Cock-a-leekie Soup

I used to eat this soup a lot, out of a tin, and thought I'd have a crack at making it myself.  However, as I did a bit of searching round, I found that the version I had been used to, that I bought in the shop, was a lot more complicated than the soup that is traditionally consumed on Burns Night.

That said, I'm aware that there are as many ways to make soup as there are cooks making said soup!  So here's my version of Cock-a-leekie.


I spent the weekend walking in the countryside, getting rained on whilst trudging up hills and down steep slopes, so upon my return to civilization, I decided to roast a chicken for some good hearty food.  This recipe uses the left overs of that meal - cooked chicken and chicken stock, but you could just use fresh ingredients if you wanted. Indeed, most versions of this soup involve boiling a whole chicken to make the stock, then stripping the meat off to add to the soup later

Ingredients
250g Cooked chicken breast, diced
300g Leeks
25g Rice
1tsp Brown sugar
1.5l Chicken Stock
1 Bay leaf
Seasoning to taste
12 pitted Prunes

Method
1. Bring the stock to the boil and add the cooked chicken, roughly chopped leeks (I used both the white and the green bits, but you could just use the white bits - I know some people prefer that - seems like a bit of a waste to me!), rice, bay leaf and sugar, then reduce the heat to a simmer.

2. Cook for 45 minutes and then serve.  It's a simple as that.  However, if you make the stock from scratch it will take a bit longer.  Traditionally, the soup is served with a garnish of pitted prunes.  Add these just before serving if you are going to use them.

3. Serve with some crusty bread and enjoy!