High Protein Chicken and Vegetable Soup

This recipe is so delicious on a chilly day! The fresh herbs really brighten this dish! It's healthy comfort food, for sure! Feel nice and full with just 226 calories! It's very easy and quick to make and perfect for meal prepping!

Serves 4

226 calories per serving

Nutrition: 226 calories, 19 carb, 3.5 fat, 27 protein

Ready in 22 minutes

Low Calorie/High Volume High Protein- so you stay fuller longer on fewer calories!

Ingredients

2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, diced into bite size pieces about ¾” thick (220 cal, 52 carb, 0 fat, 6 protein)

½ cup diced onion (32 cal, 7 carb, .1 fat, .9 protein)

3 small celery stalks, thinly sliced (14 cal, 3 carb, 0 fat, 0 protein)

1 cup shredded carrots (45 cal, 11 carb, .3 fat, 1 protein)

2 tsp minced garlic (4 cal, 1 carb, 0 fat, .2 protein)

½ cup water

7 cups chicken broth 

OR

7 cups water and 2 tablespoons chicken bullion granules (31 cal, 2.2 carb, 1.7 fat, 2 protein)

12 ounces cooked chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces (561 cal, 0 carb, 12 fat, 104 protein)

1-2 teaspoons fresh basil, loosely chopped

1-2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, loosely chopped

Instructions

In a large saucepot over medium high heat add the potatoes, onion, celery, carrots, garlic and ½ cup water. Stir to combine and cover it with a lid for 6 minutes. 

Stir and cover and let it cook for an additional 4-6 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender. 

Then, add 7 cups of chicken broth (or 7 cups of water and chicken bullion granules), and cooked chicken pieces. Continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes, or until it’s very warm. 

Top with fresh basil and rosemary. 

Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Tree Nut Free, Peanut Free, Noom, Paleo, Keto

It comes together really quickly, which is perfect on days when you want to eat something with tons of protein FAST! 

Substitutions

If you don't have or don't like some of the vegetables, substitute them for other ones. The calorie count will need to be adjusted.

Meal Prep

This is a great meal prep recipe! Keep individual servings of this soup in a microwave safe dish in the fridge for 3-4 days. When you want to eat it, microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, stirring it one time in the middle of heating.

Health Benefits of Using Herbs and Spices

Everyone knows that herbs and spices are a great way to add flavor to your food without adding additional calories, but did you know that they also have many health benefits? 

Garlic

Garlic is one of the world's most potent natural medicines. The medical database of the National Institute of Health contains more than 3,200 studies on the therapeutic power of garlic. Many of those studies are about preventing, sower, and reversing cardiovascular disease-- the heart attacks and strokes that kill more Americans than any other health problem. 

Rosemary

Studies show that rosemary is a potent antioxidant that can wipe out heterocyclic amines, or HCAs. Rosemary's carcinogen-killing talent comes from a special blend of antioxidants- rosmarinic acid, carnosic acid, and carnosol. Studies show that rosemary possesses more antioxidant strength than BHA and BHT, manmade antioxidants strong enough to keep fats such as butter and lard from going bad.  Other studies suggest that it might act like a protective shield agains the sun's UV radiation, which causes premature aging and increases the risk of skin cancer. 

Basil

Researches found that several compounds in basil extract had "anti-stress effects" in stressed laboratory animals. Basil normalized levels of cortisol, lowered blood sugar (which spikes when you're under stress" decreased creatine kinase (an enzyme generated when the body is under severe stress), and stopped "adrenal hypertrophy" (a sign of overworked adrenal glands). In another study, researchers found that compounds in basil neuter dangerous molecules called free radicals. These molecules roam through the body and create oxidative damage corroding arteries, decaying neurons, and eroding DNA (a possible trigger for cancer). 

Onion

Onions are rich in quercetin, a powerful antioxidant that has been shown to slow the growth of cancer cells, stow the growth of cancer  cells, stop cancer cells from migrating to other parts of the body, and force cancer cells to die in a variety of ways, such as cutting off their blood supply or activating cancer-killing genes. Additionally, the "Journal of Medicinal Food" showed that onions lower blood sugar. 

I wrote a very informative blog post about the health benefits of cooking with spices, here.

For expert level learning about healing spices, I recommend the book "Healing Spices" by Bharat B. Aggarwal, PhD. Get it on Amazon here. 

Isn't this such a delicious healthy soup?