I’d been getting signals from Kaylen, one of the YearOfSoup testers, that it was time for another white bean soup, and maybe something with some kick to it as well. I’d really liked Barb Wilmer’s Awesome White Chili w Cumin and Clove when she resouprocated me with a sample, and thought I might actually follow a recipe from start to finish for once. I should have known following a recipe was beyond me, but what I came up with was quite decent on its own. I used a fresh jalapeno, but somewhere along the way decided that I wanted to use some of the preserved ones as well. The result is a bit hotter than some might like, though really, it’s still mild for chili.

Lucky White Bean and Chicken Chili

• 1.5 lb chicken breast, poached and cubed
• 1 lb dried white navy beans, soaked overnight in water to cover plus a half inch
• 2-3 qts water
• 1 tbsp Better Than Bullion Chicken (low sodium)
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced celery
• 4 cups chopped onion
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large chopped fresh jalepeno – with seeds and soft rib removed
• 2 4 oz. cans fire roasted green chilies
• 1/2 cup pickled jalapenos
• 6 med cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 2 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 cup crushed white tortilla chips – preferably plain, but if not, hold back on the salt a bit when you season.

Like most soups it starts with two quarts of water in a stockpot, brought to a gentle boil. In goes a half tsp salt and three skinless chicken breasts (1.5 lb) to poach for ten minutes, or until firm. With the burner on medium and it may not even get back to a boil by the time they’re done.

Take the breasts out to cool and add the drained soaked beans. Bring the pot up to a simmer and set the timer for an hour. It will probably take more to get the beans soft, but you should check it first…you don’t want them to go to mush.

Chop up the celery, carrots, and roasted green chilies and put them aside. Add the juice from the chilies to the stock. After all, it’s just chili flavored water.

Chop up the preserved jalapenos and add it to the vegetable medley.

Dice the onion, fresh jalapeno (take out the ribs and sees), and the cloves of garlic. I smash the cloves with the heel of my hand on the cutting board, to loosen the skins, which works for me, and doesn’t even get my hands garlicky.

Cut the cooled chicken breasts into small cubes and put them aside.

After the beans have been cooking for an hour, check them for doneness. If they’re soft but a little grainy, that’s ok, but they should be soft. if not, give them another fifteen minutes. Don’t panic if they don’t soften up exactly on time. Different beans seem to take different times.

With the beans nearly ready, sauté up the onions, jalapeno, and garlic, but only until the onion starts to soften, not till it gets translucent.

If the beans are about done, add all the other ingredients in, bring the soup back up to a simmer. Add up to another quart of water to get the consistency about right.

Add the chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and 1 tbsp salt to the soup, cover and let simmer for half an hour.

Crumble up a cup worth of tortilla chips and add about two cups of soup broth from the pot.Try not to get beans and chicken in because the next step is to use your immersion blender to make a puree out of the chips and soup and return the mixture to the soup.

Check the seasoning. Check the doneness of the beans. Adjust for each.

Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.