Keto Chicken Malai Soup

Malai—fresh cream—is the soul of this North Indian soup. Its silky richness is amplified by toasting whole green and black cardamom pods in ghee before building the broth, so their camphor and smoke drift through every spoonful. The chicken is diced small, not shredded, so it stays tender in the gentle simmer and cooks through in minutes without drying out.

The broth itself is a whisper: chicken broth as the base, then coconut milk and heavy cream layered in for depth and viscosity. The spices—coriander powder, white pepper—are restrained here; the cardamom is the star. Fresh coriander and a pinch of salt finish it. The common mistake is boiling after the cream is in; keep the heat below a simmer once dairy hits the pot. At 30 grams of protein and only 4 grams of net carbs per serving, this is an almost-all-protein, nearly zero-carb comfort that tastes like Sunday dinner. Serve it in small bowls as a starter before a paneer or vegetable main.