Cock-a-leekie soup
Serves: 8
Prep time: 15 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Ant Duncan
Cock-a-leekie soup
Often called Scotland’s national soup, cock-a-leekie dates back to the 16th century and remains a traditional course at Burns Night and St Andrew’s Day suppers. However, it likely began life in France, as a chicken and onion soup. Rice or barley is sometimes used to make it thicker, while prunes are a hotly contested addition.
Serves: 8
Prep time: 15 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (serving)
Calories
275Kcal
Fat
4gr
Saturates
1gr
Carbs
31gr
Sugars
9gr
Fibre
5gr
Protein
29gr
Salt
2gr
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our Senior Food Producer. An obsessive foodie with a sweet tooth, she is happiest when baking and is a firm believer that there is always room for dessert (preferably following a big bowl of pasta)
See more of Abigail Spooner’s recipes
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our Senior Food Producer. An obsessive foodie with a sweet tooth, she is happiest when baking and is a firm believer that there is always room for dessert (preferably following a big bowl of pasta)
See more of Abigail Spooner’s recipes
Ingredients
- 1.3-1.4kg whole chicken
- 1 chicken stock cube*
- 3 bay leaves
- 200g pearl barley, rinsed
- 2 tsp fine salt
- 500g leeks, trimmed and sliced into rounds
- 3 carrots (about 300g), sliced into 1cm rounds
- 3 celery sticks, cut into 1-2cm slices
- 100g prunes, quartered
- 1⁄2 x 30g pack flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped
- crusty bread*, to serve (optional)
Step by step
- Start by poaching the chicken: remove any bindings from the bird and place it in a large saucepan or casserole dish along with the stock cube and bay leaves. Pour over enough water to just cover (about 2.5-3 litres). Bring to the boil, then cover with a lid and simmer very gently for 1 hour, or until cooked through. Ideally, leave the chicken to cool in the liquid for at least 1 hour, then transfer to a large plate.
- Remove the bay leaves from the stock, then return the stock to the hob and bring to the boil. Add the pearl barley and salt, then simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the leeks, carrots and celery, and simmer for a further 15 minutes, until the vegetables and barley are just tender.
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Meanwhile, remove the skin and bones from the chicken and tear the meat into chunky strips. Stir the chicken and prunes into the soup, check the seasoning and heat for a final 5 minutes, until piping hot. Stir through most of the parsley, then serve topped with the remaining parsley and crusty bread if desired.
*Check your stock cube and use gluten-free bread, if required
