Looking for a comforting soup to serve on a cold, winter's day? Try our cock-a-leekie soup! It's made with a flavorful stock and full of chunks of juicy chicken, and it's one of Scotland's most famous soups.
If you are looking for other recipes to serve for Burn's Night (January 25), you'll love our cranachan and our vegetarian haggis.
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About
Cock-a-leekie soup is a popular soup in Scotland whose history can be traced back to the 16th century. It probably originated in France, where it was called chicken and onion soup. The original version had prunes, which provide a nice sweetness and a good contrast.
The Scots put their own twist on it by replacing the onions with leeks and adding rice, or sometimes barley, to make it heartier. Cock-a-leekie soup is simple to make for an everyday meal, and has comforting flavors. It is also commonly served as an appetizer at a Burns supper to celebrate the birthday of Scotland's most famous poet, Robert Burns.
Why This Recipe Works
- The broth is full of flavor and color because we made our own chicken stock.
- It has juicy, flavorful chicken. We started with a fresh, whole chicken that was cooked in the stock to 165°F, then tented with foil, rested, and shredded. Instead of putting it back into the soup and overcooking it, the chicken was divided into the serving bowls.
- To help thicken the broth for the cock-a-leekie soup, we used long grain rice.
- To provide a slight sweetness, we used pitted prunes in this savory soup.
Ingredients
Wondering what you need to make cock-a-leekie soup? Except for the leeks, this soup takes pantry staples. Let's talk about some of the key ingredients.
- Chicken: We used a small (2.37 lb) whole chicken which produced 303g of cooked, shredded meat. You'll want anywhere from 50-75g of shredded chicken for each soup bowl. We used 75g for the photo shoot.
- Vegetables: We used leeks, carrots, and celery.
- Dried Fruit: We used 12 pitted prunes that were quartered. They provide a subtle sweetness to the cock-a-leekie soup.
- Grains: We used long grain rice, but you can substitute that with pearl barley.
- Spices: We made a bouquet garni from fresh parsley and fresh thyme leaves. We also used a bay leaf, black peppercorns, freshly ground black pepper, and salt.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make
Gather all the ingredients to make cock-a-leekie soup.
- Put the following vegetables and spices on the bottom of the Dutch oven: leek greens, washed carrots peels, celery leaves, garlic, onions, bouquet garni, and the bay leaf. Place the chicken on top and add the salt and black peppercorns. Cover with 12 cups of cold, filtered water to make this delicious cock-a-leekie soup.
- Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cook until very tender and 165°F; about 40 to 55 minutes depending on the size and freshness of your chicken. When tender, remove the chicken and put it on a plate. Cover loosely with foil. Leave to cool then tear into large chunks. Remove the veggies with a large splotted spoon or a metal spider and discard.
3. Strain the stock for the cock-a-leekie soup by pouring through a fine mesh strainer that is held over top of a large bowl. You should have 10 cups of chicken stock.
4. Pour the stock back into the Dutch oven and add the long grain rice.
5. Add the chunky leeks, celery, carrots, and prunes. Cook the cock-a-leekie soup with a lid on for 30 minutes over medium low heat.
6. Add the sliced leeks, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 10 minutes to finish the cock-a-leekie soup.
7. Taste and adjust seasonings, so the broth is to your liking.
8. Divide the chicken into 6 bowls, ladle the cock-a-leekie soup on top and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve immediately with a slice of fresh, homemade crusty bread like our Cob loaf.
Recipe FAQs
This famous Scottish soup has a cute name. The word "cock" refers to the meat that is in the soup, which is chicken, and the word "leekie" refers to the main vegetable in it, which is leeks.
The main ingredient is a flavorful stock made with a whole chicken. Leeks, rice, prunes, and chunks of chicken make a comforting soup that is flavored with salt and pepper.
This soup originated in France, and was introduced to Scotland back in the 16th century. Originally, the Scots would use a hen that was no longer laying eggs in this soup.
Serve
If serving for a main course instead of an appetizer, add more chunks of chicken (at least 75g) to the bottom of the bowl before ladling the hot cock-a-leekie soup on top. Serve with a thick slice of a crusty bread like our Cob loaf or our English bloomer bread.
To make the meal more well rounded you can also serve the cock-a-leekie soup with a simple green salad like our Chick-fil-A side salad or our bell pepper salad. You may also like to serve it with a cheese plate, Scottish oatcakes, and fruit to provide a rich and indulgent contrast.
Finish the meal off with our gluten free ratafia biscuits or Scottish cranachan.
Cock-a-leekie soup is also served as an appetizer for Burns Night on January 25. Burns Night is a celebration of the life and works of Robert Burns, Scotland's national poet. It typically includes a supper with traditional Scottish food and drink.
Store
- Make Ahead: If you are planning on making the cock-a-leekie soup the day before, hold off on the rice and the thinly sliced leeks. Add those the day you want to serve it, as the rice absorbs the broth.
- Leftovers: Any leftover cock-a-leekie soup can keep in the fridge for up to 4 days when stored in an airtight container.
- Freeze: If you plan on freezing this soup, remove the prunes first. Place in a zip top freezer bag for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Thaw completely in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stovetop over medium heat until hot.
Expert Tips
- Use a fresh, whole chicken instead of frozen to get the best flavor.
- Cook the whole chicken to 165°F; check with a meat thermometer.
- Reserve the shredded chicken for the soup bowls. Don't put it back into the soup, as you don't want to overcook the chicken for this cock-a-leekie soup.
- Use a bouquet garni of fresh parsley and fresh thyme tied with kitchen string.
- Use pitted prunes that have been quartered and stew the prunes in the soup so they are soft.
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Recipe
Cock-a-Leekie Soup
Ingredients
For the Stock
- 1 whole small chicken, 2.37 lb; yields 300 g of meat
- 1 bunch leek tops
- 2 carrot peelings from 2 large carrots
- 2 celery leaves from 2 large celery ribs
- 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 large yellow onion, skin on, quartered
- 6 sprigs fresh parsley
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 12 cups cold, filtered water
For the Soup
- ½ cup long grain rice
- 2 large carrots, cut lengthwise, thinly sliced
- 2 large celery ribs, cut lengthwise, thinly sliced
- 3 large leeks, cut lengthwise, ½ inch pieces
- 1 large leek, cut lengthwise, thinly sliced, reserve ½ for garnish
- 12 prunes, pitted then quartered
- 1 ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon flat leaf parsley, garnish
Instructions
- Put the leek greens, washed carrots peels, celery leaves, garlic, onions, bouquet garni, and the bay leaf on the bottom of the Dutch oven. Place the chicken on top and add the salt and black peppercorns. Cover with 12 cups of cold, filtered water.
- Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cook until very tender and 165°F; 40 to 55 minutes depending on the size and freshness of your chicken.
- When tender, remove the chicken and put it on a plate. Cover loosely with foil. Leave to cool then tear into large chunks. Remove the veggies with a large splotted spoon or a metal spider and discard.
- Strain the stock by pouring into a fine mesh strainer placed over a large bowl. You should have 10 cups of chicken stock.
- Pour the stock back into the Dutch oven. Add the long grain rice, chunky leeks, celery, carrots, and prunes. Simmer covered for 30 minutes over medium low heat.
- Add the sliced leeks, reserve some for garnish, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, so the broth is to your liking.
- Divide the chunks of chicken into 6 bowls (50g to 75g), ladle soup on top and garnish with fresh parsley and thin leek coins. Serve immediately with a slice of fresh, homemade crusty bread like our Cob loaf.
Notes
- Use a fresh, whole chicken instead of frozen to get the best flavor.
- Cook the whole chicken to 165°F; check with a meat thermometer.
- Reserve the shredded chicken for the soup bowls. Don't put it back into the soup, as you don't want to over cook the chicken for this cock-a-leekie soup.
- Use a boquet garni of fresh parsley and fresh thyme tied with kitchen string.
- Use pitted prunes that have been quartered and stew the prunes in the soup so they are soft.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Beth
While the prunes are rather interesting, they add a good color and fruity undertone to the soup. The leeks are soft, and the chicken is very flavorful and well cooked. It was great to try this soup!
Emma
Thanks for your review, Beth!
Alex
The broth is warm and delicious, and very flavorful. The prunes add an interesting hint of sweetness, and the veggies add color and flavor. The chicken is very soft and tender.
Emma
We're glad you enjoyed it, Alex!