Keto Chicken Soup

Early February. Dustin’s annual physical at the apprenticeship-shop’s clinic Friday flagged some borderline blood-sugar numbers. He is twenty-three years old, has been a working HVAC apprentice since 2018, eats whatever I cook for him, and has gained approximately twelve pounds since we moved in together in July. The doctor said the numbers were borderline pre-diabetic — not at the level that would require medication but at the level that would require dietary attention. The doctor recommended a low-carbohydrate dietary shift across the next ninety days with a follow-up bloodwork in May.

Dustin and I sat at the kitchen table Friday night with the doctor’s small printed handout about low-carb eating. He read through it carefully. He said: Kay, can you cook this way? I told him I could. I said I had been wanting to try the low-carb category at the apartment kitchen and the dietary-shift opportunity was the reason to start.

Sunday I made keto chicken soup because the soup is rich in protein and fat with no rice or pasta as the carbohydrate base. Chicken thighs poached in broth, heavy cream, mushrooms, spinach, fresh herbs. The soup is the kind of low-carb dinner that does not feel like a low-carb dinner because the fat content is high enough to satisfy. Dustin had three bowls. I had two. The dish is going on the low-carb-experiment rotation list.

The recipe is the small Sunday-anchor in a small year of recipe-anchors. The Sunday-publish has been the small constant since I was fourteen and a freshman at Sapulpa High. The constancy is the small discipline. The small discipline is what makes the small kitchen-life sustainable.

The cafe’s small weekday-rhythm continues. Mama runs the small breakfast-and-brunch rotation. Cody runs the small lunch-and-dinner rotation. The small staff is the small extended family the cafe has built across the years.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cubed
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 stalks celery, sliced
2 medium carrots, sliced
6 cups chicken broth (low sodium)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup fresh spinach or kale, roughly chopped

Instructions

Sauté the aromatics. In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the diced onion and celery and cook for 4–5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant.
Brown the chicken. Add the cubed chicken to the pot and season with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is lightly browned on the outside.
Add broth and vegetables. Pour in the chicken broth and add the sliced carrots, dried thyme, and dried parsley. Stir to combine.
Simmer. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
Finish with greens. Stir in the chopped spinach or kale and cook for 2–3 minutes until wilted. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Serve. Ladle into bowls and serve hot. Pairs well with a side of crusty bread or tortilla chips for those not keeping it keto.

Nutrition (per serving)

Keto Chicken Soup — A Sunday for Dustin’s New Year Bloodwork