ULTIMATE BLACK BEAN SOUP/STEW WITH CHORIZO AND BRAISED CHICKEN

Steps:

• ADVANCED PREP FOR BEANS:.
• DRIED BEANS: Place black beans in a large bowl and cover with 1 gallon of water. Add 3 tablespoons salt and stir until dissolved. Cover and set aside at room temperature overnight.
• CANNED BEANS: Drain and rinse 2 28-oz. cans of black beans.
• PREPARE CHICKEN:.
• The next day, season chicken with salt and pepper on all sides.
• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or saucepot over medium-high heat until shimmering.
• Add chicken and cook without moving until well browned on 1st side, about 5 minutes.
• Flip chicken and cook until 2nd side is browned, about 3 minutes longer.
• Remove chicken from pot with tongs and set aside on a large plate.
• COOK CHORIZO & PEPPERS:.
• Add chorizo to Dutch oven/saucepot. Cook, stirring occasional, until chorizo is crisp and starting to char, about 4 minutes.
• Add scallion whites, 1 finely chopped Serrano pepper, and minced garlic. Cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Add cumin and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Add chopped chipotles and their sauce. Cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• (IF USING DRIED BEANS) Add 1 1/2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth and bay leaves.
• (IF USING CANNED BEANS) Add 1 quart low-sodium chicken broth and bay leaves.
• Drain and rinse black beans and add to pot. Nestle chicken pieces into beans. Bring to a boil, reduce to a bare simmer and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally until beans and chicken are tender.
• (IF USING DRIED BEANS) The cooking time should be 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• (IF USING CANNED BEANS) The cooking time should be 30 minutes.
• Remove and discard bay leaves and skins from chicken.
• Using a ladle, carefully transfer 2 cups of beans and chorizo with liquid to a blender. (Some blenders may require some cooling off time before blending; a Vitamix does not!) Blend on high speed until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Stir mixture back into pot.
• If you want a thicker soup, scoop up more beans and chorizo and blend that. To make it easier for dinner guests, you can shred the meat off the chicken and mix it into the stew; otherwise, they will need a fork and knife in addition to a soup spoon, and probably strong napkins.
• Serve chicken and beans with scallion greens, avocado, cilantro, lime wedges, sliced Serrano peppers and sour cream at the table for garnish.