One-Pot Salsa Chicken

Slow week. The kind of week where I get to be a person without events pressing on me. I worked on the Alexa intent model Monday through Friday. I went to yoga once. I made kimchi jjigae, bibimbap, japchae, doenjang jjigae, pajeon, rice. I cleaned the bathroom. I folded laundry. I called Karen on Wednesday. I called Kevin on Sunday. I texted Jisoo a photo of my fermented soybean paste experiment (two weeks in; not ready; probably a failure, but interesting).

Jisoo is starting to send me photos of her daily life without me asking. This week she sent one of her church, one of a persimmon she picked from her neighbor's yard, one of her husband napping in his chair (she joked, in Korean, "my old man, asleep at noon"), and one of her kitchen windowsill, which has three small potted herbs. Her basil. Her mint. Her cilantro. Identical to mine. I took a picture of my windowsill and sent it back. She wrote: "Look at that. We are the same."

I think often about how my relationship with Jisoo has become mostly textual. A letter a week, plus photos, plus occasional voice notes that we have started exchanging — short ones, hello, how are you, I miss you. The video calls are expensive (for the translator) and rare. The texts are cheap and daily. The video calls are mountaintop. The texts are the trail. I live on the trail.

Priya asked me in a one-on-one this week whether I had thought about Principal Engineer. I said I had not. She said, "You should. You could do it. You're on track." I said, "Priya. I'm a Senior with less than two years in grade. Principal is years away." She said, "Two years. If you want it." I said, "Do I want it?" She said, "That's a question for you, not me. But the door is open." I said, "Thank you." I did not say: I might be walking the other direction.

Karen had a bad night on Tuesday. Fell in the bedroom getting up from bed. Did not break anything but bruised her hip badly. David took her to urgent care. They called me from the car. I drove out. She was fine, shaken, embarrassed. She said, "I have to use the walker at night now, I guess." David said, "From now on, yes." Karen sighed. She accepted. That is progress. She would not have accepted six months ago. The progression of the disease is teaching her to accept things. This is one of the painful functions of a degenerative disease: it trains you to surrender. I do not like watching it.

Dr. Yoon said this week, in passing, that Karen's acceptance was a gift to David. She said, "He does not have to fight her every step of the way. That is a kind of love." I had not thought of it like that. Karen is not just enduring; she is loving David by enduring well. I sent her a card on Friday. The card said, "Mom, you are doing this so gracefully. I see it." She wrote back by text: "You are very sweet. Also I am cursing more than you think I am."

The recipe this week is doenjang jjigae, plain. Fermented soybean paste, anchovy stock, tofu, zucchini, potato, green onion. A Tuesday soup. A stew for a week where the point is to get through it.

Doenjang jjigae was my Tuesday soup this week—but if you’re looking for that same spirit in a Western pantry, this one-pot salsa chicken is the closest translation I know: one vessel, humble ingredients, nothing to prove. It has the same logic as a week where the point is just to get through it, to feed yourself something real without ceremony, and to let the pot do the work while you fold laundry or call your mom or text a photo of your windowsill to someone you love.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or breasts)
1 1/2 cups jarred salsa (medium or mild)
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen or canned corn, drained
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
Cooked rice or warm tortillas, for serving
Optional toppings: sour cream, shredded cheddar, fresh cilantro, lime wedges

Instructions

Season the chicken. Pat chicken dry and season on both sides with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder.
Sear. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sear 3–4 minutes per side until golden. It does not need to be cooked through yet. Transfer to a plate.
Build the base. Reduce heat to medium. Add salsa and broth to the pot, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Stir in black beans and corn.
Simmer. Return chicken to the pot, nestling it into the salsa mixture. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook 20–25 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and tender.
Shred. Remove chicken and shred with two forks. Return shredded chicken to the pot and stir to combine. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
Serve. Spoon over rice or into warm tortillas. Add optional toppings as desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

One-Pot Salsa Chicken — A Stew for Getting Through It