Chicken and Black Bean Soup

1 lb dried beans, soaked overnight in brine
2T olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 ~ 6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 ~ 1 1/2 chipotle peppers in adobo, finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
pinch of salt

8 ~ 9 c. water

4 chicken thighs, skin removed

1/2 c. finely chopped carrot
1/2 c. finely chopped celery

1 1/2 ~ 2 T. Penzey's Chicken Soup Base

1 red bell pepper, diced into 1/4" pieces
1 green bell pepper diced into 1/4" pieces
15 oz. can petite dice tomatoes with celery and onions

Did you notice the "small dice" theme in the ingredients list?  I wanted every spoonful of this soup to contain a couple beans and something else.

Cooking bean soup from scratch is not quick... I started the beans around 10:30 am, and declared the soup done at 2:00 pm.  I was doing other stuff in the kitchen off and on, so it was easy to keep an eye on it.  If you don't have other pots to watch, you and increase the heat after each ingredient is added, to bring the soup back to a simmer faster.

The black beans give the chicken a purpley-black tinge.  If you find that idea unappetizing, you could probably make this much faster using 3  - 4 cans of rinsed black beans, in which case it will look more like a chicken soup with the occasional purple bean floating by.


Drain your soaked beans and rinse them.

In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat until shimmering.  Add the onions and a pinch of salt.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender and just beginning to brown.  Add the garlic, oregano and chipotle and stir to combine.    Add your water and beans and turn the heat up to high to bring to a boil.

Once the pot boils, turn the heat down until the pot is just barely simmering. I've started using the small burners on my stove for simmering.  Cover and cook until the beans are tender about halfway through.

Remove the skin from the chicken thighs and trim off any large pieces of fat.  Nestle the meat into the bean pot.  Cover and wait for it to return to a simmer (you can speed that up by turning up the heat), and then reduce heat so it just barely simmers for 30 minutes.  Remove the chicken and place on a plate to cool.

Test your beans and make sure they're almost tender and creamy all the way through.  If not, cook a little longer.

When the beans are almost ready, stir in the carrots, celery, and 1 1/2 T soup base. Simmer until the vegetables and beans are tender.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat into bite size pieces.  Discard the bones and any tough tendons.

Add the peppers, chicken, and tomatoes to the soup and stir.  Taste the broth and decide if you'd like to add more soup base or salt.    Cook until the peppers are crisp tender.