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British

Cock-a-leekie

Non-vegetarian

A clear Scottish broth of chicken and plenty of leeks, thickened lightly with rice or barley and traditionally sweetened with a few prunes.

Cock-a-leekie is a British soup from United Kingdom, ready in about 2 hours and made with chicken pieces, skin-on, leek and prunes. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

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Bowl of cock-a-leekie soup with chicken and leeks in clear broth
Photo: Laurel F / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-2.0
Prep
20 min
Cook
1 h 40 min
Total
2 h
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
390

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Put the chicken in a large pot with the water, the leek (opens in a new tab) green tops, carrot (opens in a new tab), celery (opens in a new tab), bay and thyme (opens in a new tab). Bring slowly to the boil and skim off the grey foam.

    Food safety: Wash hands, boards and knives after handling raw chicken.

  2. Step 2

    Lower the heat and simmer very gently, partly covered, until the chicken is falling from the bone.

    • 60 min
    • low heat

  3. Step 3

    Lift out the chicken and discard the vegetables and herbs. When cool enough, shred the meat, discarding skin and bone.

    • 10 min

  4. Step 4

    Return the broth to the boil, add the rice, salt, pepper (opens in a new tab) and the sliced white leeks (opens in a new tab) and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the prunes (opens in a new tab) and shredded chicken and simmer 5 minutes more.

    • 20 min
    • medium-low heat

    Food safety: Make sure the chicken is piping hot through before serving.

  5. Step 5

    Taste for salt and serve scattered with parsley (opens in a new tab).

    About this dish

    Origin
    Scotland, United Kingdom · Well documentedMore food from United Kingdom
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Soups · Main courses
    Cooking method
    Simmered, Poached
    Taste
    savoury, mild, sweet
    Diet
    No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
    All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    One-pot · Batch cooking · Freezer-friendly · Budget-friendly
    Cook more with
    Chicken pieces, skin-on · Leek · Prunes · Carrot · Celery · Bay leaves
    Techniques
    Simmering · Poaching

    Allergens

    • Contains: Celeryfrom celery

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    390 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 567 g · recipe makes 6

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 27%
    • Carbohydrate 25%
    • Fat 47%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy390 kcal69 kcal
    Protein26.7 g4.7 g
    Carbohydrate24.6 g4.3 g
    Net carbohydrate22.1 g3.9 g
    Sugars7.7 g1.4 g
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre2.6 g0.5 g
    Fat20.4 g3.6 g
    Saturated fat5.8 g1 g
    Trans fat0.1 g0 g
    Cholesterol100 mg18 mg
    Sodium902 mg159 mg
    Salt equivalent2.3 g0.4 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    516 mg
    Calcium
    100 mg
    Iron
    3.1 mg
    Magnesium
    60 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    195 µg
    Vitamin C
    11 mg
    Vitamin D
    0.3 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0.4 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    84 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: parsley.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Keep the white leeks until the end so they stay silky and bright rather than collapsing into the broth.

    Common mistakes

    • Boiling hard makes the broth cloudy and the chicken stringy — keep it at a bare simmer.

    Serve with

    • Serve with buttered oatcakes or crusty bread.

    Food safety

    • Cool the soup quickly and refrigerate within 2 hours; reheat until piping hot (75 °C) throughout.

    Storage

    • Keeps 3 days chilled; freezes well for 3 months.

    Reheating

    • Reheat gently until piping hot; the rice will thicken it, so add a splash of water.

    Variations

    • With barley (United Kingdom): Pearl barley instead of rice gives a heartier, chewier soup.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in steps 1, 3, 4

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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