Chicken Skink

Yup, you read that right…Chicken Skink. Skink is an old Irish term meaning “broth”. So Chicken Skink is an Irish Chicken Soup. You might have actually heard the term before in the famous Scottish dish, Cullen Skink. Cullen is a small town in Moray on the Northeast coast of Scotland. Apparently the way they make skink there is with smoked haddock. The husband was very happy I chose to go with an Irish skink, since he has a seafood allergy.

This skink has chicken in it, along with leeks, carrots, celery and peas. It is enriched with cream and egg yolk which makes it a bit heartier than  your average chicken soup, which is a good thing because winter seems to be firmly entrenched around here. This skink is just what you need to warm you up but not weigh you down when you’re dashing around to all the St. Patrick’s Day parades and festivities. Make a big pot up of it today!

• Servings: 4
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe from: The Complete Irish Pub Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 2 celery stalks, halved lengthwise and diced
• 4 small carrots, thinly sliced
• 2 small leeks, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 3 1/2 Cups chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 sprigs of thyme, leaves only
• 1 cup diced cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup peas
• 4 small scallions, some green tops included, sliced
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 4 Boston or butter lettuce leaves, shredded
• salt and pepper

Directions:

Put the celery, carrots and leeks in a saucepan with the stock, bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, then simmer for 15 minutes or until tender.

Add the chicken, peas and scallions. Simmer for about 8 minutes, or until the peas are just tender.

Remove the pan from the heat. Lightly beat the egg yolk and cream together and stir the mixture into the soup. Reheat gently, stirring.

Ladle into warm bowls, add the lettuce and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Chicken Skink brought to you by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)