Instant Pot Cock-A-Leekie Soup–a fast and easy version of the Scottish chicken, leek and rice soup. You can make this in your electric pressure cooker or your slow cooker.
Note: the SLOW COOKER instructions are listed in the recipe card below
Instant Pot Cock-A-Leekie Soup
Traditionally, this soup is served during Burns Night in Scotland every January. I’ve tweaked the ingredients and cooking method for the Instant Pot, so instead of simmering on the stove for hours and hours, the soup is ready in less than an hour from start to finish. (About 20 minutes of prep then only a 3 minute pressure cook time with a 10 minute natural pressure release!) You’re going to love this brothy chicken soup! It is like chicken noodle soup but with rice instead.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Leeks–make sure to clean well as they have a lot of dirt in them
- Cooked and chopped rotisserie chicken–I cooked a whole chicken in the Instant Pot and chopped it up for this recipe plus a casserole recipe. This works great for meal prep! You can also buy a rotisserie chicken for a great price at Costco. They even have the rotisserie chicken meat chopped and packaged now. Another option is to make my favorite seasoned shredded chicken.
- Carrots–you can also use baby carrots
- Bay leaves–for flavoring the soup
- Long grain white rice–you can also use barley or brown rice
- Poultry seasoning–or you can make your own
- Kosher salt–or sea salt
- Dried minced onions–or you can use a half cup of fresh chopped onions
- Black pepper–or white pepper
- Chicken broth–or you can use 8 cups of water and 8 teaspoons of Better than Bouillon Chicken Base. You can also use homemade chicken stock.
Instructions
This is a dump everything into the pot and press start recipe! The hardest part is peeling and cutting up the carrots.
- Add all ingredients into Instant Pot.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the soup button to 3 minutes. When time is up let the pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir well. Ladle into bowls and serve. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Where Does Cock-a-Leekie Soup Get Its Name?
The Scottish soup cock-a-leekie soup likely draws its name from two of the main ingredients, chicken and leeks.
How Do You Prepare Leeks for Soup?
Leeks consist of tightly wrapped leaves and grow in sandy soil. Grit gets trapped between the leaves as it grows, so you’ll want to clean leeks well before using.
With a sharp knife, remove the dark green leaf end and discard. Thinly slice the leek into rings and discard the root end. Submerge the sliced leeks in a bowl of cold water. Give them a gentle stir or shake to remove any soil or grit between the layers. Allow the leeks to sit in the water for a few minutes. Then scoop them into a colander using your hands or a slotted spoon. Rinse with cool water tossing as you rinse.
How to make this soup with barley or brown rice?
Pearl barley and brown rice are chewy and healthy. They will taste great in your soup. The only issue you’ll have is that they take a longer cooking time (20 minutes) and the carrots will be turned to mush. I suggest pressure cooking a half cup barley or brown rice without the carrots for 15 minutes then adding the carrots and leeks in and finishing the soup off for another 5 minutes.
How to make this soup with uncooked chicken?
If you don’t have cooked chicken ready to go for this soup you can still make it with a few adjustments. Add chicken pieces (chicken legs, chicken breast, chicken thighs, etc.) into the pot with half of the broth. Pressure cook on the soup button for 12 minutes. Then let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Remove the lid. Remove the chicken and chop. Then add the chicken back into the pot. Add all the other ingredients and other half of broth into the pot. Pressure cook on the soup button for 3 minutes with a 10 minute natural pressure release. Stir and serve.
How long will this chicken soup keep?
Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container* for up to 5 days.
Can you freeze cock-a-leekie soup?
Yes this soup will freeze nicely. The rice does absorb a lot of the broth so you make want to add extra broth after you reheat it.
Can I add prunes into my Cock a Leekie Soup?
Original cock-a-leekie soup has prunes in it which add a slight sweetness to the soup. I opted out of the prunes. But you can add 4 ounces of pitted and chopped prunes, if you’d like.
More Amazing Instant Pot Chicken Soup Recipes…
Instant Pot Chick Fil-A Chicken Tortilla Soup
Instant Pot Panera Bread Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Instant Pot Amish Chicken Corn Soup
Instant Pot Chicken Tortellini Soup
Instant Pot Lentil Lemon Chicken Soup
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc. Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
What Equipment Did You Use?
- 6 or 8 quart Instant Pot*. You can also halve this recipe in a 3 quart Instant Pot.
- Vegetable peeler*
- Colander*
- Knife* for cutting leeks and carrots
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Instant Pot Cock-A-Leekie Soup
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
A fast and easy version of the Scottish chicken, leek and rice soup. You can make this in your electric pressure cooker or your slow cooker.
Ingredients
- 4 leeks, clean and sliced into quarter inch slices (see note)
- 3 cups cooked and chopped rotisserie chicken (see note)
- 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into half inch pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup uncooked long grain white rice
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp minced onions
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 cups chicken broth
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Add all ingredients into Instant Pot.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the soup button to 3 minutes. When time is up let the pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Discard the bay leaves. Stir well. Ladle into bowls and serve.
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Add all ingredients into slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours, or until rice and carrots are cooked. If you are using the slow cooker function on your Instant Pot then use the “more” setting.
- Discard the bay leaves. Stir well. Ladle into bowls and serve.
Notes
How to prepare and clean leeks: With a sharp knife, remove the dark green leaf end and discard. Thinly slice the leek into rings and discard the root end. Submerge the sliced leeks in a bowl of cold water. Give them a gentle stir or shake to remove any soil or grit between the layers. Allow the leeks to sit in the water for a few minutes. Then scoop them into a colander using your hands or a slotted spoon. Rinse with cool water tossing as you rinse.
I cooked a whole chicken in the Instant Pot and chopped it up for this recipe and a casserole recipe. It works great for meal prep! You can also buy a rotisserie chicken for a great price at Costco. They even have the rotisserie chicken meat chopped and packaged now. Another option is to make my favorite seasoned shredded chicken.
Original cock-a-leekie soup has prunes in it. I opted out of the prunes. But you can add 4 ounces of pitted and chopped prunes, if you’d like.
- Category: Soup
- Method: Instant Pot or Slow Cooker
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Okay, I’ll admit I did not make this to a T, at all, but I used it as a guideline for making a more traditional chicken soup. Both my husband & I tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend, so we needed/wanted something comforting. I used some previous frozen IP Seasoned Shredded chicken from another time and most of the recipe vegetables I had in the fridge. I cooked my orriechetti separately because I wanted every last drop of broth and didn’t want it soaked up by the pasta. The seasoning for the chicken was so flavorful that it added nice depth to the soup. Thank you Karen for making something so adaptable!
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Sounds awesome! I hope you feel better soon!
This looks yummy! Unfortunately, my Instant Pot Pro + Air Fryer doesn’t have a “soup button.” Any suggestions for another pressure cooking method?
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I would just use the manual/pressure cook button. It will still be great!
Thanks! I’ll try that!
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