← Nouns Cooking · British & Irish

Ingredients

• 1 small whole chicken (about 1.5 kg)
• 2 l Water
• 1 Onion, halved
• 2 Carrot, 1 halved, 1 sliced
• 2 sticks Celery, cut into chunks
• 3 Leek, white parts sliced into rounds, green tops kept
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 sprigs Thyme
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 12 ready-to-eat prunes, halved
• 50 g pearl barley or long-grain rice (optional)
• 1 handful Parsley, chopped
• Salt

Method

1. Put the chicken in a large pot with the onion, the halved carrot, the celery, the leek tops, bay, thyme and peppercorns. Pour in the water to just cover and add a good pinch of salt.
2. Bring to the boil, skim off any scum, then lower the heat and simmer gently, partly covered, for 1 hour until the legs pull away easily and the meat reaches 75°C (165°F).
3. Lift the chicken onto a board and let it cool for 10 min. Strain the stock, discard the vegetables and herbs, and pour the stock back into the pot.
4. Add the sliced leeks, the sliced carrot and the barley or rice if using. Simmer for 20 min until tender.
5. Pull the chicken meat from the bones in bite-sized pieces, discarding skin and bones. Return it to the pot with the prunes and simmer for 10 min. Season well, stir in the parsley and serve.

Tips

• Barley contains gluten; use rice or leave it out to keep the soup gluten-free.
• Chill the stock overnight and lift off the fat for a cleaner, lighter broth.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

BBC Good Food Great British Chefs Olive Magazine