Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup

Oh Crock Pot Lady, how I love thee. You have made dinner on nights I am in class much more budget and waistline friendly with all your wonderful crock pot ideas. This soup was very good although next time I will soak the beans a bit longer and blend up some of them before serving to thicken up the broth as was suggested.



Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup
Source: The Crock Pot Lady
Ingredients:
1lb chicken
1c dried black beans (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed)
4c chicken broth
1c sliced mushrooms (I omitted)
1c frozen corn (I used almost a whole bag since we really like corn)
1 jar prepared salsa (16 oz)
1 1/2tsp cumin (I used chili powder since I don't keep cumin on hand)
1/2c sour cream (to stir in at the end)
shredded cheddar cheese, avocado slices, cilantro (all optional, I used just cheese)

Directions:
I used a 5 quart crockpot. The Crock Pot Lady says you will need a 4 quart or larger.

If you know you are going to make this the night before soak the black beans in enough water to cover and another 2 inches overnight. In the morning, drain the water and rinse the beans. (I did this and think they could have used a bit more soaking)

If you don't have super hard water or live in a super high altitude, you can quick soak the beans by pouring boiling water over them and let them sit for an hour or two.

Drain and rinse the beans. Add to the crockpot. Put in the chicken, and add the broth and salsa. Pour in the corn and mushrooms, and add the cumin. Stir, but don't disturb the beans---let them stay at the bottom of the pot, closest to the heating element.

Cover and cook on high for 9 hours.

If you are using beans you soaked overnight, canned beans, or pre-cooked beans, you can cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-5--similar to normal soup-cooking time. (I cooked on low 7 hours and will cook it the full 8 hours next time)

If you'd like to thicken the broth (I did not do this but will next time), you can use your immersible blender to blend a bit of the beans and chicken. If you don't have one, scoop out 2 cups of the soup and carefully blend in your traditional blender. Stir the mixture back into the crockpot.

Stir in the 1/2 cup of sour cream before serving, and garnish with shredded cheese and avocado slices.