High Protein Soup

Method

1. 1

   Sauté the aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until the onion turns translucent and the edges soften. Stir in the garlic for the final 30 seconds, just until fragrant — garlic burns fast and turns bitter past that point. This base of softened vegetables, sometimes called a mirepoix, gives the finished soup its background sweetness, so don't rush it over high heat.

2. 2

   Poach and shred the chicken. Pour in the chicken broth and bring it to a gentle simmer. Add the whole chicken breasts, lower the heat, and poach for 12 to 15 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Poaching rather than boiling keeps the breast tender instead of stringy. Remove the chicken to a board, shred it with two forks, and return it to the pot. The shredded surface area distributes protein evenly through every spoonful.

3. 3

   Add the vegetables. Stir in your seasonal vegetables and simmer for another 4 to 5 minutes until they are bright and just tender. Green beans and zucchini hold their texture well; frozen peas need only a minute. Season with salt and pepper now, while the soup is still on the heat, because the protein step that follows happens off the burner and you won't want to keep returning the pot to a boil.

4. 4

   Stir in the protein off the heat. This is the step that determines whether your high protein soup is smooth or grainy. Take the pot fully off the heat and let the bubbling stop. Whisk the scoop of potato protein isolate into a small ladle of the warm broth first to make a slurry, then pour that slurry back into the pot and stir immediately. Adding the unflavored isolate off-heat and stirring at once prevents it from clumping. It disappears into the broth and does not change the flavor.

5. 5

   Serve and store. Ladle into bowls, top with parsley, and serve right away while warm. To freeze, cool the soup completely and store in airtight containers for up to three months. Reheat gently over low heat — do not boil after the protein has been added, because high heat makes the texture grainy. For a vegan version, swap the chicken for 1 cup red lentils simmered in vegetable broth with 1 tsp cumin and ½ tsp turmeric, then stir in the potato protein isolate off the heat exactly the same way.