Chicken Tortilla Soup

First, remove the membrane and seeds from the Poblano peppers and Serrano chilies. If you would like the soup spicier, you can leave the membrane and seeds for the Serrano chilies. Then slice the peppers, chilies, and onions into shoestring-sized slices. This doesn’t need to be exact. Add these to an already heated dust-free pot, along with the olive oil and garlic. I prefer to use a garlic press to crush the garlic right into the pan so I don’t lose any of the juices, but if you don’t have a garlic press, a fine chop on a cutting board will do. Cook this down until the onions and peppers have lost their structural integrity, about 20 minutes over medium-high heat. Make sure you stir occasionally so you don’t burn anything. To this, add the tomatoes. I like to crush them in the pan with the back of a wooden spoon, but you can also crush them before adding to the pot. Add 1 cup of water and cook this until simmering.

To the pot, add the chicken thighs. I strongly recommend using bone-in thighs. There is no escaping the flavor this will add to your soup. I also chose to use the thighs because they tend to be a little fattier (flavor) and I would not need to worry as much about drying them out. Pour in 8 cups of chicken stock, add a generous amount of salt and pepper.

Bring this to a simmer and let cook for 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Don’t get impatient, your time will be well rewarded.

When the skin easily pulls away from the chicken thighs, remove them to a bowl and allow to cool enough to remove the skin, fat and bones.

At this point, turn the heat down so the soup is at a slow simmer. Add heavy cream, just to add some extra richness. Then add the black beans. In a separate bowl, shred the chicken and then add it back to the soup. Cook the soup only as long as necessary to reheat the chicken and beans.