If you're looking for a filling and warming dinner, this Creamy Cock a Leekie Soup with Bacon and Rice is just the thing!
I sometimes get told off for making recipes on the blog that don't follow the exact ingredients or approach for the traditional version.
When it first happened (via a comment on the blog), I was shocked and rather downhearted. I hate the thought of offending anyone, and I honestly thought about changing the recipe.
But, after a bit of moping, I realised that that it's my recipe, and I really like it. It's my take on a certain dish, that may have certain traditional origins, but that doesn't mean that I shouldn't modify it according to my own tastes, or because I need to swap out that difficult-to-source ingredient.
After all, if we searched for Special Fried Rice, i'd be pretty disappointed if the results all showed the same recipe.
One of the things I love most about being in the kitchen is trying different things, adding a bit of a twist here and there and experimenting!
Experiment guys!
Use up those leftovers, add something unusual (I LOVE adding a tbsp of jarred beetroot juice to my corned beef hash soup - a tip from my dad), or serve it in a different way (how about stuffing potato skins with lasagne?). If it works, share it!
I love hearing how other people might make a recipe that appears on KS - either your own traditional recipe, or the modifications you might make to my recipe. Let's make dinner an adventure!!
Anyway, what I'm trying to say in a very long, drawn-out way, is that this isn't your traditional Cock-a-Leekie soup. ????????
It's got chicken, leeks, stock and a few prunes in there. Rice too (sometimes people add rice, others sometimes add barley, or neither). So it's covering quite a lot of the Cock-a-Leekie bases. But I like to brown my chicken for more flavour. Then add in some cream, and then top with crispy bacon. ????????
Yep, it's not 100% authentic, but it's bloomin delicious!! And filling too. I made it for Chris and I for a late lunch, and we ended up not bothering with dinner. Next time I'll just serve it for dinner!
Hope you enjoy and if you make the recipe and add any of your own touches, I'd love to know!
More Soup Ideas
Still hungry for more Soups? Take a look at these:
Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup With Turmeric
The Creamy Cock-a-Leekie Soup with Bacon and Rice recipe:
Creamy Cock a Leekie Soup with Bacon and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium chicken - jointed into pieces*
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 onions - peeled and chopped
- 4 carrots - peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 leeks - washed and cut into thick slices
- ¼ tsp celery salt
- 2 chicken stock cubes - (use bouillon for gluten free)
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 100 g long grain rice
- 4 rashers bacon
- 2 tbsp double (heavy) cream
- 10 prunes - sliced in half
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat 1 tbsp of the oil on a medium-high heat in a large, high-sided pan (big enough for the whole chicken), season the chicken pieces with a good pinch of salt and pepper and brown all over in the pan. You may have to do this in 2 batches, depending on the size of your pan. It should take around 10 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and place in a bowl.
- Add the onions, carrots and leeks to the pan, along with the remaining salt and pepper and the celery salt. Fry for 5 mins on a medium-high heat - until the onions start to soften. Remove half of the vegetables from the pan and put to one side.
- Add in the chicken back into the pan. Sprinkle on the two stock cubes and cover with cold water. Add the bay leaves and 2 sprigs of fresh thyme. Turn up the heat and bring to the boil, place a lid on the pan and simmer for 1 hour.
- After an hour, remove the lid, and carefully remove the chicken pieces. Place on a chopping board to cool a little.
- Strain the stock using a sieve, and pour the strained stock back into the pan. Add in the rice and the reserved vegetables. Bring back to boil and simmer for 15 mins.
- Meanwhile shred the chicken, discarding the bones. Add all but a handful of the chicken back into the pan with the vegetables and cook for a further 10 minutes.
- Heat up the remaining oil on a high heat in a small frying pan/skillet. Add the bacon, then fry until crisp. Remove from the pan and chop into pieces.
Add the reserved shredded chicken to the frying pan and fry on a high heat for a few minutes in the bacon fat. This makes a lovely, flavourful topping! - Stir the cream into the soup, then top with the crispy bacon, the fried chicken pieces and the prunes. Add a sprig of thyme and serve.
✎ Notes
Nutrition
Nichola Stephenson says
Hello Nicky
Can this soup be frozen.
Thank you😊
Janni Sørensen says
Loving your recepies ????.. Janni (Denmark )
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks Janni - lovely to hear from you 😀
Kathryn Clayton says
Meals would become so boring if we followed the same recipe, without adding our own little twists. The kitchen is my happy place, where I love experimenting with different recipes and foods. I love your take on some traditional recipes, keep up the amazing work.????
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks and yes to that!! ❤❤❤️️️
Beverly says
Before I retired I was a classically trained chef. Recipe alterations are how new innovations are developed. They are NOT written in stone, but are nothing more than guidelines. I almost always 'tinker' with a recipe. You are totally correct to make any recipe your own way. Keep it up, you're doing well.
Nicky Corbishley says
Thankyou Beverly - yes to this! It's so much more fun to tinker with a recipe!
Btw, I'm honoured that a classically trained chef would come and read my recipes 😀 😀
Lavina Datwani says
Hi Nicky,
I love this post and really just want to say you go girlfriend and do you! 🙂
As a fellow food blogger who also uses unconventional methods/ingredients in my recipes, I completely understand what you mean by it's your take on the recipe and it's YOUR RECIPE! 😉 Not everyone is going to like it, but hey, it's what you love and believe in so keep up the creativity!
Love all your gorgeous photographs and looking forward to your next post as always!
Nicky Corbishley says
Thank you so much Lavina 😀 You're 100% right!!