RotiAI 
Chicken yakhni soup (چکن یخنی سوپ) is about 190 calories per serving (likely range 120-280, depending on skin and how much fat you skim) — a warming, high-protein bowl for sardi (winter). A slow-simmered bone-in chicken broth with shredded chicken, whole spices, and no rice, flour or tarka oil, it is high-protein and low-carb by nature.
Quick answer
- Calories: ~190 kcal per serving (likely range 120-280)
- Serving: one quarter of the pot: about 500 ml of broth plus roughly 70 g of shredded cooked chicken
- Serves: 4 · Cook time: 30 min hands-on, plus the simmer
- Tags: high-protein, low-carb, sardi (winter)
Calories in Chicken Yakhni Soup: the count
~190 calories per serving. A serving is one quarter of the pot made from the recipe: 800 g bone-in chicken simmered in 2.5 litres of water with onion, garlic, ginger, black peppercorns, coriander and cumin, strained, then finished with the shredded meat and fresh coriander. The pot makes roughly 2.2 litres of finished broth, so a serving is about 500 ml. There is no oil-heavy tarka and no rice or flour.
The range is wide on purpose. Whether the skin goes into the pot (and into the bowl) and how much fat you skim from the top can move a serving between roughly 120 and 280 kcal.
What the calories come from
- Shredded chicken is most of it. About 290 g of cooked meat comes off 800 g of bone-in chicken, which is roughly 500 kcal for the whole pot, or about 125 kcal a serving.
- Broth fat and skin add the rest. Unskimmed broth carries some chicken fat, and any skin you shred in is calorie-dense (about 360 kcal per 100 g).
- Nothing else counts for much. There is no cooking oil, rice, flour or thickener, and the strained onion, garlic and ginger add only a few calories.
Chicken Yakhni Soup macros at a glance
Per serving (one quarter of the pot), our estimate is about 25 g protein (21-28 g), 1-2 g carbohydrate and about 9 g fat (3-18 g). Protein comes from the shredded chicken and a little dissolved collagen in the broth; carbs are close to zero; fat depends on the skin and the skim.
How Chicken Yakhni Soup fits a desi diet
At ~190 calories, yakhni soup suits a light dinner, a starter, or a recovery meal when you want something warm and easy to eat. The protein-to-calorie ratio is strong, which is useful when you are eating in a calorie deficit. To make it a fuller meal, add a small portion of rice or a roti and count those on top.
Chicken Yakhni Soup: full macro breakdown
One serving (about 500 ml, a quarter of the pot) breaks down to approximately:
| Nutrient | Amount (per serving) | Likely range |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | ~190 kcal | 120-280 kcal |
| Protein | ~25 g | 21-28 g |
| Carbohydrates | ~1-2 g | 1-2 g |
| Fat | ~9 g | 3-18 g |
Most of the fat comes from chicken skin and the fat left in the broth. Using skinless chicken and skimming the top lowers the fat number and brings the total toward the bottom of the range, with almost no change in protein. The recipe itself only skims foam, so the mid figure assumes some fat stays in the pot.
Chicken Yakhni Soup portion size comparison
| Portion | Calories | Protein | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half serving (~250 ml) | ~95 kcal | ~12 g | Starter or light snack |
| One serving (~500 ml, a quarter of the pot) | ~190 kcal | ~25 g | Standard serving, light dinner |
| One serving + 1 medium chapati | ~290 kcal | ~28 g | Fuller meal with carbs |
| One serving + small portion of rice (about 1/2 cup cooked) | ~320 kcal | ~27 g | Recovery meal |
| Two servings (~1 litre) | ~380 kcal | ~50 g | High-protein main meal |
The chapati (about 100 kcal) and rice (about 130 kcal) add-ons are rough estimates.
Tips for a lighter Chicken Yakhni Soup
- Skim the fat layer. Chilling the broth briefly lets fat solidify on top so you can lift it off. On a fatty pot that can remove up to about 25 calories per serving (estimate).
- Use skinless chicken. Removing the skin before simmering keeps the broth lighter from the start rather than trying to skim it out later.
- Go easy on added salt. Lean on the whole spices for flavour instead of extra salt. Salt does not change the calorie count, and the recipe’s 1 1/2 tsp is for the whole pot.
- Bulk it with vegetables, not rice. Carrots or spinach add volume and micronutrients for very few calories.
Frequently asked questions about Chicken Yakhni Soup calories
Is chicken yakhni soup good for weight loss?
It can fit well. At about 190 calories with roughly 25 g of protein and almost no carbs, a serving is filling for its energy cost, which makes a calorie deficit easier to sustain. It is one of the lighter dishes in the hub, but not the only one.
Can I drink yakhni soup every day?
As an occasional meal or starter, yes. Watch the salt if you are managing blood pressure: the recipe uses salt for the whole pot, so using less and leaning on the whole spices keeps it lighter.
Does yakhni soup have fewer calories than chicken curry?
Usually yes for a similar amount of chicken, because yakhni has no oil-based tarka. A curry with the same chicken typically carries extra calories from the oil and ghee in the masala base; the exact gap depends on the recipe.
Is yakhni soup high in protein?
Yes. About 25 g per serving is similar to the protein in roughly 85 g of cooked chicken breast, in a warm, easy-to-eat form, which is part of why it is a traditional recovery food after illness.
What can I add to yakhni soup to make it a full meal without adding too many calories?
A small portion of rice or a single roti adds carbs for roughly 100-130 extra calories while keeping the protein-to-calorie ratio strong. That is a better choice than cream or extra oil, which add fat without adding much fullness.
How we calculate chicken yakhni soup calories
These numbers are estimates, not laboratory values. We start from the recipe ingredient list (800 g bone-in chicken, 2.5 litres water, aromatics) and add up the whole pot, then divide by 4. For the chicken we use USDA FoodData Central values for stewed chicken, meat only (breast, FDC 171478, 151 kcal per 100 g; thigh, FDC 172389, 195 kcal per 100 g) and stewed chicken skin (FDC 171056, 363 kcal per 100 g). We assume about half of the bone-in weight is edible meat, that it loses about a quarter of its weight in the simmer, and that most of the skin is discarded. We could not confirm a USDA record for home-made chicken broth, so the fat and collagen that end up in the broth are labelled estimates (about 5-25 g of fat and 0.5-1.2 g of protein per 100 ml). The “likely range” runs from skinless chicken with the fat skimmed to skin-on chicken with the fat left in. Your own chicken, pot size and skim will move the result, so weigh your food for the closest figure. This is general nutrition information, not medical or dietary advice.
Related reading on Chicken Yakhni Soup
- Chicken yakhni soup recipe — the full step-by-step for the dish behind these numbers
- Winter (sardi) desi recipes — more warming, seasonal dishes like this one
- Desi weight-loss meals — where high-protein, low-carb bowls like yakhni soup fit into a broader plan
Get the exact calorie count for Chicken Yakhni Soup
How much shredded chicken you add and how well the broth is skimmed set the number. RotiAI computes the kcal for your chicken yakhni soup, and Sehat Mode builds light, high-protein bowls like this into a personalized desi diet plan.
