You can get two courses for one lot of work with this recipe. Serve the broth as a starter, and you can serve the Chicken for the main course. Sadly, there’s no part of this dish for dessert, so you’ll have to think of that yourself!
This is a traditional Scottish dish, adjusted slightly for more modern palettes – in the traditional recipe a piece of Stewing Beef weighing around 550g is added in place of half the Chicken.
This dish works best in a Slow Cooker, so it’s great for when you are entertaining guests. You can put it on and then forget about it for the first seven hours, and then just do a few simple tasks to get it ready for serving.
To Serve 8
12 Ready to Eat Prunes
4 Chicken Portions
450g Leeks, Sliced
1.4l Hot Chicken or Beef Stock
1 Bouquet Garni
Salt and Pepper (to season)
1. Place the Chicken portions and the Leek in the Slow cooker, and pour the Stock over the top and stir to make sure that all surfaces have had moisture on them. Add the Bouquet Garni, before covering and cooking on low for seven hours.
2. If you’re serving the Chicken with the Soup (i.e., not in two courses), remove from the Cooker with a slotted spoon and cut the meat off of any bones. Cut the Chicken into bite-sized pieces and return to the cooker. If you’re serving in two courses, leave the Chicken Portions intact in the cooker.
3. Add the Prunes to the cooker, and season to taste with Salt and Pepper. Cover again, and cook on a high heat for the final thirty minutes.
4. Remove and discard the Bouquet Garni, and then serve as you prefer – if in two courses, use a slotted spoon to remove the Chicken Portions and then ladle the broth into bowls, otherwise ladle as it is.
Photo Courtesy of: Laurel Fan