Chicken and vegetable soup

A good chicken and vegetable soup is more than a starter: with 28 g of protein for 277 kcal, it is a genuine light, comforting meal. Chicken breast provides the protein, the variety of vegetables the fibre and micronutrients, the broth volume and hydration. Ideal when cutting, in the evening, or when you're coming down with something.

A soup's strength is its volume: a large bowl fills the stomach for very few calories, which helps hold a deficit without hunger. To make it a heartier meal (balance, bulking), add starches: potatoes, pasta, rice, or a slice of whole-grain bread. The chicken-vegetable base stays light.

The secret to a tasty soup is a good broth and aromatics. Sauté the onion before adding the broth, cook the chicken in it then shred it, and keep the vegetables slightly crunchy. A bouquet garni, fresh parsley and a little lemon lift the whole thing. It can be made in bulk and freezes very well.

Chicken soup is a framework you fill as you like. Follow seasonal vegetables: zucchini, tomato and green beans in summer, leek, carrot, cabbage and pumpkin in winter. To transform it, add a handful of vermicelli, rice, lentils or chickpeas, which bring carbs and extra plant protein.

The aromatics completely change the dish's character: ginger, lemongrass and coriander for an Asian soup; cumin and coriander for a spicy version; bouquet garni and parsley for the classic. The same chicken-broth base can thus give you a different soup every week, always light and protein-rich.

The first mistake is boiling too hard. A broth that barely trembles cooks the chicken gently and keeps it tender, whereas a rolling boil makes it dry and stringy. Once the chicken is in, lower the heat so the surface only shivers, and check doneness by cutting a cube open: it should be white throughout, with no pink at all. If you like very tender chicken, cook the whole breast in the broth, lift it out, shred it with a fork and return it at the end of cooking.

The second mistake is throwing everything into the pot at once. Carrots, onion and leek need more time than zucchini and green beans, which is why the recipe adds them in stages. Add the zucchini too early and it falls apart and clouds the broth; too late and it stays raw and bland. Cut the vegetables into pieces of similar size for even cooking, and do not hesitate to slice the carrots thinner than the zucchini.

The third point is seasoning. Store-bought stock is already salty, and it gets saltier still if it reduces a little while cooking. So taste before adding salt, then adjust at the end with pepper, parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice, which brightens the flavours without adding sodium. If you use stock cubes, pick a low-salt one, or dilute it more and make up for it with aromatics: thyme, bay leaf, garlic or a pinch of turmeric.

This soup is made to be prepared ahead. In the refrigerator it keeps for 3 days in an airtight container. Cool it quickly before storing (thin portions, or the pot set in a cold-water bath), then reheat until it is piping hot in the centre. In the freezer, count up to 3 months in individual portions; leave a little headspace in the container, because liquid expands as it freezes. Thaw overnight in the fridge for a more even result.

When cutting, the recipe as written (277 kcal and 28 g of protein per portion) works very well in the evening. You can increase the volume with more green vegetables or cabbage, or go up to 400 g of chicken for a more satisfying portion. For an even lighter soup, skim the broth after it cools: the fat sets on the surface and lifts off with a spoon. Remember to weigh the chicken raw so the macros in your tracking stay reliable.

When bulking, keep the same base and build on it: 60 to 80 g of cooked pasta or rice per bowl, a few diced potatoes added at the start of cooking, a drizzle of olive oil and a little grated cheese. You easily go from about 280 kcal to a meal of 450 to 550 kcal without losing the comforting side, and the protein stays high. The same pot serves two different goals.