Southwest Chicken Soup

The real estate market is strong this week. I showed 8 properties and closed on 1. The pipeline is strong. The phone rings with the steady rhythm of a business that has taken six years to build and refuses to slow down.

Sophia is studying with an intensity that would concern me if it were directed at anything other than science. She talked about it at dinner for twenty minutes and I understood approximately half of it but all of the joy behind it.

I thought about Baba this week. Not the grief — the grief is always there, a familiar companion now — but the man. The way he stood at the bakery counter with his arms crossed. The way he hummed Greek songs he never knew the words to. The way he loved us in silence, which was the loudest love I have ever known.

I made lemon chicken soup — not the ceremony of avgolemono but simpler, humbler. Roasted chicken, potatoes, lemon. A hug in a bowl. We ate at the kitchen table, just the two of us, and for a moment the house was not quiet or loud — it was exactly right. Full. Fed. The sound of forks on plates is the sound I love most in this world.

The olive oil in my kitchen is from a Greek import shop in Tampa that sources from Kalamata. It is expensive. It is worth it. I use it on everything — salads, fish, bread, vegetables, the edge of a pot of soup — because olive oil is not a condiment in this family, it is a philosophy. Use it generously. Use it without apology. Use it the way you use love: poured freely, never measured, always more than you think you need.

Baba was on my mind all week, and when that happens I always end up at the stove — not because cooking fixes grief, but because it gives the hands something to do while the heart does its work. This chicken soup is not avgolemono, not ceremony, just a humble, nourishing bowl: chicken, vegetables, broth pulled together with care, finished the way I finish everything in this kitchen, with a splash of lemon and a pour of good olive oil that would have made him nod in approval.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 can (15 oz) whole kernel corn, drained
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and black pepper to taste
Juice of 1 lemon or lime
Fresh cilantro or parsley, for garnish

Instructions

Sear the chicken. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook 4–5 minutes per side until golden. Remove and set aside; it does not need to be fully cooked through yet.
Soften the aromatics. In the same pot, reduce heat to medium. Add onion and bell pepper and cook 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
Build the soup. Add cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, and oregano. Stir to coat the vegetables. Pour in the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, black beans, and corn. Stir to combine.
Return the chicken. Nestle the seared chicken back into the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a steady simmer. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
Shred and finish. Remove the chicken and shred it with two forks, then return it to the pot. Squeeze in the lemon or lime juice. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and spices as needed.
Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh cilantro or parsley. A drizzle of good olive oil over the top is never wrong.

Nutrition (per serving)

Southwest Chicken Soup — The Bowl That Brought Him Back to Me