Meet Cock-a-Leekie Soup: The Best Chicken Soup You've Never Tried

If you’re craving a hearty, home-cooked soup for a chilly night or when you're feeling under the weather, we’ve got the perfect bowl of comfort, and it isn't your traditional chicken noodle soup made with celery and carrots.

You may not have heard about Scottish Cock-a-Leekie Soup before, but it’s been around for a while and is quite popular among those who have made it. Allrecipes has one of the highest-rated online recipes for the soup, and while it can be a little time-consuming to make, it's “worth the effort," according to reviewers.

What Is Scottish Cock-a-Leekie Soup?

We know the name sounds a little funny; it’s a play on the soup’s main ingredients, chicken and leeks, and while this soup might have an amusing name, that’s not the only thing it’s known for. As the national soup of Scotland, Cock-a-Leekie Soup is all about rich, savory flavor thanks to the leeks and the homemade chicken broth. 

“I'm not very experienced with soups (or leeks!), but this one grabbed my attention…there's just something magical about using something as green and hearty as the leek tops when starting out,” says Jason Hall. 

The soup also includes an ingredient you don’t typically see in a chicken soup: dried plums. We know it might sound different, but trust us; you'll love how these plums (aka prunes) add just a touch of sweetness to the flavor, balancing the savory goodness just right.

How to Make Scottish Cock-a-Leekie Soup

Besides a whole chicken, leeks, and dried plums, you'll only need a few other ingredients to make this soup, some of which you may already have on hand: garlic, white rice, and fresh thyme.

Start by placing the dark green leek tops, whole chicken, bay leaf, garlic, dried plums, and water in a pot and simmer on the stovetop. Remove the chicken meat from the bone once it's cooked and set aside. Return the bones to the broth to simmer for a while longer before removing them.

Towards the end of cooking, add half of the chopped white leeks to the pot with the rice and cook for another hour. Then add the remaining leeks and chicken meat to simmer for about 20 minutes before serving. 

What Allrecipes Members Think of Cock-a-Leekie Soup

"Yum! Very comforting on a chilly day. The broth makes this soup," says one Allrecipes member.

Another reviewer commented, "I made the recipe exactly as written and it was by far the best chicken soup I have ever made."

We know this soup can take some time, so if you want to cut it down, you can skip that extra hour of simmering the bones and skin in the pot. However, some members say this extra hour helps make this soup: "The broth is outstanding. Try not to skip the part where you simmer the bones and skin, that's where all the flavor lives!"

You can also swap out the white rice with another type of starch to get some bulk, with many members saying barley is the way to go.

"I used barley instead of rice as that felt like a more scottish ingredient," says Allrecipes member Sharyl.

"It only took a single bite to earn it's place in our top 5 chicken soup recipes," raves member juliannacounts.

With so many rave reviews, Cock-a-Leekie soup is sure to earn a spot in your winter soup rotation.