Featuring tender chicken and herbaceous leeks in a well-seasoned broth, cock-a-leekie soup is a classic Scottish dish. It's also perfect cold weather comfort food. This version draws heavily on an excellent New York Times recipe by the ever inspiring Melissa Clark. There are countless cock-a-leekie variations out there, and this soup is often a very simple, yet satisfying, affair. But this hearty rendition features the traditional (and occasionally controversial) inclusion of prunes, as well as the clever addition of star anise, which together render it something truly extraordinary. As the prunes cook down and become deliciously jammy, they impart a delicate sweetness and rich earthy tang to the broth. And the star anise, with its enticing notes of fennel and clove, adds fragrant depth. One might say that cock-a-leekie is sort of like the Sean Connery of soups...substantial, sensuous, and sure to be unforgettable.
Ingredients for Cock-a-Leekie Soup
- chicken breasts or thighs (boneless and skinless)
- kosher salt
- whole black peppercorns
- fresh ground black pepper
- leeks
- carrots
- garlic
- fresh flat leaf parsley
- fresh thyme
- dried bay leaf
- star anise pod
- chicken stock (or water plus "better than bouillon" roasted chicken base)
- unsalted butter
- pearled barley
- pitted prunes
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Making the Broth and Poaching the Chicken
Trim and clean the leeks, peel the carrots, halve the garlic, and separate the parsley leaves from the stems.
Place the leek greens, carrot peels, garlic, parsley stems, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and star anise pod in the bottom of a large Dutch oven or soup pot.
Then place the chicken on top of the vegetables and herbs. Sprinkle over the teaspoon of salt and whole peppercorns.
Pour in the chicken stock (or water plus "better than bouillon" roasted chicken base) and bring to a boil over high heat.
Then reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover the pot. Begin testing the chicken for doneness after it has been simmering, covered, for 10 minutes. (Boneless and skinless chicken usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes to poach.) The chicken is done when the meat is opaque all the way through the center and the thickest part has reached 165℉.
Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board to cool. Then turn the heat up to medium and simmer the remaining broth, vegetables, and herbs for about 20 to 30 minutes more. Strain the broth into a large bowl, discarding the simmered vegetables and herbs.
Assembling the Soup
Cut the leeks and carrots into coins and roughly chop the prunes.
Return the pot to the stove over medium-high heat and add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the leek coins. Sauté for about 5 minutes, or until tender and beginning to turn golden on the edges.
Then add the carrot coins and chopped prunes. Give everything a stir and sauté for a few minutes more.
Pour the strained broth back into the pot and bring it to a lively simmer. Then stir in the barley. Let simmer, uncovered, until the liquid is slightly reduced and the barley and vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
While the broth is simmering, shred the chicken into pieces and roughly chop the parsley leaves.
When the barley and vegetables are tender, stir in the chicken and simmer for another 5 minutes, or until the chicken is warmed through. Then season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.
To serve, ladle generously into bowls and garnish with the chopped parsley leaves.
Hint: You can certainly make this soup with plain water instead of chicken stock (or the addition of "better than bouillon"), but that extra boost of flavor gives the broth some lovely oomph. And while we're on the topic of alternatives, if you don't have any barley on hand, white or brown basmati rice can make a good substitution.
Equipment
A Dutch oven is my cooking vessel of choice for this dish, but any large soup pot with a lid will do.
Storage
Cock-a-leekie soup can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to 3 or 4 days. It will tend to thicken up as it sits, which simply lends it an even greater stew-like consistency. However, you can always add a small splash of chicken stock upon reheating if you prefer.
Top tip
Be sure to clean your leeks thoroughly, including those dark green tops used for the broth. After separating the tops from the white and pale green portions, I recommend slicing them in half lengthwise before fanning out all the layers under cool running water and rinsing them very, very well. Leeks are notorious for concealing surprise bits of garden grit and dirt in between those layers.
Related
Looking for other cold weather comfort recipes? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Cock-a-Leekie Soup
Equipment
- 5.5 quart dutch oven (or other large heavy pot with a lid)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts or thighs (boneless and skinless)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 3 large leeks dark green tops separated (and tops reserved), white and pale green parts thickly sliced into ¼ to ½ inch coins
- 3 medium carrots peeled (and peelings reserved), cut into ¼ inch coins
- 1 head garlic halved crosswise
- several sprigs parsley leaves separated from stems
- small bunch fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 star anise pod
- 10 cups chicken stock (or 10 cups water plus 2 tablespoons "better than bouillon" roasted chicken base)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾ cup pearled barley rinsed
- ½ cup pitted prunes roughly chopped into small pieces
- kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Making the Broth and Poaching the Chicken
- Place the leek greens, carrot peels, garlic, parsley stems, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and star anise pod in the bottom of a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Then place the chicken on top of the vegetables and herbs, sprinkle over the teaspoon of salt and whole peppercorns. Pour in the chicken stock (or water plus "better than bouillon" roasted chicken base).
- Bring to a boil over high heat. Then reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover the pot. Begin testing the chicken for doneness after it has been simmering, covered, for 10 minutes. (Boneless and skinless chicken usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes to poach.) The chicken is done when the meat is opaque all the way through the center and the thickest part has reached 165℉.
- Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board to cool.
- Turn the heat up to medium and simmer the remaining broth, vegetables, and herbs for about 20 to 30 minutes more.
- Strain the broth into a large bowl, discarding the simmered vegetables and herbs.
Assembling the Soup
- Return the pot to the stove over medium-high heat and add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the leek coins. Sauté for about 5 minutes, or until tender and beginning to turn golden on the edges. Then add the carrot coins and chopped prunes. Give everything a stir and sauté for a few minutes more.
- Pour the strained broth back into the pot and bring it to a lively simmer. Then stir in the barley. Let simmer, uncovered, until the liquid is slightly reduced and the barley and vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
- While the broth is simmering, shred the chicken into pieces.
- When the barley and vegetables are tender, stir in the chicken and simmer for another 5 minutes, or until the chicken is warmed through. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.
- To serve, ladle generously into bowls and garnish with the chopped parsley leaves.
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