High-protein chicken, lentil & quinoa soup
A one-pot, protein-packed soup with chicken, red lentils, quinoa and chickpeas — hearty, lean and ready in 50 minutes.
This is the kind of soup that doubles as a meal and a sensible life choice: lean chicken, two legumes and quinoa for a proper protein hit. It’s cosy, filling and forgiving — everything you want on a busy evening.
Make it when you need a nourishing midweek dinner that reheats beautifully, or batch-cook for lunches that actually keep you full. The lemon and parsley at the end stop it being cloying and make each spoonful bright.
Ingredients
- 15 ml olive oil
- 1 brown onion — large (about 150 g), finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves — crushed
- 2 carrots — medium, diced
- 2 celery sticks — trimmed and sliced
- 400 g chicken breasts — trimmed, cut into 2 cm pieces
- 120 g red lentils — rinsed
- 100 g quinoa — rinsed in a fine sieve
- 240 g tinned chickpeas — drained weight (from a 400 g tin), rinsed
- 1.2 l low-salt chicken stock
- 5 ml smoked paprika
- 5 ml ground cumin
- 5 ml dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 ml chilli flakes — optional
- 5 ml sea salt — plus extra to taste
- 5 ml black pepper — freshly ground
- 120 g baby spinach — washed
- 15 g fresh parsley — roughly chopped
- 1 lemon — zest and 1 tbsp juice
- 100 g Greek yoghurt — to serve (optional)
Equipment
- large saucepan with lid
- fine sieve
- kitchen thermometer
Instructions
Rinse the quinoa in a fine sieve under cold running water until the water runs clear; drain. Rinse the red lentils in the same sieve. (This removes dust and the quinoa’s bitter coating.)
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the brown onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until softened and translucent.
Add the garlic cloves, carrots and celery sticks and fry for a further 3 minutes until fragrant and starting to soften.
Stir in the smoked paprika, ground cumin, dried oregano, bay leaf and chilli flakes; cook for 1 minute to bloom the spices.
Add the chicken breasts pieces and cook for 4 minutes, stirring, to seal the outside. Don’t worry about cooking through at this stage.
Pour in the low-salt chicken stock, then add the red lentils, quinoa and tinned chickpeas. Stir, bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes until the quinoa and lentils are tender and the chicken is cooked through.
Remove and discard the bay leaf. Check the chicken is cooked; shred any larger pieces with the back of a spoon if needed. Taste and adjust seasoning with sea salt and black pepper.
Stir in the baby spinach, fresh parsley, lemon zest and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes until the spinach has wilted and flavours have brightened.
Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with a spoonful of Greek yoghurt and extra parsley if you like. Serve hot.
Tips
- Rinse quinoa well in a fine sieve; otherwise it can lend a bitter note to the soup.
- If you want extra protein, stir in a tin of drained tuna or a drained tin of white beans when adding the spinach — quick and effective.
- To keep pieces of chicken tender, cut them to roughly the same size and only seal them in step 5 rather than fully cooking straight away.
- This soup freezes well. Cool completely, portion into airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently.
- If the soup thickens on standing, loosen with a splash of boiling water or extra stock when reheating.
Substitutions
chicken breasts → turkey breast, same weight
Stays closequinoa → brown rice, 120 g (longer cooking time)
Noticeably differentred lentils → green or puy lentils, 150 g (they hold their shape but need a longer simmer)
Noticeably differenttinned chickpeas → tinned cannellini beans, same drained weight
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 562
- Calories
- 52 g
- Protein
- 60 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 700 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this vegetarian?
Yes — replace the chicken with extra chickpeas or firm tofu (400 g) and use vegetable stock. Protein remains high, but the flavour will be milder so consider adding a splash of soy sauce or miso for depth.
Can I use dried chickpeas?
You can, but they must be soaked and fully cooked beforehand — add them in step 6 only if already tender. Otherwise use tinned for speed.
How long will leftovers keep?
Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat gently on the hob and add a splash of water or stock if it’s too thick.
Can I increase the protein further?
Stir in a scoop of unflavoured protein powder (savory-friendly type) or add an extra 200 g chicken or an extra tin of chickpeas — adjust seasoning and liquid accordingly.
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