Chicken and Potato Soup with Leeks

This Chicken and Potato Soup with Leeks is everything you want on a cold day: warm, hearty, and comforting.

This Chicken and Potato Soup with Leeks is everything you want on a cold day: warm, hearty, and comforting. Although at first it may sound like a simple chicken soup, the layers of flavour are much more complex. I use my homemade Yoich as a base for this delicious soup, but you could substitute your own family recipe in it’s place.

As always, homemade is best so if you have the time I would strongly suggest you make your own broth. I personally believe that part of the comfort of a bowl of chicken soup is the love that goes into making it: cheesy, but true.

Leeks, potatoes, and garlic create a savoury base when sauteed in chicken schmaltz. Layered on top of that is my flavourful homemade yoich with it’s chicken and beef notes. Fresh thyme adds a brightness to the soup, which beautifully balances out the richness of the cream. This entire meal can easily be on your table under forty minutes if you use my yoich recipe, making it the perfect weeknight food on a chilly day.

TOTAL TIME

• Preparation Time – 10 minutes
• Cooking Time – 25 minutes
• Total Time – 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS FOR CHICKEN AND POTATO SOUP WITH LEEKS

All the ingredients for this dish are easy to source from any local grocer.

• 1 Chicken, cooked and shredded (I used the chicken from my Yoich recipe)
• 5 cups Chicken Broth, preferably homemade
• 3 sprigs Thyme
• 1 Leek, washed thoroughly and sliced thin
• 2 tbsp Schmaltz
• 1 1/2 lbs Potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup 10 % Cream
• Black Pepper, to taste
• 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
• 4 cloves Garlic

WHAT IS KOSHER SALT?

Kosher salt has larger crystals than regular iodized salt. Although it is mined from traditional salt mines, it is less processed than normal table salt. It has larger flakes which make it easier to distribute, and therefore less likely to over salt your dish. It also adds some brine, flavour, and crunch.

WHAT IS SCHMALTZ?

Schmaltz is rendered chicken, goose, or duck fat, and is regularly featured in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine. It’s made from slowly sautéing the skin and fat together, then collecting the liquid fat as it cooks. If you have the time, you can certainly make your own schmaltz, but I tend to buy mine from my local butcher. You can also often purchase goose or duck fat from high end grocery stores as well.

CAN I LEAVE OUT THE CREAM?

If you really want you can leave the cream out of this soup, but it won’t be quite as rich and delicious.

INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS

CAN I USE CHICKEN BREASTS OR THIGHS INSTEAD OF A WHOLE CHICKEN?

You certainly could use chicken pieces instead of whole chicken if you’d like.

CAN I USE STORE BOUGHT BROTH INSTEAD OF HOMEMADE?

Unless you have access to fresh, made from scratch store bought broth, I wouldn’t use store bought. Delicious broth is the backbone for the entire recipe. I recommend using my Flavourful Yoich recipe. Additionally, this recipe uses the cooked chicken from the yoich recipe.

CAN I USE LIGHT CREAM?

This recipe uses 10% cream, but if you’d like you can certainly use 5% instead. The result will be a bit lighter, but still delicious.

CAN I USE RAW CHICKEN INSTEAD OF COOKED?

Absolutely not! The chicken is only cooked for a very short amount of time in this recipe. Raw chicken will not cook in that amount of time. The chicken must be cooked before it goes into the pot. I made this recipe to use the chicken from my Chicken Yoich, but you can also use leftover roast chicken if you are using store bought broth.

EQUIPMENT FOR CHICKEN AND POTATO SOUP WITH LEEKS

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Below is a list of the main equipment/kitchen tools needed to make this delicious soup.

• French Oven – I use my Le Creuset French Oven (also known as a Dutch Oven) every time I make large quantities of sauce, slow cooked braised meats, or soup. As with all Le Creuset cast iron dishes, it is extremely heavy and coated in enamel which enables it brown vegetables, then cook ingredients evenly for extended periods of time. It’s one of my most prized kitchen tools, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

• Baking Sheet – These Nordic Ware baking sheets are the best baking sheets I’ve ever owned. I’ve purchased expensive baking sheets by big brand names, but these reasonably priced Nordic Ware are far superior. They are lightweight, clean easily, cook evenly, and never warp. I can’t recommend these highly enough.

• Parchment paper

• Wooden spoon

• Kitchen Knife

• Cutting Board

COOKING DIRECTIONS FOR CHICKEN AND POTATO SOUP

This Chicken and Potato soup requires some effort, but I promise you it’s worth it. A few simple tricks will help you make a perfect soup your first time.

1. Use my homemade Chicken Yoich as a base.
2. Brown the potatoes before adding them to the broth.
3. Use chicken schmaltz to fry the leeks and chicken for added flavour.

MAKE AHEAD STORAGE

You can make the yoich up to three days in advance, simply separate the chicken, shred it, and refrigerate both.

This soup will keep in the fridge for three days, or in the freezer for several months.

FINISHED DISH

Enjoy this comforting Chicken and Potato Soup with Leeks.

OTHER SOUP DISHES

Flavourful Yoich

Creamy Butternut Squash and Chicken Soup

Lobster Chowder with Shrimp, Scallop and Salmon

Fluffy Matzo Ball Soup

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment and rating below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #cooking.with.carbs.

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Did you make this Chicken and Potato Soup with Leeks? Did you use our homemade yoich as well? Please tell us what you thought in the comments below!