Clear & Quick Chicken Soup
⏲ ~124 min total · prep 15 · cook 90 · 4 servings
Lunch⏱ 45 min total🔥 7.1g net carbs⚡ ≈507 kcal/serving~4% of calories from carbs
By the KFI Test Kitchen · Tested & approved by Jason Lieu, KFI recipe editor
Published Sep 15, 2026 · Updated Sep 15, 2026
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 celery ribs, sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 1 medium carrot, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Warm the olive oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium. Cook the onion 4 minutes until translucent, add the celery and carrot and cook 4 minutes more until they bend without snapping, then stir in the garlic for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour in the broth, drop in the bay leaf, and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so the liquid barely trembles — a rolling boil would cloud the broth.
- Lower in the whole chicken breasts, keeping the pot at a bare simmer. Skim any gray foam that rises during the first few minutes and poach 18-20 minutes, until the thickest part of the breast registers 165°F.
- Lift the breasts to a cutting board and shred along the grain with two forks into bite-size ribbons.
- Return the shredded chicken to the pot, stir in the dill and lemon juice, and simmer 2 minutes so the flavors marry. Fish out the bay leaf.
- Season with salt and plenty of black pepper; the broth should taste clean and just barely salty, not briny. Ladle into deep bowls while steaming hot.
Why this recipe works
- A bare simmer, always The broth stays clear because the liquid never boils. A rolling boil emulsifies fat and small particles into the broth and clouds it for good.
- Whole breasts, shredded late Poaching the breasts intact keeps the meat moist, and shredding along the grain afterward gives long ribbons that hold their shape in the bowl.
- Dill and lemon at the end Both go in during the final two minutes, so they perfume the broth instead of cooking dull. The lemon also lifts a broth that might otherwise read flat.
Tips for making this recipe well
Skim the gray foam early
The first few minutes of poaching push gray foam to the surface. Skim it as it appears, because once it breaks up, the broth carries the haze to the table.
Judge the vegetables by texture
The celery and carrot are ready when they bend without snapping, about eight minutes total. They soften further during the poach, so aim for bendable rather than collapsed.
Salt at the end
The broth concentrates as it simmers, so season after the chicken goes back in. The target from the recipe is a broth that tastes clean and barely salty, never briny.
Shred along the grain
Two forks pulled in the direction of the fibers give long ribbons. Shreds cut across the grain break down short and disappear into the broth.
Check the temperature, not the clock
Breasts vary in size, so probe the thickest one at eighteen minutes. Overcooked breast is the one flaw this quick soup cannot hide.
Serving suggestions
Ladle the soup into deep, preheated bowls while it is steaming, and make sure every portion gets its share of the shredded chicken from the bottom of the pot. A final pinch of fresh dill on each bowl costs nothing and looks deliberate. At 7.1 net carbs a bowl it needs no side dish, though a slice of keto bread rounds the plate out. The lemon is already in the broth, so skip the wedges unless someone asks.
Storage and meal prep
The soup keeps three to four days covered in the fridge, and the flavor is arguably better on day two. Reheat gently so the chicken stays tender, and hold the pot below a simmer for the clearest broth. Freezing works for two to three months, though the carrot and celery soften further after thawing. If you plan to freeze half, portion it before adding the lemon juice and dill, then stir those in fresh when you reheat.
Variations worth trying
- Thigh version Boneless thighs poach in the same window and give the broth a richer body. Skim a little more fat at the end.
- Egg-drop finish Drizzle a beaten egg into the trembling broth and stir once. It sets in soft ribbons and turns the bowl into more of a meal.
- Stretch the vegetables A second carrot and celery rib feed another mouth or two without pushing the net carbs far. Slice them as thin as the first batch so everything cooks at the same rate.
- Lemon peel in the pot A strip of lemon peel simmered alongside the bay leaf adds perfume without acidity. Fish it out with the bay leaf before serving.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my broth cloudy?
The pot boiled. Once that happens, fat and small particles emulsify into the liquid and the clarity never fully comes back. A bare simmer from start to finish is the fix.
Can I use rotisserie chicken?
You can in a pinch, but poaching the raw breasts in the broth is where this soup gains its character. Add pre-cooked meat in the last five minutes so it warms without toughening.
How thin should the carrot slices be?
Quarter-inch rounds on halves sliced lengthwise, as the recipe has it, so they soften in the same window as the celery. Thick coins stay firm and taste separate from the broth.
Is 45 minutes really enough time?
It is, and most of it is hands-off. The active work is roughly fifteen minutes of chopping and skimming while the poach handles the rest.
Can I make it ahead for the week?
It holds three to four days, so a Sunday pot covers most of a workweek. Store it with the herbs in, and a fresh pinch of dill at reheating wakes the bowl up.
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