to the dish and parsley can make a fresh side dish.
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