Scottish Highland Chicken Soup Recipes

TASTY SCOTTISH COCK-A-LEEKIE SOUP

Steps:

• Chop the green parts off the leeks and put in the bottom of a pot, place the chicken on top.
• Surround the chicken with the celery sticks, carrots, onion, and bay leaves. Cut them down to fit if necessary.
• Add liberal amounts of salt and white pepper.
• Pour cold water over the top (it should cover the chicken so you may need to use a little more or less than stated.
• Cover and bring to the boil, then turn down to simmer for about one hour, until juices run clear when you push a knife into the chicken, or the chicken is falling off the bone.
• Chop two whites of the leeks into rounds. The other two remains of the leeks are not necessary for the rest of the recipe so you can set aside to use for something else.
• Chop the 2 remaining carrots into small pieces.
• Use a spoon to remove some of the fat that floats to the top of the water.
• Remove the chicken (I find the most uncomplicated way is to put in a colander over a bowl to collect any extra liquid, then tip the liquid back in the pot).
• Set aside to cool a little.
• Take the green part of the leeks, the onion, celery, and carrots from your stock.
• Add the chopped whites of the leeks and the carrot and cook for 10 minutes.
• Add the rice and simmer for a further 15 minutes, until the rice is cooked.
• Meanwhile, remove the chicken from the bone and shred, and discard the bones.
• Taste the stock and add more salt and pepper if necessary or simmer for longer and allow it to reduce to strengthen the flavour.
• Add the shredded chicken back in and allow to heat through for a few minutes.
• Dish into a bowl and sprinkle with a few chopped, dried, prunes then serve.

SCOTTISH HIGHLAND CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• Remove the crusts from the bread and place the bread in small saucepan.
• Cover with the milk and bring to a boil.
• Set aside and allow to cool a bit.
• Pound the minced chicken, almonds and hard-boiled yolks in a mortar until smooth, and then place in a large bowl.
• Gradually beat in the bread and milk.
• Stir in the stock, and then pass through a sieve into a saucepan.
• Bring to the boil, season with salt and pepper, add the nutmeg and lemon juice and simmer for 10 minutes; remove from the heat.
• Beat the egg yolks with the cream and blend in 3 tablespoonfuls of the hot soup.
• Stir the mixture into the soup and heat gently for 2 or 3 minutes.
• DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL.
• When it thickens, serve with the diced chicken as a garnish.

SCOTTISH COCK-A-LEEKIE SOUP

Steps:

• Cut off the leek tops (the dark green, fibrous parts) and wash well. Set aside the leek bottoms.
• Put clean leak tops in the bottom of a large pot. Place chicken on top and add bay leaf, garlic, dried plums, and 3 quarts water. Set over high heat until it starts to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low or low and simmer gently, occasionally pushing the chicken under the liquid with tongs, for 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare leek bottoms by trimming off the root ends and slicing them in half lengthwise. Turn leeks and cut crosswise into ½-inch slices. Transfer to a large bowl and fill with cold water so leeks are floating. Toss with your hands to loosen dirt. Grab leeks with your hands, shake gently to remove water, and transfer to another bowl. Place in the refrigerator until needed.
• Carefully lift chicken with two forks, let liquid drain from the cavity, and place it in a bowl. Separate meat from skin and bones. Tear meat into bite-sized pieces put in the refrigerator until needed.
• Place skin and bones back into the pot and gently simmer for 1 more hour.
• Set a colander in a bowl. Use a skimmer spoon to transfer all solids from the broth to the colander. Discard solids and transfer any broth back to the pot.
• Add half of the sliced leeks to the pot with salt, pepper, and rice. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour, skimming some fat off if you want and adding more water if it's reducing down too much.
• Add remaining sliced leeks, chicken, and thyme. Simmer over medium-low for 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve.

SCOTTISH HIGHLAND CHICKEN WITH WHISKY AND CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F
• Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and rub all over with salt, pepper and half the olive oil.
• Combine the remaining oil and butter in a lidded roasting pan and place over medium heat.
• When butter is foaming, place the chicken, breast side down, in the pan and brown for about 4-5 minutes, then turn and brown on the other side for the same length of time. Drain off most of the fat.
• Return the pan with the chicken to the heat and, working quickly, pour the whiskey over it and then set alight. Let the flame die down and then add the broth.
• Cover the chicken with the roasting pan lid (or tuck foil all the way around) and transfer to the oven to bake for about 45-50 minutes.
• When the chicken is cooked, transfer it to a cutting board to rest.
• Drain off some of the accumulated fat and then set the pan on a medium high heat.
• Add a spoonful of water to loosen bits clinging to the bottom of the pan, and then add the cream, stirring as you do so.
• Bring to a boil and let cook for about 2-3 minutes.
• Add the parsley to the sauce and keep warm.
• Section the chicken and serve the sauce at table with the chicken. Serves 4-6.
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• NOTE: The Famous Grouse blended whisky, which, by the way, includes these three whiskies in the blend: Glenrothes (for fragrance), Highland Park (for a light smokiness) and Macallan (for unmistakable richness and backbone).
• New Celtic Cooking.

COCK-A-LEEKIE SCOTTISH CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• 1. This soup starts in the afternoon, so make sure you've got enough time on your hands!!! Start off my taking a 3-4 lb chicken and put it in a dutch oven. Chop one onion into eighths, two large carrots into big sized chunks, about 4 celery sticks and peel about 6 cloves of garlic. Arrange them all around the chicken except two of the garlic cloves. • Stuff a bundle of fresh rosemary, thyme and oregano into the body cavity of the chicken (check to make sure they don't have the bagged intestines inside... gross, but important) with the two cloves of garlic, and spread a smaller bundle around with the onions and carrots. Sprinkle the whole she-bang with salt and pepper. Cook on very low heat for about two hours When the chicken is cooked, let it cool off for a little bit and then pull it, the veggies and any herbs out of the pot, leaving any liquid in the bottom of the dutch oven and set aside Put about four pints of broth into the pot and bring to a simmer. Add half a cup of barley (dry), about 7 leeks (white and light green parts only) lightly chopped and about fifteen dried and pitted prunes cut into quarters. Cook for about forty minutes until the barley is cooked through While the soup is cooking, let the chicken and reserved veggies cool.... roughly chop them and set them aside. De-bone the chicken, discarding the skin and keeping the bones to make broth later, and shredding the meat into bite-sized pieces. Once the barley is cooked through, add the veggies and about half of the chicken meat back into the soup, along with a handful of fresh parsley Simmer for about ten more minutes and eat!