Salsa Chicken Soup

Week after. The year settles again the way it does. Ryan stayed over — first time staying over — and in the morning he made coffee without asking where things were, because he had been in the kitchen enough times to know where the coffee was. He handed me the cup. He said "How are you today?" Not "how are you feeling" or "are you okay" — how are you today, as in: today is a day. How is it. I said today is better. He said "Good." He drank his coffee and looked out the east window at the morning Pilsen street. He stayed for breakfast. He made scrambled eggs — slow, low heat, lots of butter. He knew how to do them. "My grandmother's method," he said. I said mine too. He said "Then they're right."

Room 108 this week: Isabel had a breakthrough with the communication app — she found the sentence-builder function on her own, on Wednesday, and built "I want the red book please," a five-word sentence, unprompted. I was across the room and I had to read it twice. Then I got the red book and gave it to her and said "Good asking" and she pressed "yes" on the tablet and went and sat down and started reading. I wrote it in the log and then sat in my chair for a moment and felt the particular joy of this job — the specific, unrepeatable joy of watching a child find a new way to say what they need.

Made a big pot of chicken and wild rice soup this week — the creamy kind, with carrots and celery and garlic and fresh thyme and cream stirred in at the end. Under four dollars. A post-anniversary soup, the kind that says: we made it through that day, here is something warm and substantial, let us move forward. Ryan had a bowl on Tuesday. He said "Every time I come over you're making a soup." I said that is because I am always making a soup. He said "I know. It smells like this every time. I look forward to it." That is not a small thing to say. I heard it.

I am keeping notes in the journal now about him, alongside the recipe notes. Not dramatic notes. Practical ones. The way he is in the kitchen. The eggs. The coffee without asking where it was. The pasta on September 14th, slightly overcooked. These are the details of someone I am going to keep paying attention to. I have a good track record with paying attention. It is, as my wall notecard says, half the job.

There is always a soup. This week it was a chicken soup built on salsa — pantry-fast, one pot, the kind that goes together on a Tuesday without much ceremony and sits on the stove smelling like something that matters. If someone is going to say they look forward to the smell of your kitchen, this is the soup that earns that. It is not complicated. That is the point.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz) corn, drained
1 jar (16 oz) salsa (medium or mild)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
Fresh cilantro, sour cream, or shredded cheese for serving (optional)

Instructions

Sauté the aromatics. Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4–5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Build the base. Add the salsa, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle boil.
Add the chicken. Nestle the chicken breasts into the liquid. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 20–22 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and registers 165°F.
Shred the chicken. Remove the chicken breasts to a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the meat, then return it to the pot.
Finish the soup. Stir in the black beans and corn. Simmer uncovered for 5 more minutes to heat through. Add the lime juice and taste for seasoning.
Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with cilantro, a spoonful of sour cream, or shredded cheese if you like. Good with bread or tortilla chips alongside.

Nutrition (per serving)

Salsa Chicken Soup — The Soup That Was Already on the Stove