Chicken Taco Soup -- The Warmth We Made Three Times Over

Week two hundred. I didn't plan to notice but the number caught me — two hundred weeks of writing about this life, this kitchen, this family. Two hundred weeks of tater tot hotdish on Thursday and tacos on Tuesday and canning in August and cookies in December. Two hundred weekly chapters in the book of Diane Holloway, farmer's daughter, Des Moines resident, cook of all things Iowa and increasingly of things Thai.

The cold is profound this week — wind chill below zero, the kind of cold that hurts your face and makes your car groan when you start it and turns the walk from the parking lot to the office into a survival expedition. I made chili three times. Three different chilies: the regular beef chili (cumin, chili powder, beans, tomatoes), a white chicken chili (chicken thighs, white beans, green chiles, cream cheese), and a vegetarian black bean chili (Jack's request, because Jack has decided that meatless meals are better for the soil, a connection I'm not sure is scientifically accurate but which I support because a boy who thinks about soil when choosing dinner is a boy I'm going to feed however he wants).

Emma's student council project: a fundraiser for the school art program. She organized a bake sale, which meant I baked — three dozen cookies, two dozen brownies, and a pan of lemon bars that Emma selected because "lemon bars signal sophistication." The bake sale raised a hundred and forty dollars. Emma reported the results in a spreadsheet she created on Kevin's laptop, with revenue by item, profit margin analysis, and a recommendation for next quarter's sale. She's eleven. She's conducting profit margin analysis. Kevin looked at the spreadsheet and said, "She's going to run a company someday." I said, "She already is."

Jack's seed starting begins in February. The windowsill is cleared. The grow light is tested. The peat pots are stacked. The soil mix is ready — a blend of peat, perlite, and vermiculite that Jack researched and mixed himself because "store-bought seed starting mix is inconsistent." He's eight. He's critiquing commercial soil products. The garden season doesn't start in spring. It starts now, in January, in the planning and the preparation and the small boy standing at the window calculating the angle of light and deciding where the tomato pots will go. The garden starts in the mind. It always has.

Three chilies in one week felt like the right answer to weather that made the parking lot feel like an endurance test — and if I’m honest, each pot was its own small act of survival. The white chicken chili was everyone’s favorite, so I came back around to that flavor profile with this Chicken Taco Soup: all that familiar warmth, a little more broth, and just enough spice to make you forget the wind chill for a while. It’s the kind of recipe that belongs to February and January both, and to every week the cold decides to stay a little too long.

Chicken Taco Soup

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

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce
• 1 packet (1 oz) taco seasoning
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Optional toppings: shredded cheddar, sour cream, sliced jalapeños, tortilla strips, fresh cilantro, lime wedges

Instructions

1. Sauté aromatics. Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 4–5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
2. Brown the chicken. Nestle the chicken into the pot and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Let it sear for 2 minutes per side — it doesn’t need to be cooked through yet.
3. Build the soup. Add the black beans, pinto beans, corn, diced tomatoes with chiles, enchilada sauce, taco seasoning, and chicken broth. Stir to combine.
4. Simmer. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20–25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
5. Shred the chicken. Remove the chicken pieces with tongs and use two forks to shred the meat on a cutting board. Return the shredded chicken to the pot and stir to incorporate.
6. Taste and adjust. Taste the soup and adjust seasoning as needed — add more taco seasoning for bolder flavor, or a splash of broth to thin it out.
7. Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with shredded cheddar, a dollop of sour cream, tortilla strips, or whatever your family reaches for first.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 31g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 29g | Fiber: 7g | Sodium: 820mg